La Boutique des Huit Chapeaux et Quarante Femmes (The shop of eight hats and forty women) Nurses Scholarship

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Organized in June 1922 as a Fun and Fellowship group while their husbands attended meetings of the 40/8 Veterans group, the Eight and Forty held their first convention in New Orleans. It was agreed to adopt a ‘public service’ program concerned with child welfare. Since tuberculosis was rampant at that time The American Legion (whom they were then associated with) assigned them the preventive tuberculosis service along educational lines with, when possible, financial assistance providing for care and treatment of child in cooperation with recognized agencies and methods. The mission expanded over the years as tuberculosis was almost eradicated. Now all lung and respiratory diseases in children is the mission statement. It started with Cystic Fibrosis and expanded from there.

The scholarship program was added in 1957, and more than $1.4 million have been awarded. The original scholarships were for Registered Nurses to advance their training in caring for ‘our Special Children.’ In 2014 respiratory therapists were added as eligible to apply. Also it was voted to include all students attending accredited nursing schools and respiratory therapists attending accredited programs