Nineteen of the students who graduated from Beaufort County Community College’s associate degree in nursing program May 11 were also part of the Beaufort County Association of Nursing Students.

BCANS is a professional student nursing organization. For these students to receive recognition cords, they had to participate in 75 percent of campus and community events during the past two years. BCANS members have gathered donations for Ronald McDonald House, Ruth’s House and conducted a blood drive with the American Red Cross. Students also rang bells for the Salvation Army and conducted health screenings at the First United Methodist Church in Washington.

This year, BCANS is led by Richard English II, with James Matthews as vice president, Crystal Floyd as treasurer, Elizabeth Knox as secretary, Matt Anderson and Logan Barber as historians, Carolina Beltran and Mollie Davis as the event coordinators, and Haley Rushton and Nikita Haughton as the LPN representatives. Angela Boyd serves as the faculty advisor for the group.

“We’ve expanded our community outreach this year,” said Angela Boyd. “Our donation drive to Ruth’s House and our health screenings at the Methodist Church helped us expand our efforts to address public health issues.”

For more information about BCANS, contact Angela Boyd at 252-940-6407 or angela.boyd@beaufortccc.edu.