As we approach our retirement years, many reflect on their career with questions like, “What will my legacy be?” When Grace Rehabilitation and Health Center Nurse Manager, Charlie Peirsel approached her retirement, there were many conversations about the extraordinary contributions that she made to residents, their families and her fellow employees over the past 20 years of working in the long-term care nursing profession.

To her staff, Charlie is not only a mentor but also a mother-figure, always there as an anchor of support in their personal and professional lives. To the residents in her charge, Charlie would not leave for the day without personally checking in. To area nursing students, Charlie served on the Health Occupation Advisory Committee at the Crawford County Vocational-Technical Center and welcomed all nursing students from the Vo-Tech onto her neighborhood to be mentored by her and her staff.

“Charlie has always been a servant leader, one who would sacrifice her time, money, and energy to enrich the lives of others. Her caring nature, combined with her immense amount of medical knowledge, truly makes her one of a kind,” says Alishia Stevenson, Wesbury Director of Nursing.

In honor of all her contributions to the nursing profession, Wesbury is pleased to announce her ability to impact future generations of nurses will carry on through the creation of the “Charlie’s Angel” Annual Scholarship. This yearly $1,000.00 scholarship will be awarded to a Wesbury employee or a student at the Crawford County Vocational-Technical Center that is pursuing a degree in nursing.

For 2020, three Crawford County Vo-Tech students were selected to submit written essays that described what makes them who they are, why they want to become a nurse, and who inspired them to pursue a nursing career and why. The student selected is described as warm, hardworking, reliable, compassionate, and a woman of faith, all of which pay tribute to the characteristics that make Charlie who she is. She is not only achieving academic excellence at the Crawford County Vocational-Technical Center but also working full-time at Wesbury while raising her son. It is our pleasure to announce the recipient of the 1st annual “Charlie’s Angel” Scholarship is Ms. Ava Ann Forbes.

Wesbury has been deeply touched by Charlie’s exceptional commitment for the past 20 years. For those who wish to honor Charlie by contributing to Charlie’s Angel Nurse Scholarship Fund, donations can be made to the Wesbury Foundation by mailing a check to: The Wesbury Foundation, 31 N. Park Avenue, Meadville, PA 16335, giving a donation online, or by calling 814-332-9264.  Please note Charlie’s Angel Scholarship on envelope and/or check.