[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/faulkner-university-answers-the-call-of-healthcare-education-at-benefit-dinner-featuring-candace-cameron-bure\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/faulkner-university-answers-the-call-of-healthcare-education-at-benefit-dinner-featuring-candace-cameron-bure\/","headline":"Faulkner University Answers the Call of Healthcare Education at Benefit Dinner Featuring Candace Cameron Bure\u00a0","name":"Faulkner University Answers the Call of Healthcare Education at Benefit Dinner Featuring Candace Cameron Bure\u00a0","description":"Faulkner University honored 100 individuals in healthcare during its annual Benefit Dinner on Oct. 2, 2025. The sold-out event, held at the Renaissance Convention Center in downtown Montgomery, drew more than 2,000\u00a0guests\u00a0and featured award-winning\u00a0actress\u00a0Candace Cameron Bure as keynote speaker.\u00a0 Before…","datePublished":"2025-11-10","dateModified":"2025-11-10","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/rburylo\/#Person","name":"Rebecca Burylo","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/rburylo\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37a0c97fbd1eda89e38697defcaf0573?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37a0c97fbd1eda89e38697defcaf0573?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Faulkner University","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","width":480,"height":128}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/0074_3V8A9938-scaled.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/0074_3V8A9938-scaled.jpg","height":1828,"width":2560},"url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/faulkner-university-answers-the-call-of-healthcare-education-at-benefit-dinner-featuring-candace-cameron-bure\/","about":["Community","Donor","Highlights","News"],"wordCount":602,"articleBody":"Faulkner University honored 100 individuals in healthcare during its annual Benefit Dinner on Oct. 2, 2025. The sold-out event, held at the Renaissance Convention Center in downtown Montgomery, drew more than 2,000\u00a0guests\u00a0and featured award-winning\u00a0actress\u00a0Candace Cameron Bure as keynote speaker.\u00a0Before Bure, best known for her role as D.J. Tanner on the television series \u201cFull House,\u201d took the stage, healthcare workers from across the region were recognized for their service. Men and women representing multiple roles in the field of healthcare were invited on stage, where they were applauded for their sacrifice and commitment to patient care. \u201cYou as healthcare professionals are worthy of honor,\u201d Faulkner University President Mitch Henry said. \u201cYou have answered the call to help and go out of your way, even if it means putting yourself at risk, to help others.\u201d\u00a0Henry recounted the story of Dr. L.L. Hill, an Alabama physician who performed one of the first open-heart surgeries in the country 123 years ago by lantern light. Called upon in the middle of the night, Hill successfully operated on a young African American man who had been shot in the heart, saving his life. \u201cHis actions made a wave of change in the nation and in the field of medicine, which in turn has saved thousands of lives,\u201d Henry said. \u201cWhen we answer the call, we find out what we\u2019re made of. If we have the spirit of Dr. Hill, we can make a ripple for good. Those we are honoring today have answered that call.\u201d Faulkner is also answering the call to address healthcare shortages in Alabama. This fall, the university launched its first nursing program within the College of Health Sciences. The Faulkner University Center for Therapy and Research has already performed more than 43,000 free clinic visits, offering services in speech, physical and occupational therapy as well as autism treatment.\u00a0The university\u2019s commitment to service extends beyond healthcare. Faulkner Law\u2019s Thomas Goode Jones School of Law has reported\u00a0nearly a\u00a020 percent year-over-year increase in enrollment as the school welcomed its largest incoming class in\u00a0nearly a\u00a0century. University-wide enrollment reached 3,569\u00a0students this fall, with graduate online programs and health sciences leading the growth.\u00a0Henry also announced the public launch of the university\u2019s most ambitious financial campaign, \u201cWhere Faith Shapes Futures Capital Campaign,\u201d with a goal of raising $53.7 million. More than 73 percent has already been secured. Funds will support the construction of the Academic Resource Center, designed to enhance academic excellence, create spaces for community and spiritual formation, and expand health sciences programs. Bure expressed her gratitude for healthcare workers and praised Faulkner\u2019s role in Christian healthcare education. She credited her faith in Jesus Christ as the foundation of her career and personal life, sharing how it has guided her from her days as a child star to her role as a wife and a mother and her current work as an actress, producer, author, and entrepreneur. \u201cI am very outspoken about my faith,\u201d Bure said. \u201cMaking movies, doing a podcast, making shows; those are fun, but they are not my purpose. My purpose is to share the Gospel.\u201d In addition to her acting career, Bure is CEO of\u00a0CandyRock\u00a0Entertainment and Chief Creative Officer for Great American Media. She has starred in multiple holiday romantic comedies and mysteries, including the recent Ainsley McGregor Mysteries: A Case for the Yarn Maker on Great American Family. She has received the Grace Award for TV and the Best Family Television Award at the\u00a0Movieguide\u00a0Awards.\u00a0"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Faulkner University Answers the Call of Healthcare Education at Benefit Dinner Featuring Candace Cameron Bure\u00a0","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/faulkner-university-answers-the-call-of-healthcare-education-at-benefit-dinner-featuring-candace-cameron-bure\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]