Foundation Scholarships
Each year, the NAELA Foundation proudly awards Cohn Sisters’ Scholarships for Patient Advocacy for attendance at the NAELA Elder and Special Needs Law Annual National Conference held in the spring of each year. The scholarships include tuition and room at the conference.
The scholarship was established through the NAELA Memorial Fund in memory of Vivian Cohn Smith and Lorrie Cohn, sisters of NAELA Fellow Helen Cohn Needham. This annual scholarship is available to Elder and Special Needs Law attorneys who are unable to afford to attend a NAELA Annual National Conference and who would use the training to assist and advocate on behalf of people with disabilities.
The Cohn Sisters’ Scholarship for Patient Advocacy is made possible through the continuing generous donations made in the names of Vivian and Lorrie to the NAELA Foundation by their family and friends, Needham, Mitnick & Pollack PLC, and other individuals and law firms. Vivian passed away in November 1997 after a 10-year fight against breast cancer. She worked with people with disabilities for the state of North Carolina and used what she had learned as a patient to advocate on behalf of others. Lorrie died in November 2005. She was a certified intensive care nurse, and later a triage nurse for Kaiser Permanente. She always considered patient advocacy to be an essential part of her caregiving.
Application Process
The applicant must send a statement to NAELA (no more than one page in length) that explains the following:
- Applicant’s current job/position and involvement in Elder and Special Needs Law;
- Why the applicant needs the scholarship; and
- How the applicant would apply the training received at the Annual National Conference to his/her advocacy on behalf of patients.
Applications should be sent to NAELA Executive Director Peter Wacht via email; fax 703-563-9504; or mail at NAELA, 1577 Spring Hill Road, Suite 220, Vienna, VA 22182.
Selection Process
The families of the Cohn sisters will review all applications and determine who will receive the scholarships.
Deadline for Applications
All applications must be received by December 31 of the year preceding the Annual National Conference that the applicant would like to attend.