Up-and-coming chef cooks for Grafton Women’s Club scholarship; Springfield grad receives Lovell health award

The Women’s Community Club of Grafton will be hosting a scholarship fundraiser on Wednesday, Aug. 12 at the Grafton Inn, 82 Main St. in Grafton. This special “Evening with Chef Josh Bank” will feature a prix fixe menu designed and prepared for the event.

Josh Bank is a graduate of Green Mountain High School and is heading into his sophomore year as a culinary student at Johnson and Wales University. He has been employed in the kitchen at the Grafton Inn for the last five years and has worked his way up from dishwasher to line cook. His passion for cooking is evident in the menu he will be preparing.

The Women’s Community Club of Grafton is a nonprofit dedicated to encouraging higher education through the awarding of scholarships. Josh Bank has been a recipient of scholastic aid from the club the last two years. Proceeds from the dinner will directly benefit the scholarship fund.

The dinner will be held from 6 to 9 p.m Wednesday, Aug. 12. The cost is $40 per person and reservations are required by Aug. 5. The menu and additional details can be found on The Grafton Inn website www.graftoninnvermont.com.Contact the inn at 802-843-2231 for reservations.

Alyssa McCutcheon receives Lovell Award

Alyssa McCutcheon, class of 2015 from Springfield High School, is the fifth recipient of the Dr. E. Sherburne Lovell Health Career Award. This award contributes $1,000 annually toward a student’s academic pursuit of a career in health care. It is funded by the proceeds of the Apple Blossom Cotillion, a project of the Development Office of Springfield Medical Care Systems.

Alyssa McCutcheon, center, is flanked by, left, Tonia Fleming of Springfield Medical Care System’s Development Office  and Beth Brothers of Southern Vermont AHEC.

Lovell was a long-time physician at Springfield Hospital. His daughters, Melissa Post and Elizabeth David, said, “We hope recipients of the award will share the same sense of wonder and fascination with the world of medicine that he did.”

Alyssa will be a nursing student at the University of Vermont in the fall. She became interested in a career in health care when she attended the Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center MedQuest program.

To be eligible for the award, students must live in one of the towns served by Springfield Medical Care Systems and attend AHEC’s MedQuest program. Application information for the Dr. E. Sherburne Lovell Health Career Award is available by contacting Southern Vermont AHEC at 802-885-2126 or info@svahec.org