Rotz Pharmacy continues partnership with LFCC with $25,000 scholarship endowment

Rotz Pharmacy is once again teaming up with LFCC for the good of the community. Jason Rotz and Corey Boxwell, co-owners of the Winchester independent pharmacy, recently presented a $25,000 check to the LFCC Educational Foundation. The donation will be used to create an endowed scholarship that students will be able to start applying for this winter.

“We are excited to work with Jason and Corey on this impactful gift,” said foundation development officer Andy Gyurisin. “Rotz Pharmacy has always believed in the health and education of the local community. This donation will allow our students to pursue their dreams, careers, and future endeavors.”

Left to right: Pharmacist and Rotz Pharmacy co-owner Corey Boxwell, LFCC Educational Foundation Executive Director Liv Heggoy, development officer Andy Gyurisin and pharmacy co-owner Jason Rotz.

With vaccinations against Covid-19 on the horizon last winter, Rotz reached out to the college about offering Moderna vaccines on the Middletown Campus. In late winter and early spring, more than 5,000 shots were given in a series of clinics. Besides protecting the public health, the clinics provided valuable hands-on experience for our nursing students.

The success of that partnership and their prior experience at LFCC were instrumental in motivating Rotz and Boxwell to make their generous gift. Both men attended LFCC early in their academic careers before ultimately graduating from Shenandoah University.

“Our involvement with LFCC has been exceptional, first as students and more recently as partners to provide our community with life-saving vaccines,” said Boxwell. “We hope this gift will make it easier for local students who have decided to pursue a career in healthcare.”

Rotz’s father, John, began the pharmacy more than 45 years ago when he bought what was then Barry’s Drug Store at 23 W. Boscawen St., in 1976, shortly after graduating from the Medical College of Virginia’s School of Pharmacy. He would later change the name to Medical Circle Pharmacy, and finally Rotz Pharmacy. The current pharmacy, located at 1338 Amherst St., was built in 2004. Jason Rotz and Bowell bought the pharmacy from John Rotz in 2017.

“When I began talking to LFCC officials about partnering on the vaccine clinics, I was impressed by the can-do attitude they had,” Rotz said. “It just reminded me of our pharmacy and our emphasis on customer service. I feel like LFCC and Rotz Pharmacy are sometimes overshadowed by larger entities, but are truly hidden gems here in the Northern Shenandoah Valley, and we both do so much to improve the lives of those living here.”

For more information about the LFCC Foundation’s scholarship program, please contact LFCC Foundation Executive Director Liv Heggoy at 540-868-4091, or lheggoy@lfcc.edu. The LFCC Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. To make a gift to support scholarships, please visit lfcc.edu/donate.