Donna DiMartino, who has led SVNA’s hospice & palliative care program f, also volunteers with Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association, serves as a board member for the Tabor Foundation and is an HPNA approved educator. 

Stephanie Baldwin: In 2014 received $5,500 to attend George Washington University’s online bachelor’s of science in nursing program. 

TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF HEALTH CARE WORKERS

To its recipients, it's a scholarship fund known as the Tabor Foundation. But this unique fund is much more -- a chance for health care workers to advance in their careers, and for their communities to reap the results.

Just ask Amber Victory. On track to become a registered nurse, she received a grant of $4,000 to continue her education through an RN to BSN program at Naugatuck Valley Community College. The scholarship allowed her to go to school full-time, unlike many of her peers who have been forced to drop out when they couldn’t manage full-time work and school together. 

“Having the financial support from the Tabor Fund has been huge,” says Amber. “Without this help, I would have had to stretch myself extremely thin trying to work extensive hours on nights and weekends. I will forever be grateful to the Tabor Fund!”

Northeast Dutchess County and northwest Litchfield County residents pursuing careers in a health care field—as professionals or para-professionals—are eligible for a Tabor Fund scholarship. This year, the fund awarded a total of $29,700 to eight applicants. In return for this support, each recipient commits to pursuing a career in northeast Dutchess or northwest Litchfield, upon completion of a degree or training program. 

Amber will soon join a local workforce that includes previous Tabor Fund scholarship recipients like Zack Sawicki, Cornwall’s EMT captain, and Sharon Hospital nurse Stephanie Baldwin, who are both serving their communities with the skills they acquired in school, thanks to this vital fund.

TABOR FOUNDATION FUND

SCHOLARSHIP GUIDELINES

WHO CAN APPLY

Residents of northwest Litchfield County, Conn., or northeast Dutchess County, N.Y., who plan to undertake education or training in a health care or medical field (nursing, EMT, physical therapy, counseling, etc.) and to seek employment in their community afterwards. Non-residents working in the area may also apply.

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must be either:

• Residents of northeast Dutchess (Amenia, Dover Plains, Millerton, North East, Wassaic and Wingdale) or northwest Litchfield (Canaan, Cornwall, Falls Village, Kent, Sharon, Salisbury) counties who are working or intend to work in a health care facility either in the area or close to the area
• Not a resident of, but working in a health care facility that serves the catchment area

AWARDS

Awards generally range between $1,000 to $4,000.

REVIEW CRITERIA

The committee will review requests for scholarships according to the following criteria:

• Impact of funding on the applicant’s ability to attain a health care qualification
• Ability of the applicant to move forward in his/her career through attainment of a health care qualification
• Preference may be given to students who are going to school while taking care of dependent family members
• Preference may be given to students who are attending schools in northwest Connecticut or Dutchess County

Applications will be reviewed by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation Scholarship Committee. Their recommendations will be reviewed by Berkshire Taconic’s board of directors.

NOTE: The Salisbury Rotary Foundation (PO Box 287, Salisbury, CT 06068) also offers health care scholarships for residents of northeast Dutchess and northwest Litchfield. We encourage you to also contact this organization for support.

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AWARD

$1,000 to $4,000

DEADLINE

June 30, 2019

HOW TO APPLY

Please read these important instructions.

SAMPLE APPLICATION

View a sample application to see the questions you will need to answer to apply for this scholarship. Click the apply button below to log into our online system and complete your application.

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