Career opportunity fund makes a difference

A couple of months ago, Vince Faludi was a sous chef working for a local restaurant, a job that helped put food on his family's table, but did not provide everything his family needed. 

Turn the clock forward a few weeks and you'll find a changed man. After a grueling 161-hour course of study and practical training, Vince is now a graduate of the International Institute of Transportation Resource, a big-rig truck-driving school. With graduation came an offer for a new job, which he started this week with a branch of May Trucking based right here in Sisters.  

The change was made possible through the Kiwanis Career Opportunity Fund. The fund provides assistance to start, augment or complete a career opportunity that may include (but is not limited to) vocational, technical, artistic, or general fields of study. Since its inception, the fund has provided over $21,000 in assistance to help more than 15 Sisters-area folks reach for their dreams.

For Vince, words could not communicate the thanks and praise he had for the club's program.  It was a leg up he will forever be thankful for - and an opportunity he would recommend to those looking to make a similar change.

The fund is available to qualified residents of the Sisters School District. Applications are available on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Kiwanis House (corner Main Avenue and Oak Street); from the Sisters Habitat for Humanity office; Family Access Network (FAN) or by calling 541-549-4274. To donate to the Career Opportunity Fund, make checks payable to Sisters Kiwanis with the phrase "COF" in the memo c/o Sisters Kiwanis, P.O. Box 1296, Sisters, OR 97759.