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Wednesday, April 15, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Enjoying Easter in quarantine...
Local scholarships will
be awarded on schedule
By Charlie Kanzig
Correspondent
PHOTO BY BRENDA JAROS
Bun Bun and Chloe enjoyed the beautiful sunshine on Easter in their own backyard.
St. Charles launches ‘Hero Fund’
In recognition of the sac-
rifices of those on the front
lines caring for COVID-19
patients in Central Oregon,
St. Charles is launching a
new fund through St. Charles
Foundation to provide bonus
pay to eligible employees.
The St. Charles Hero
Fund will provide bonus pay
to caregivers who work on
the front lines for the month
of April to honor the risks
they are taking and show our
appreciation. To be eligible,
caregivers must work in direct
patient care or on-site at a clin-
ical location at least 80 hours
in April. The hero bonuses
will be paid on May 15.
<St. Charles caregivers in
our hospitals, clinics, home
health and patient support
areas come to work every
day knowing that even with
taking appropriate precau-
tions they could contract this
serious virus,= Sluka said.
<They provide essential care,
while having to worry about
potentially bringing home
COVID-19 to their families.
I am in awe of their heroism
and honor the sacrifices they
are making to care for others
during this crisis.=
St. Charles is facing a
daunting economic environ-
ment because of COVID-19.
St. Charles has committed $1
million to the Hero Fund and
is asking the community to
match efforts in support of the
caregivers.
<We have seen an incred-
ible outpouring of support
through donations of masks,
food and other items for our
teams,= said Lisa Dobey,
executive director of com-
munity and philanthropy for
St. Charles. <This is another
opportunity for the Central
Oregon community to show
its love to our caregivers on
the front lines of this fight.=
Future hero bonuses for
St. Charles caregivers will
be determined based on the
success of community dona-
tions to the fund. To kick
off the fund and inspire oth-
ers to contribute, St. Charles
President and CEO Joe Sluka
is donating 50 percent of his
paycheck during this time-
frame to support caregivers.
<Caring for our people
throughout this pandemic is
critical so we can ensure they
will be able to care for oth-
ers,= Sluka said. <If possible,
and with generous community
support, we hope to extend
the Hero Fund beyond April.=
For more information on
how to donate, visit https://
foundation.stcharleshealth
care.org/ways-give/st-
charles-hero-fund or call
541-706-6996.
Plan Ahead!
SPRING
IS HERE!
Make Your
Reservations
Soon For...
The Graduate Resource
Organization (GRO) voted
unanimously to proceed with
the local scholarship pro-
gram for the class of 2020 at
its monthly meeting held via
Zoom on Thursday, April 9.
<Though we do not know
exactly how we will deliver
the news, seniors who applied
for scholarships through GRO
can rest assured we are mov-
ing forward with selection of
recipients on the same time-
line as if we were not dealing
with the closure of schools,=
said Tim Ross, GRO board
chairman, after the meeting.
Though not able to meet
in person, scholarship com-
mittee members are cur-
rently working through the
selection process and hope to
have the work complete by
late May. The original Senior
Celebration Night had been
set for May 28 and it appears
that announcements of recipi-
ents will still be made around
that time, according to Ross.
<We are pleased that this is
one thing certain to not be lost
by the class of 2020,= said
Rick Kroyts, ad hoc member
of the GRO board and coun-
selor at the high school, allud-
ing to the fact that as of now
the seniors will not be able to
gather for a commencement
ceremony or events like the
prom this spring.
Chairman Ross cautioned
that it is still possible that
some donors may have to
withdraw funds due to the
economic downturn. <People
are facing some hard times
right now,= he said.
A committee is working on
ideas on what to do in place
of the traditional celebration.
<We will see what a group
of creative, passionate com-
mittee members can come
up with,= said Principal Joe
Hosang.
Last year GRO awarded
a total of over $200,000 in
local scholarship money
and the amount for 2020
is in the neighborhood of
$240,000 thanks to the addi-
tion of a dozen new awards
from local donors including
businesses and individuals.
<Our commitment to
supporting the graduates of
Sisters High School is stron-
ger than ever in the face of this
national disaster,= said Ross.
According to Hosang,
once details of how scholar-
ship winners will be notified
are ironed out, messages will
be sent out to seniors and
their families.
GRO also helps facilitate
funds for educational enrich-
ment for grades 5-12 through
The Roundhouse Foundation.
According to Ross, some
funds are still available for
spring and summer opportu-
nities. Information about how
to apply can be found on the
GRO website at http://shs.
ssd6.org/sistersgro/.
Stitchin’ Post is OPEN
For CURBSIDE SERVICE
9am-Noon, Monday - Friday
(until further notice)
Call ahead and order/pay via phone,
and we will bring your order out to your car.
OR email stitchin@stitchinpost.com with your order and
phone number, and we will call to get your credit card info.
Thatchers
and
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411 E. Carpenter Ln., Sisters
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541-549-9631
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Sisters, Oregon • (541) 549-6061
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