Rhoda came quickly to love those who cared for her. Upon Ken’s arrival the morning after her second night spent at Hospice House, she reached out her hand for him and said, “We have to help these young workers.” Ken asked her to explain and she said, “They are so good at caring for me and they care so much”. She simply knew she wanted to help them. Rhoda’s admiration and thankfulness for her care never diminished during her stay. The care was loving and compassionate in every aspect.
Today, school, including tuition and book costs, is expensive and training in the medical profession is no different. After school, there are board certification exams to pay for and pass before one may practice their medical expertise. Many of the Certified Nursing Assistant’s (CNA) work full-time while working on their next level of nursing, be it as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or Registered Nurse (RN) or if they’re attending school for a different field.
It did not take the family long after Rhoda’s death to formulate a plan and agree on how to fulfill Rhoda’s desire to help these “young workers”. The family and estate of Rhoda G. Culbertson has endowed a scholarship for the employees of The Good Shepherd Hospice House by utilizing the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation for assistance in establishing the fund.
The goal of the family is multiple. First, the family hopes this fund will reward faithful employees who have supplied the same compassionate care and love as demonstrated to Rhoda and her family, encouraging these employees to further their education. Secondly, the hope is the scholarship fund would become an instrument at The Good Shepherd Hospice House to extend to applicants during the interview process to entice each applicant’s desire to be employed by Homecare & Hospice. Thirdly, it is the family’s goal to encourage education within the Manhattan community in order to strengthen the community as a whole and retain competent medical staff.
Donations to the fund may be made in the name of your loved one or simply as a gift to the employees of this outstanding facility. Gifts can be made online at the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation’s website or by contacting the GMCF at 785-587-8995. All gifts made to the Homecare & Hospice Employee Education Fund will be matched 1:4 by the Kansas Health Foundation Grow II fund.
For more information about how the Homecare & Hospice Employee Education funds are distributed to employees, contact Christina Nolte, Executive Director at Homecare & Hospice.
The Homecare & Hospice Employee Education Fund, which is managed by the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation, was established in loving memory of Rhoda G. Culbertson, beloved wife of Ken and mother to Tige, Teren, and Teall.