The Manhattan Community Health Foundation is proud to announce the November 2025 recipients of the Mary Lindquist Auxiliary Scholarship. Established in 2008 by the family of Mary Lindquist, this endowment provides funds to full-time and part-time associates who wish to enhance their careers and health-related knowledge.
This cycle, we received applications from associates in Nursing, Rehabilitation, Quality, Pharmacy, and the Laboratory. Their educational goals directly support the Foundation’s mission to address the shortage of qualified healthcare workers and support the professionalism of our current team.
Here is how our latest recipients are using these funds to improve healthcare in Manhattan:
Advanced Rehabilitation & Specialized Therapy
- Amber Befort (Lead Physical Therapist): Attending an advanced course on the examination and diagnosis of the shoulder to provide evidence-based care for shoulder dysfunction.
- Gena Rossow (Speech Language Pathologist): Specializing in complex pediatric feeding disorders to help local families avoid traveling to Kansas City for treatment.
- Katharine Beaver (Occupational Therapist): completing coursework on neurodevelopmental differences to better support children with autism.
- Keeley Earp (Occupational Therapist): Undertaking Level 1 training in Pelvic Health to assist clients with compassionate, research-informed approaches.
- Kirsten Jorgensen (Speech Language Pathologist): Becoming a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) to expand infant feeding services and reduce wait times for evaluations.
Maternal & Infant Health
- Catherine Cabler (Labor and Delivery RN): Attending the “Spinning Babies” workshop to learn positioning techniques that support safe vaginal births and reduce C-section rates.
- Kimone Vassell-Richards (Surgical Tech, OB): Completing the “Healthy Children” lactation course to better educate and support new mothers.
- Tara Lierz (RN, Birth and Women’s Center): Obtaining certification in Electronic Fetal Monitoring to ensure capability in interpreting critical data during labor.
Operational Excellence & Leadership
- Kaitlin Latimer (RN Lead, Weight Management): Earning a Green Belt in Lean Six Sigma to reduce inefficiencies and improve patient safety workflows.
- Katharina Fontanini (Lead Pharmacy Tech): Completing the ASHP Pharmacy Leadership Certificate to improve pharmacy workflow and team collaboration.
- Kendall Runnebaum (Supervisor, RETAINWORKS): Completing Certified Medication Aide training to better advocate for participants recovering from injury as they return to work.
- Truc Duntz (Laboratory Supervisor): Pursuing a Master of Science in Data Analytics to apply data-driven strategies for laboratory efficiency and accuracy.
Nursing Support
- Gena Sullivan (Certified Surgical Technologist): Furthering her education to complete her Nursing degree while continuing to serve in the OR.
About the Scholarship
The Mary Lindquist Auxiliary Scholarship honors the legacy of Mary Lindquist, whose family wished to keep her memory alive by supporting the employees and patients of the hospital she loved. As Dr. Molly Disbrow states, the goal is “providing scholarships for all kinds of different credentialing… so we can all continue to serve our community”.
The next application period opens April 1st.