Forty & Eight Scholarship Helps Aspiring Nurses

(April 2023) The Allegany County chapter (Voiture 1006) of the national 40 & 8 veterans honor society has established an endowed scholarship fund with the Allegany County Area Foundation (ACAF).

Formally known as La Société des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux (The Society of Forty Men and Eight Horses), the Forty and Eight is an independent honor society of American veterans and service members.

American veterans returning from World War l service in France founded in the Forty and Eight in 1920.  The organization is committed to patriotic and charitable endeavors, including child welfare and nurses training – the latter emphasis derived from the acute nurse shortage the veterans observed during their service.

Allegany County’s Forty and Eight was established on June 16, 1928. Its members have supported the county in a variety of ways, including assisting aspiring nurses.  This new scholarship will continue this tradition and perpetuate the legacy of the local chapter.

One $500 scholarship will be awarded annually to a student preparing for a nursing career, with priority to students already excelling in a college nursing program. As the Forty and Eight Fund endowment grows, additional scholarships will be offered. Students will be selected for the scholarship through the regular ACAF scholarship process. The first award was offered this spring for the 2023-2024 academic year.