The Corvallis Clinic Foundation and the LBCC Foundation today announced a new scholarship fund for LBCC students in health care-related programs. The two foundations worked in collaboration to establish the fund, which will generate annual scholarships to support the growing need for professionals in health care occupations. Dr. Robert Poole and Susan Poole of Corvallis donated $10,000 to the fund through The Corvallis Clinic Foundation. Their donation was designated as a matching gift, which inspired matching funds to be raised through the LBCC Foundation.
The new scholarships will go to students pursuing a degree in health care occupations at LBCC. The college’s Healthcare Occupations Center in Lebanon trains students in nine fields, including nurses and nursing assistants, diagnostic imaging technicians, dental assistants, medical assistants, coding and reimbursement specialists, polysomnographic (sleep-study) technicians, phlebotomists, surgical technologists, and occupational therapy assistants.
“The impact of this new scholarship on students, and on our community, will be tremendous,” said Linda Carroll, Dean of Healthcare at LBCC. “The health care sector is booming, which means we need to be training students in specialty fields. Expanding access to these career fields for people from lower socio-economic backgrounds means that, not only can those people enter satisfying, well-paid careers, but also that patients of different backgrounds get to work with diverse health care providers. The importance of this diversity in the local health care field is immeasurable.” Carroll also serves on the board of The Corvallis Clinic Foundation. She helped connect the two foundations and facilitate their collaboration for this new scholarship fund.
“The Corvallis Clinic is dedicated to making a positive difference in the health and well-being of our community,” said Edward Kelly, Chief Executive Officer of The Corvallis Clinic. “There is a pressing need for more highly-trained professionals in health-allied fields in our region. The health care professions scholarship will be an important part of how we can meet this growing demand.”
This marks the 65th year of The Corvallis Clinic Foundation, which in 1954 started awarding scholarships to high school seniors going into health-related fields. In order to provide more meaningful scholarship amounts to students desiring to enter healthcare-related professions, the earlier process of awarding small scholarships to high school students was put on hold. This allowed the corpus of The Corvallis Clinic Foundation to grow to $28,000. With the addition of the $10,000 matched by the LBCC Foundation, an endowment is now supported.
“Matching gifts increase the impact of giving,” said Susan Poole. “They encourage more people to participate in philanthropy by getting people energized around a cause.” With the Pooles’ gift and the match from the LBCC Foundation, the scholarship fund now holds $48,000. The Pooles anticipate that one or more $1,000 scholarships will be awarded per year, depending on how quickly the fund grows. Both Pooles serve on the board of The Corvallis Clinic Foundation.
“Anyone can play a remarkable role in bringing a high-quality education at LBCC to the life of someone in need,” said Jennifer Boehmer, Executive Director of the LBCC Foundation. “The LBCC Foundation serves as a hub for communitarians like the Pooles, and partners like The Corvallis Clinic Foundation, to work together and creatively solve problems that lift up our entire community and help individuals realize their dreams. We are so proud of that.”
The Corvallis Clinic Foundation has been an active partner in medical and health care philanthropy in the local community for more than 65 years. Founded in 1954, the Foundation is dedicated to providing resources in the Mid-Willamette Valley for health education, preventive care, and the delivery of health care to at-risk populations. Gifts to The Corvallis Clinic Foundation make an immediate difference and improves the future by helping to educate future health care leaders, provide healing care for those among us most in need, inspire hope in those desperate for it, and save lives.
The LBCC Foundation is completely dedicated to supporting the students and programs of Linn-Benton Community College so that, through the transformational power of education, our entire community flourishes. Led by a volunteer Board of Directors, the Foundation awards more than 300 scholarships to deserving students each year and augments industry-advised teaching tools through equipment and capital support. Because of this doorway to community involvement, Linn-Benton Community College proudly helps more than 18,000 individuals every year achieve their educational goals.