The Lower Keys Women's Club recently presented a donation of $4,200 to the Florida Keys Community College (FKCC) Foundation, the fundraising arm of the school, at its "Mad Hatter's Tea Party"-themed fashion show luncheon.

The funds raised at the annual event allow the club to regularly contribute to the FKCC Foundation's "Lower Keys Women's Club Nursing Scholarship" fund, which was established in 1967.

"It has been the great honor of the Lower Keys Women's Club to be a committed contributor to the FKCC Nursing Scholarship Fund," said Women's Club President Abby Oglesbee. "It is our mission to help our community, and what better way than to help our youth get an education."

At the event, the club recognized this year's current scholarship recipients, as well as the college's nursing faculty and staff.

"The Lower Keys Women's Club is making a difference in students' lives," said FKCC President Jonathan Gueverra.

"The LKWC's scholarship helps the college to continue educating quality nurses for our community and our local health care industry."

Florida Keys Community College has trained and graduated more than 1,000 nurses since its establishment in 1965. Those nurses serve in vital roles in hospitals, doctors' offices, clinics and in classrooms throughout the Keys and beyond. College nursing graduates boast a 92.3 percent pass rate for the NCLEX-RN exam required to become a registered nurse, which is significantly higher than the state average of 89 percent and the national average of 88 percent.

Applications for the fall 2013 class will be accepted until May 2013.

For more information about FKCC's Nursing and Allied Health program, visit http://www.fkcc.edu/academics/as-nursing.da.