HOISINGTON — The Clara Barton Foundation awards scholarships annually to local applicants interested in the pursuit of education in a medical field of study through scholarship endowments that have been established over the years. The Foundation awarded $3,300.00 in scholarships to seven recipients this year.
Verda Lane scholarship was made possible through an endowment established by her family in honor of her years of dedicated nursing service. The scholarship assists students in their academic pursuit to become a Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse. This year the scholarships were awarded to Gina Bogner and Ashley Richardson. Gina will graduate in the spring of 2015 with a RN degree from Washburn University. Ashley Richardson is working on becoming a Registered Nurse at Barton Community College and is currently a Certified Nurse Aide at Clara Barton Hospital.   
The Jonathan Witt Scholarship supports students planning to pursue a health care professional curriculum. The scholarship is actually the oldest scholarship offered, having been continually awarded since the formation of the Hospital Auxiliary organization in the 1950s. The auxiliary members voted to rename the scholarship in 2004 and established an endowment with the Foundation in honor of Jonathan Witt, son of Dr. Dan and Sandi Witt. This year the scholarships were awarded to Austin Stout of Hoisington and Jacob Durrett of Great Bend. Austin attends Bethany College where he is Biology major. Jacob will attend Kansas State University this fall to start his healthcare education and aspires to become a family practitioner.
The Sadie Stalcup Scholarship was established in more recent years to honor Sadie Stalcup, a long time nurse at Clara Barton Hospital. This year the scholarships were awarded to Rebecca Harmon and Matraca Ochs both of Hoisington. Rebecca is pursing a career in dental hygiene. Matraca is a Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) and will begin studying nursing at Barton Community College.
The Dr. Robert Moore Scholarship was established at the request of the late Dr. Moore’s family to assist employees of Clara Barton Hospital with their continuing education. This year the scholarship was awarded to Melissa Scheck. Melissa is a document imaging specialist at Clara Barton Hospital and will work towards an associate’s degree in Health Information Technology at Hutchinson Community College.  Professionals in the field of health information technology are the experts who secure, analyze, integrate and manage information that guides the health care industry. This information is important to patient care, research, health care planning and decision making, liability protection, quality improvement and reimbursement of claims.
To make a tax deductible donation to the Foundation’s endowments or have questions about establishing an endowment, please contact Clara Barton Foundation at 620-653-5012 or by mail at P.O. Box 25 Hoisington, Kansas 67544.