Pinning Ceremony for class of 2023

Hi everyone this fundraising page has been created by the Portland community College (PCC) School of Nursing class of 2023. We are nearing the end of the long and difficult road that will culminate in the initiation of our class of student nurses into the community of professional nursing!! PCC unfortunately does not offer the traditional pinning ceremony for its nursing graduates. This means that all planning and funding is done by very busy nursing students that are working with very limited funds. That’s where you come in! Please support us in making this memorable right of passage possible. Why a pinning ceremony you ask….. The pinning ceremony has roots from the 12th century when knights who aided the sick and infirm were given a Maltese cross to wear. Today’s pinning ceremony is closely tied to an award given to legendary nurse Florence Nightingale. Known as the mother of modern nursing, she was awarded the Red Cross of St. George in the 1860s for her tireless work during the Crimean War. To share this honor, Florence presented a medal of excellence to her brightest graduates. Soon, the Nightingale School of Nursing at St. Thomas Hospital in London designed and awarded a badge with a Maltese Cross to all nurses as they completed their program. By 1916, the practice of the pinning ceremony was standard throughout the United States and England. The badge symbolized educated people who were competent to serve as a nurse to provide healthcare to society. Often schools of nursing create a customized pin that incorporates colors and symbols associated with that school. However, because PCC does not participate in the pinning ceremony our class will be creating a pin of our own design. The pinning ceremony is distinctive for the nursing community and is unlike any graduation ceremony. It is the first time a nursing graduate enters the nursing community with its rich and proud history. Not only does it mark the completion of student coursework, but this ceremony honors nursing graduates who will work in a career where they will have to be selfless for the good of many others. (https://www.herzing.edu/blog/importance-pinning-ceremony-nurses) For many of us, graduating from nursing school has been many years in the making. We have quite literally put our blood, sweat, and tears into an education that will allow us to serve our communities and we are so excited and humbled to do so. The pinning ceremony will be a time for us to take stock, reflect ,and celebrate with each other and those that are most important to us before we move into this next phase of our lives. We deeply appreciate your contribution that will be giving us the gift of this experience. Please note that the goal that has been set is a conservative estimate of what it will cost to pay for an event space, pins, decorations, and a celebration following the ceremony. It is likely this goal will increase as we finalize plans.