Last Updated on January 4, 2022 by Maggie Looker
The Homes for Heroes Foundation presented a $5,000 grant to the Colorado Nurses Foundation in December, 2021. The Colorado Nurses Foundation commits to advancing the nursing profession through education, advocacy, and recognition. This includes providing scholarships and grants to make education more accessible to future nurses.
About the Colorado Nurses Foundation
The Colorado Nurses Foundation was founded in 1987 to create nursing excellency through the promotion of education, scientific activities and community-based projects. And one of the primary functions of the Colorado Nurses Foundation is to raise scholarship funds. To date, they have awarded over $300,000 in scholarship funds to nurses in Colorado. However, their fundraising efforts have been dramatically impacted during the pandemic era.
The Pandemic’s Impact On Nursing
Covid has taken its toll on the Colorado Nursing Foundation’s fundraising efforts, but also on the entire nursing profession.
According to Theresa Buxton, President of the Colorado Nurses Association, “This pandemic has been particular hard on nurses who are the frontline caregivers. Nurses are there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week trying to keep their patients alive….This has been going on for almost two years. And as a result, many of our nurses have left the field of nursing altogether. Or, finding a different practice of nursing away from the bedside. Which means they are going back to school to seek a different type of education. So they can get in a different type of practice area.”
The grant from the Homes for Heroes Foundation will go towards alleviating this impact created by the pandemic by help filling vacant nursing positions.
“Nursing education takes time and money. And many people seek a career in nursing based on a strong desire to help others. After students graduate, they need to seek a stable job that provides income that eventually allows them to pursue the American Dream of buying their own home. But going to college is expensive. So, many students are married, have families to support and working while they attend school. And financial assistance like the grant from the Homes for Heroes Foundation helps nursing students attend school and achieve their goal of becoming a registered nurse and replace those who have left the field,” says Theresa.
Nomination for the Grant
This is the second grant that the Homes for Heroes Foundation has provided to the Colorado Nurses Foundation. In 2020, the Homes for Heroes Foundation presented a grant to the Colorado Nurses Foundation to help a nursing student at the University of Colorado School of Nursing overcome some personal challenges and fulfill her goal of becoming a nurse.
Homes for Heroes and the Homes for Heroes Foundation is honored to continue to support our nation’s healthcare professionals though these trying times created by the pandemic. As nurses stepped up to serve our communities, it is our duty to step up to serve them.
You can watch the full interview below with Theresa Buxton and Homes for Heroes Hero Outreach Coordinator, Jay Flynn.
