Griswold Foundation Awards Over $44K in Scholarships to Caregivers

The foundation hopes to attract more workers to the home care space by showing them a career pathway.

To elevate the importance of caregiving and those who do the demanding work, the Jean Griswold Foundation recently awarded 18 scholarships totaling $44,200 to caregivers to help them pursue or continue education in related fields.

Michael Slupecki, CEO of Griswold Home Care, had the idea to direct the charitable efforts of the foundation, which operates as a separate entity, to focus on caregivers.

"A lot of our [recipients] simply want to get a certified nurse assistant (CNA) designation," he told HealthLeaders. "But we have several recipients that want to pursue a nursing degree."

Some scholarship recipients, he added, were even pursuing their Doctor of Medicine degree.

Bettina Conde, part of the latest round of scholarship recipients, has spent the last 15 years in healthcare, primarily as an emergency medical technician (EMT).

Conde will be putting her scholarship toward tuition and fees for nursing school, easing the financial burden and allowing her to focus on her studies.

"As the first in my family to pursue higher education, I've embraced the opportunity with determination and excitement," she said. "While navigating the complexities of academia, I've been motivated by the change to set a precedent for my family and future generations."

As a child, Conde immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic with her family. Within six months, she and her siblings were fluent in English and translating for family members. She immediately noticed how language barriers created a disconnect and lack of understanding between the public and resources available.

"I believe that my calling in life is to help others and help them avoid the struggles that my family went through," she told HealthLeaders.

As rewarding as caregiving can be as an occupation, , caregivers often are not paid enough, Slupecki said. Despite this, he finds that many caregivers continue their work because they feel called to what they're doing.

With a predominantly female workforce, he also noted that gender bias may be another factor in lack of respect for caregiving.

"From our view, if we show that upward trajectory, if we show and help in that career path, then we can attract more people in the field of providing care," he explained.

"They can see that starting out in home care and learning just the basics can be a steppingstone to going up the continuum."

Through the scholarship, the foundation also hopes to attract more people to the home care space by showing them a feasible career pathway.

Griswold Home Care and its franchisees assist with fundraising for the scholarships, and the foundation also receives donations from families of clients. For last year's application cycle, the foundation raised over $140,000, a goal set in honor of the 40^th anniversary of the home care business.

"I would love to have a million dollars to give away," Slupecki said. "It's the best job in the world to be Santa Claus and see those reactions."