The Parker Poe Charitable Trust Donates $100,000
NFC Nursing Simulation Lab Named in Honor of Kate Ireland
MADISON, FL - So many words can be used to describe the late Kate Ireland (1930-2011) - giving, honorable, dedicated, fun-spirited, and the list goes on. An equally long list is needed to describe her life pursuits and passions - philanthropist, naturalist, preservationist, volunteer, music enthusiast, humanitarian and educator, just to name a few.
Kate, born in Ohio, was considered a local treasure dedicated to restoring and maintaining the Red Hills of North Florida and South Georgia, which she called home for many years after moving from Cleveland and Kentucky. An eight-mile stretch of highway linking Thomasville and Tallahassee is named in her honor - the Kate Ireland Parkway.
In the 1950s and 60s, Kate’s strong leadership skills quickly moved her up the ranks of the Kentucky-based Frontier Nursing Service (FNS). In 1963, she was named to the FNS Board of Governors and by 1975 had been named national chairman. In 1987, The Kate Ireland Women’s Health Care Center was dedicated in her honor with much praise from the FNS Board of Governors - “In every situation, Kate always ‘gives it all she’s got’ and she’s got a lot!”
Kate’s energy, enthusiasm and endless drive to make a positive impact led to numerous awards and accomplishments during her lifetime. In the Thomasville-Tallahassee area where she called Foshalee Plantation home, Kate served on numerous boards and community, civic and service organizations. She continuously gave back to her community.
To this day, Kate’s commitment to giving and helping others lives on through the Parker Poe Charitable Trust, established by Ireland to fund deserving organizations and projects that make a profound difference.
Kate was a champion of education and advancing healthcare in rural areas. Now her efforts will be memorialized on the North Florida College campus.
Thanks to a $100,000 donation by the Parker Poe Charitable Trust, NFC is naming its nursing simulation lab in honor of Miss Kate. The donation not only names the Kate Ireland Simulation Laboratory in NFC’s Career and Workforce Education Center (Bldg. 13), it also helps purchase advanced training equipment and new patient simulators for the lab. The donation ensures NFC continues to offer the best training opportunities to area nursing students, and in return, helps build a stronger community and healthcare system in North Florida and beyond.
PHOTO: NFC President John Grosskopf, NFC Nursing and Allied Health Director Julie Townsend, NFC Foundation Board of Directors Member Janegale Boyd (Jefferson County), and Danny MacQuirter of Allen, Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors.