More than $413,000 raised for emergency nurses during the ENA Foundation’s 30^th anniversary year

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (June 21, 2021) – On Monday, the ENA Foundation announced that it raised more than $413,000, beating its previous challenge record as well as the Foundation’s goal for 2021.

The record-setting inaugural ENStrong Challenge kicked off the ENA Foundation’s 30^th anniversary in a big way by surpassing the Foundation’s 2021 goal of $250,000 and shattering the previous challenge record of $222,724 raised in 2018.

Previously the State Challenge – as it was formerly known – averaged $144,477 since its launch in 2012 and harbored a competition between ENA state councils. The ENStrong Challenge kicked off in January during the association’s annual Leadership Orientation event and concluded on May 31 with bigger goals, new features and more inclusivity. The name change helped expand the potential and interest around who can give – including international ENA members who not only want to support the Foundation, but also benefit from it as well. New to 2021 was the ability for donors to designate their gifts to areas of their choice including the greatest need category, scholarships, endowments, COVID-19 relief grants, research grants and international.

“I was so excited about the outcome for this year’s ENStrong Challenge and the opportunities it will bring for emergency nurses,” said ENA Foundation Chairperson Sally Snow, BSN, RN, CPEN, FAEN. “I knew our incredible supporters would help the Foundation achieve its goal and I couldn’t be prouder of how they stepped up to go above and beyond to have a record-breaking year. The amazing generosity of this year’s donors will help so many people. I think I am most proud of the first-time donors and hope that we can count on them in the future.”

The challenge saw 893 donations and 450 individual donors, including 100 new donors from the public. Through its donor platform, 40 teams actively engaged and participated in the challenge while 194 individuals raised funds on behalf of their teams with their own networks.

The ENA Foundation praised California ENA ($27,526), Kentucky ENA ($26,454), Texas ENA ($151,019) and Virginia ENA ($30,891) for leading the way by raising the most money during this year’s challenge.

“As we raised the bar this year, I want to challenge each of us to elevate the impact that can be made by seeking out others who are not necessarily in our profession, but can still help even more in our next challenge,” said ENA President Ron Kraus, MSN, RN, EMT, CEN, ACNS-BC, TCRN. “I’m proud of our members for finding people within their personal networks to help support the important work emergency nurses do every day.”

The ENA Foundation will continue to welcome donations through the remainder of the year as it looks forward to its second annual ENStrong Challenge in 2022.

About the ENA Foundation

The ENA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, is the philanthropic arm of the Emergency Nurses Association. The foundation powers the future of emergency nursing with a mission focused on providing academic scholarships, research grants and continuing education opportunities to emergency nurses. Since 2009, the ENA Foundation has awarded approximately $3.7 million to emergency nurses to earn degrees, expand their skills through continuing education and conduct research projects directly related to emergency nursing and led by nurse researchers.