Fox Auto Gives $10K for 10
Fox Auto Team and Customers Raise $10,000 in Scholarships for Hunt School of Nursing students
Team effort part of TTUHSC El Paso’s Season of Thanks campaign
In just over a month’s time, the Fox Auto Team and its customers raised $10,000 for Hunt School of Nursing scholarships, it was announced on Friday, Nov. 11.
The campaign – known as “10 for 10” in a nod to Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso’s upcoming 10-year anniversary – aimed to raise a total of $10,000 for 10 $1,000 nursing school scholarships.
Employees and customers of the Fox Auto Team family of car dealerships contributed to the fundraiser from Oct. 4 to Nov. 9, and the total was matched by the auto team’s vice president, Paige Fox. Fox Auto Team is part of an ever-growing group of TTUHSC El Paso community partners supporting the university’s mission of educating Borderplex students pursuing health care careers.
Hunt School of Nursing students are largely first-generation college students, over 80% are Hispanic and non-traditional with an average age of 27 years old. Many have demanding family responsibilities, sometimes as the sole financial provider and head of the household. Scholarships are a game changer for underrepresented nursing students that otherwise might not have an opportunity for a high-income career pathway.
“Nurses are the heroes of our community, and we’re thankful for the work they’ve done to help local families, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Fox said. “I’m so grateful to our Fox Auto Team and our customers for coming together to change the lives of nursing students through this campaign.”
The fundraiser was part of TTUHSC El Paso’s “Season of Thanks,” a celebration of support for the mission of the university, which is home to the Foster School of Medicine, Hunt School of Nursing, Francis Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the Hunt School of Dental Medicine.
Fox inherited a passion for selling cars from her father, Steve Fox, a well-known El Paso businessman who grew Fox Auto Team as its president and chief executive officer. Paige Fox learned how to run a business, but also made her own mark in the industry, implementing programs to increase profitability while also ensuring her employees were well taken care of during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Steve Fox and her mother Nancy showed their children the value of serving their community. The Fox family, through the Fox Family Foundation, has prioritized helping others by closing the gap in health disparities and providing access to health care in our Borderplex community.
Her legacy of giving back continues through the Season of Thanks campaign.
Stephanie Woods, Ph.D., R.N., dean of the Hunt School of Nursing, said scholarships offer a lifeline to students so they can meet their goals, graduate on time and enter the workforce where they are needed the most.
“We’re proud to have Paige Fox and Fox Auto Team as community partners of the Hunt School of Nursing, and we're grateful for the generosity of their customers, who are just as committed to supporting this region's future nurses,” Dr. Woods said. “Strong community support like this allows our students to concentrate on becoming the health care leaders we know they can be.”
Scholarships are often life-changing for students because they allow them to focus on the rigorous, 16-month accelerated nursing program, without needing to work additional jobs to care for themselves and their families.
Support from the local community has been critical in keeping talented students from the Borderplex close to home as they receive their education. In the past 10 years, donors from the region have stepped in to assist students with financial challenges, relieving the burden of taking on multiple jobs outside of school to pay bills and afford necessities like groceries.
In 2021-2022, 44% of TTUHSC El Paso students received scholarships totaling $2,174,150. Gifts from donors have made it possible for the university to award full tuition for unmet financial need.
Support of Hunt School of Nursing students comes at a critical time, as nursing shortages are expected to increase within the next several years.
The state of Texas is projected to face a shortfall of nearly 16,000 registered nurses by 2030, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. West Texas is facing a shortfall of over 3,000 nurses, according to the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies.
Since opening in 2011, more than 1,140 nurses have graduated from the Hunt School of Nursing, with 90% staying in the region. As a result, the number of registered nurses in the county has increased by 45%.
The school offers Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) and Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) degree programs, and the only accelerated program in the region where students can earn a B.S.N. in just 16 months.
The Hunt School of Nursing has partnerships with every hospital in the El Paso community, which includes both clinical rotation opportunities and job placements post-graduation, helping to fill the critical need for nurses. The school’s curriculum also prepares students for leadership positions in hospitals and clinics.
Currently, 87% of students from the Hunt School of Nursing are El Paso natives, fulfilling TTUHSC El Paso’s mission to create more educational opportunities for Borderplex residents.
All this would not be possible without health care change-agents and El Pasoans such as Paige Fox, the Fox Auto Team and their generous customers. They make it possible for students to finish nursing school and provide compassionate care to El Pasoans most in need.
About Fox Auto Team
Fox Auto Team, founded in 2015, is a premier Texas Acura, Lexus and Toyota dealer. Fox Auto Team offers buyers a large selection of new and used vehicles, financing options, and service and parts, making the business a preferred dealer for customers across West Texas and Southern New Mexico.
About TTUHSC El Paso
TTUHSC El Paso is the only health sciences center on the U.S.-Mexico border and serves 108 counties in West Texas that have been historically underserved. It’s designated as a Title V Hispanic-Serving Institution, preparing the next generation of health care leaders, 48% of whom identify as Hispanic and are often first-generation college students.
TTUHSC El Paso was established to focus on the unique health care and educational needs of our Borderplex community. In 2023, TTUHSC El Paso will celebrate its 10th anniversary as an autonomous university within the Texas Tech University System. In those 10 years, the university has graduated nearly 2,000 doctors, nurses and researchers, and will soon add dentists to its alumni.