JAY — Tri-Town Medical Foundation President Gary Knight has announced three recent graduates of Spruce Mountain High School have been awarded $2,500 scholarships to further their education in the medical field.

The awards were recently presented at a recognition ceremony at the school by Theresa Timberlake, secretary and trustee for the foundation.

Recipients were Mackenzie Darling, who plans on a career in occupational therapy; Rylee Moore, who hopes to become a physical therapist; and Adam Wilcox, who is headed for Bob Jones University to study nursing. All three were highly recommended by staff at the school.

Althea Drummond, who received an award last year, will receive $2,500 toward her tuition at Husson University, where she is a sophomore studying nursing.

Tri-Town Medical Foundation was formed as a nonprofit philanthropic organization from the proceeds from the sale of CES Ambulance to Franklin Health Network in 2002. Since its formation, more than $133,000 in scholarships have been awarded to local students who have expressed an interest in furthering their education in the medical field, including nursing, pharmacy, paramedicine and dentistry.

Award winners must show strong academic performance and solid community participation while in high school. Repeat recipients must maintain an average GPA of 3.0 or higher in college and remain enrolled in a field of medicine.