Kiwanis boosts career training

Sisters Kiwanis recently awarded Sisters resident Janette Jaun a Career Opportunity Fund (COF) scholarship to pay for training as a phlebotomist. Phlebotomists are trained to draw blood from a patient for medical testing, transfusions or donations.

Kiwanis awards scholarships to Sisters-area adults who are seeking a career change.

The Kiwanis Career Opportunity Fund program assists adults (25 or older) who are financially unable to return to school or retrain for a career change. Since its inception, the fund has awarded more than $52,000 in assistance to help 40 Sisters-area residents reach their educational goals.

Jaun will enroll at Oregon Medical Training in Bend to learn her new profession. The course provides basic knowledge and skills necessary to draw blood (venipuncture) in a clinical setting. Students receive instruction in basic anatomy and physiology, regulatory and ethical issues, safety and infection control, blood collection equipment, and venipuncture procedures.

Jaun said her goal is to work in the medical field, a profession that will provide her the higher income she needs to raise her three children. She also emphasized that without the financial support from Kiwanis it would be impossible to pursue the training at Oregon Medical Training.

The Kiwanis Career Opportunity Fund provides assistance to start, augment or complete a career, which may include vocational, technical, artistic or general fields of study. Funds are available to qualified residents within the Sisters area. Kiwanis does not set limitations on potential use of the award.

COF applications are available on the Kiwanis website: sisterskiwanis.org/about-us/career-opportunity-fund; at the Sisters Habitat for Humanity office; from Family Access Network or by calling 541-410-2870.

To donate to the COF, make checks payable to Sisters Kiwanis COF, POB 1296, Sisters, OR, 97759.