Sandra DeFoor considers her nursing career a ministry, and that ministry is now being shared with nursing students at the Conover Education Center in Harrodsburg.

The Sandra DeFoor Nursing Lab is now open and serving 14 students. The lab is a “permanent testament to Sandy DeFoor's love of nursing,” according to Dr. Wes Carter, associate vice president for university outreach.

“A generous, multi-year scholarship commitment in honor of Sandra DeFoor is now paving the way for students to pursue their nursing degrees at the Harrodsburg Conover Education Center. This generous gift will touch lives for years to come,” Carter said.

Bob and Sandy DeFoors' son, Dr. W. Robert DeFoor Jr., made the initial gift to honor his mother. He is a pediatric urologist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Mr. and Mrs. DeFoor are also creating a $1,000 annual scholarship to be awarded to a graduating senior from Mercer County who will be entering the nursing program at the Conover Center.

Sandra DeFoor retired as nursing director of Haggin Memorial Hospital in September, 2000. Her nursing career involved teaching nursing in university and hospital schools of nursing as well as serving in various nursing roles in hospital settings in Texas, Georgia and Kentucky.  DeFoor served in her roles with grace and she noted, “The nice thing about being director of nursing in a small hospital is that you still have patient contact.”

Sandra DeFoor is a 1962 nursing graduate of Baylor University in Waco, Texas.  Her husband, Bob, also graduated from Baylor University. They moved to Harrodsburg in 1979 where Bob served as pastor of Harrodsburg Baptist Church until 2007.  Mrs. DeFoor was a long- time Sunday School teacher and leader in the church's international ministry. Harrodsburg is still their home.

Mrs. DeFoor saw the need to be involved in professional organizations. She held positions with the Kentucky Nurses Association, taught ACLS for the American Heart Association and was part of the Blue Grass area consortium of directors of nursing.

Additionally, Mrs. DeFoor served on the Heritage Hospice Board, the Mercer County Cancer Society, NOAH (a Central Kentucky ombudsman board), and the Mercer County Board of Health where she continues as chair.

Carter said, “Throughout her personal and professional career, Mrs. DeFoor touched many lives and continues to do so today. Her life blessed not only her patients but also her fellow workers, and is a living testament in how to care for others.  As students pass through the school of nursing at the Harrodsburg Conover Education Center, they will each read Sandra's story. Her encouragement and love of nursing are forever immortalized at the entry to the lab named in her honor.

“Dr. Bob and Mrs. Sandy DeFoor love their community and are committed to helping young men and women have life-changing opportunities right here in Mercer County. We owe the DeFoors an eternal debt of gratitude for believing in Campbellsville University students of today and students of tomorrow.”

Gifts from donors allow students to pursue degrees they may otherwise not be able to afford. The Sandra DeFoor Nursing Lab is a reminder of not only the DeFoor family's contribution, but also the long-term positive change that students will experience through the opportunities given at the Harrodsburg Conover Education Center of Campbellsville University.

The Campbellsville University Harrodsburg Conover Education Center is located at 1150 Danville Road in Harrodsburg, Ky. The center currently has an enrollment in excess of 400 students and offers 27 academic programs spanning a wide range of certificates, undergraduate, and graduate degrees.

More information about the Campbellsville University Harrodsburg Conover Education Center can be obtained by calling (859) 605-1389.

Campbellsville University is a widely-acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 13,000 students offering more than 90 programs of study including Ph.D., master, baccalaureate, associate, pre-professional and certification programs. The university has off-campus centers in Kentucky cities Louisville, Harrodsburg, Somerset, Hodgenville and Liberty with Kentucky instructional sites in Elizabethtown, Owensboro and Summersville. The university also has a full complement of online programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.

Campbellsville University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award certificates, associate, baccalaureate, masters and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the status of Campbellsville University.