Gurnick Academy Receives CAPPS Gold Award for Community Service Excellence Second Year in a Row

Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts tied for first place for the 2022 California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools (CAPPS) Community Service Award, sharing the win with American Career College. The award was conferred last week at CAPPS’ Legislative Policy Conference, April 20–21.

The recognition marks two consecutive years Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts has “brought home the gold” for outstanding service, as the school won the same award in 2021. Additionally, Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts was conferred the CAPPS’ 2021 School of the Year Award for academic excellence at the CAPPS’ 37th-annual conference last year.

Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts was selected from numerous school applications and nominated for the award using a 32-page report of its philanthropic and humanitarian endeavors. Service acts ranged from the annual Alzheimer’s Awareness Walk, yearly bake sales, and ongoing COVID-19 vaccination support to gifts-in-kind such as a dental lab equipment give-away, toy drives, and clothing distributions for area homeless shelters.

Some submissions represented ongoing support for organizations such as Sacramento’s participation in the Annual Big Day of Giving and mentoring and partnership with humanitarian organizations such as the Children’s Receiving Home, a sister agency. Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts’ award represents countless collective service hours by the school’s leaders, staff, teachers, and students.

Supporting a long line of institutions giving back to their communities, CAPPS’ leadership developed the service-specific award six years ago to recognize humanitarian efforts done by private-postsecondary schools throughout California. “Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts continues to exemplify the best combination of contributing heavily to their communities while delivering outstanding education to their students,” says Robert Johnson, CAPPS executive director, regarding the Academy’s award. “Our schools, especially Gurnick Academy, are part of the fabric that gives the vital public services desperately needed in these demanding times.”

1st Place CAPPS Excellence in Community Service Award

“We are honored to be part of CAPPS and work together with other school members to serve our sector by promoting the interests of our students and providing professional quality programs,” says Zara J. Gourji, the Academy’s Chief Process Officer. “On behalf of our Academy, I feel humbled by this recognition of our amazing Gurnick Team. Winning this award would not have been possible without the inspiration and enduring dedication of our faculty, administration, students, clinical affiliations, and partners. We are proud to continue serving our community, making an impact and difference for those who need it the most.”

“During this time of enormous uncertainty in the world, it gives me hope, seeing the impact our small contributions can make in supporting our local communities,” says Burke Malin, Chief Operating Officer. “Our students, faculty, and employees are great ambassadors for compassion and generosity, hopefully motivating others to also give what they can of their time and resources.”

# # #

Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a private, post-secondary academy offering quality allied health and nursing programs operating six campuses in California with locations in San Mateo, Modesto, Fresno, Concord, Sacramento, and Van Nuys. Gurnick Academy offers allied healthcare, nursing, and medical imaging programs, including vocational nursing, to over 2,500 students annually.