Scholarship Application

Applications open now!

The Frank Heckner Memorial Scholarship is funded by a charitable trust gifted by Frank Heckner, October, 1989. The scholarship was given to fund scholarships to, at a minimum, a 2nd year student studying in a medically related field.

The Theo & Alyce Beck Memorial Scholarship was established December, 1996. The scholarship was established to award scholarships to Valley County graduates who are, at a minimum a 2nd year student studying in a medically related field.

The Anna Berge Memorial Scholarship was established in December 2008. Anna had been a teacher for more than 27 years in Hinsdale, Montana. The scholarship was established to award scholarships to Valley County graduates who are, at a minimum a 2nd year student studying in a medically related field.

The Helen Tihista Marks Memorial Scholarship was established in June 2011 by her children. Helen started as a nurses aide when she was 15, and her passion for the field only grew from there.

The Vera Terry Nursing Scholarship was established in January of 2014 by her daughter. Vera worked several years in the nursing field; including many years spent at FMDH. It was her passion and this scholarship is to encourage others to follow theirs.

The Donald J. Baker Scholarship was established in May 2017 by the Foundation Scholarship Committee. With the generous unrestricted bequest he gifted, the committee wanted to honor him with this named scholarship.

The Sever & Esther Enkerud Nursing Scholarship was established in October of 2018 by Sever Enkerud. He wanted to honor his wife Ester, who had a dream to be a nurse when she was a young girl, and pursued it passionately. Ester passed away in 2015, and Sever is happy to help local students pursue their nursing dreams.

The Deborah Guenther Nursing Scholarship was established in December 2019 by Keith & Deborah Guenther. Deborah has been a Perioperative nurse since 1986, and upon retirement wanted to give back. Keith and Deborah believe in the importance of a nursing education, including certification, and how it relates to the quality of care. This scholarship supports the nursing education and standards of care practiced when obtaining a degree or continuing on to gain certification.

The Richard Winderl Scholarship was established in 2020. Always helping his neighbors in life, he wanted to continue to help his community long after he was gone.

The Pearls Nickels Memorial Scholarship was established in 2024. Pearl Nickels lived a colorful life that included music, art, education, long friendships and always livestock. She worked hard at whatever she set her mind to, but she never missed an opportunity to visit with friends and strangers alike. Although she never learned how to “Google” things, she always had a phone book, a road atlas, and a variety of reference books on hand to look up whatever she might want to know, and she loved to visit about a wide variety of topics. Impressed with the level of care she received by the nurses at FMDH during her final days, she wanted give back and help future aspiring nurses achieve their goals. This scholarship represents the legacy Pearl leaves behind of hard work, an appreciation of land and livestock and a fearlessness of trying new things.

The Foundation Board has taken care to prudently invest these three trust funds to assure annual scholarships. No scholarship will be awarded for less than $1,000.00.

How to apply:

Fill out our online application here!

Scholarship Eligibility Requirements

Applicant must complete the online application 11:59pm on May 31, 2024.
Only online applications will be accepted this year and moving forward. Physical applications will NOT be accepted.

Specific Scholarship Requirements

Frank Heckner Scholarship

Applicant must be enrolled in a medically related program
Applicant must be at least a second year student
Applicant must carry a GPA of 2.0 or better

Theo & Alyce Beck Scholarship and the Anna Berge Scholarship

Applicant must be a graduate of a Valley County High School
Applicant must be enrolled in a medically related program
Applicant must be at least a second year student
Applicant must carry a GPA of 2.0 or better

Helen Tihista Marks Nursing Scholarship

Applicant must be a graduate of a Valley County or Phillips County High School
Applicant must be enrolled in a nursing program
Applicant must be at least a second year student
Applicant must carry a GPA of 2.0 or better

Vera Terry Nursing Scholarship

Applicant must be a graduate of a NE Montana High School
Applicant must be enrolled in a nursing program
Applicant must be at least a second year student
Applicant must carry a GPA of 2.0 or better

Donald J. Baker Scholarship

Applicant must be a Valley County Graduate
Applicant must be enrolled in a medically related program
Applicant must be at least a second year student
Applicant must carry a GPA of 3.0 or better

Sever & Esther Enkerud Nursing Scholarship

Applicant must be a Valley County Graduate
Applicant must be enrolled in a nursing program
Applicant must be at least a second year student
Applicant must carry a GPA of 2.0 or better

Deborah Guenther Nursing Scholarship

Applicant must be a graduate of a Montana High School of FMDH employee
Preference may be given to nurses working toward certification such as CNOR
Applicant must be at least a second year student, if not an RN already, and applying to a related program to further their education.
Applicant must carry a GPA of 3.0 or better.

Richard Winderl Scholarship

Applicant must be a Valley County Graduate
Applicant must be enrolled in a medically related program
Applicant must be at least a second-year student
Applicant must carry a 3.0 or better

Pearl Nickels Memorial Scholarship

Applicant must be a graduate of a Northeast MT high school or FMDH employee
- Northeast MT, especially including Valley, Richland & McCone counties
Applicant must be enrolled in a medically related program
Applicant must be at least a second-year student
Applicant must carry a 2.0 or better

The following documentation must accompany scholarship application:

Most recent official college transcripts.
Two current and original letters of recommendation. (Get new recommendations every year to be eligible each year.)
Essay – Minimum one page single spaced: “Why I am pursuing a career in health Care and how this scholarship would assist me in obtaining my goals.” (Must write a new essay each year.)
Name and address of school where check would be sent if awarded (Note: No checks will be issued directly to students.)

The committee reserves the right to do personal interviews only if further information is needed to make their final determination. Students are responsible for their own tax reporting of scholarship awards as determined by their graduate status. Complete the online scholarship application by Friday, May 31, 2024. The committee will review the applications and award the scholarships after July 1, 2024.

If you have questions or need further assistance, contact our Foundation Coordinator by emailing taylor.hohlen@fmdh.org or by calling (406) 228-3556.