LEADINGAGE KANSAS FOUNDATION AWARDS SIXTEEN SCHOLARSHIPS TO LONG-TERM CARE PROFESSIONALS

TOPEKA, Kan. – The LeadingAge Kansas Foundation is thrilled to provide 16 professionals with $15,000 in scholarships to broaden their expertise in long-term care in 2025. This year’s scholarship recipients possess diverse aspirations, all of which are beneficial to long-term care providers and aging services. Their aspirations include nursing, administration, dietary management, speech language pathology, and more. This is the 14th year that the LeadingAge Kansas Foundation has awarded scholarships to passionate individuals working to support older Kansans.

“Now, more than ever, we need to honor and support individuals working in aging services. All sixteen of these deserving winners have given heart and soul to their residents and their colleagues,” stated Rachel Monger, Director of the LeadingAge Kansas Foundation. “We are thrilled to help them achieve their goals and are excited to see all the ways they will help elevate and grow our profession.”

Scholarship winners include:

• Christine Arjona of Topside Manor in Goodland to pursue education and licensure as a Licensed Practical Nurse.
• Missael Arreola of Mount St. Mary in Wichita to pursue a Masters of Aging Studies and licensure as a Nursing Home Administrator.
• Tiffani Benavides of Topside Manor in Goodland to pursue education and licensure as a Licensed Practical Nurse.
• Kaitlin Carter of Bethesda Home in Goessel to pursue education and licensure as a Licensed Practical Nurse.
• Hayleah Dervin of Santa Marta Retirement Community in Olathe to pursue education in Speech Language Pathology.
• Nicole Duvall of Bethesda Home in Goessel to complete a Wound Certification program.
• Ashley Earl of Phillips County Retirement Center in Phillipsburg to pursue education and licensure as a Registered Nurse.
• Tabitha Njuguna of Villa St. Francis in Olathe to pursue an associate’s degree in nursing.
• Emily Porter of The Nicol Home in Glasco to pursue an associate’s degree in nursing.
• Amie Robinson of Schowalter Villa in Hesston to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
• Alexis Ryan of SunPorch of Smith County to pursue education and licensure as a Registered Nurse.
• Heather Sanders of Meadowlark Hills in Manhattan to pursue an associate’s degree in nursing.
• Goldie Talbot of The Wheatlands Health Care Center in Kingman to pursue licensure as a Certified Dietary Manager.
• Clariessa Tompkins of Topside Manor in Goodland to complete a Nutrition & Food Service Professional Program training.
• Ximena Villareal of Larksfield Place in Wichita to complete nursing school pre-requisites.
• Kyle Whedon of Lakeview Village in Lenexa to pursue a degree in Healthcare Management.

Christine Arjona Topside Manor	Missael Arreola Mount St. Mary	Tiffani Benavides Topside Manor	Kaitlin Carter Bethesda Home
Hayleah Dervin Santa Marta	Nicole Duvall Bethesda Home	Ashley Earl Phillips County Retirement Community	Tabitha Njuguna Villa St. Francis
Emily Porter The Nicol Home	Amie Robinson Schowalter Villa	Alexis Ryan SunPorch of Smith County	Heather Sanders Meadowlark Hills
Goldie Talbot The Wheatlands Health Care Center	Clariessa Tompkins Topside Manor	Ximena Villarreal Larksfield Place	Kyle Whedon Lakeview Village

If you are interested in donating to the LeadingAge Kansas Scholarship Fund to grow future generations of caregivers, please go to www.leadingagekansas.org/donate . 100% of your donation goes directly to scholarships.

The LeadingAge Kansas Foundation is the 501 (c)(3) arm of the trade association LeadingAge Kansas. Their members include nursing homes, assisted living residences, life plan communities, hospice, home health, PACE, home delivered meals and much more. Hiring, retaining, and supporting individuals to work in the field is a central priority of the association and foundation. Each year, generous individuals and companies donate to provide scholarships specifically for those working in the field. Learn more at www.leadingagekansas.org/foundation.