Howard Payne University recently received a donation of $150,000 from Creative Solutions in Healthcare founders Gary Blake and Malisa Blake for the university’s nursing program. The gift will be used to establish the Gary Blake and Malisa Blake Endowed Nursing Scholarship and help provide equipment for the HPU School of Nursing.

Gary Blake and Malisa Blake serve respectively as president and executive vice president of the company. They made the decision to support the nursing program following several visits to HPU’s campus and meeting program faculty earlier in the year.

“It is inspiring to be around the Blakes and to hear their heart for selfless service in nursing care,” said Dr. Dale Meinecke, HPU’s vice president for development. “We are pleased to partner with Creative Solutions in Healthcare in confidence that our nursing students will graduate and become the servant-leaders the Blakes envision for our healthcare community.”

The scholarship will be available to HPU nursing students from Brown County and the surrounding area. The Blakes have strong ties to the Brownwood community through family, friends and four care centers in the area. Dr. Cory Hines, HPU president, said the gift is evidence of the Blakes’ great care for the Brown County area.

“The Blakes believe that, when God blesses, He does so in order for us to pass those blessings on to others,” said Dr. Hines. “The Blakes share a deep heart to see Brownwood develop as a city known for premiere healthcare and services. They see HPU playing a vital role in training and equipping nurses to provide this high level of compassionate and caring service for the residents of Brown County and beyond.”

The curriculum of the HPU School of Nursing is focused on providing future nurses a solid, Christ-centered foundation to serve others through curriculum focused on caring, faith and intellectual inquiry. In 2020, the Texas Board of Nursing reaffirmed program approval for the baccalaureate degree nursing program, which has become one of HPU’s fastest-growing academic areas in terms of student interest. The school currently has five students prepared to graduate in the spring of 2021 and more than 40 students preparing to enter or already studying in the program.

Creative Solutions in Healthcare, founded by the Blakes in 2000, is now the largest single provider of nursing care in the state of Texas, with more than 75 long-term care facilities in the state. Consistent with the values of HPU’s School of Nursing, the company’s foundational principle as stated on its website is “A life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”

Go to www.hputx.edu/nursing to learn more about the HPU School of Nursing and courses offered.