Circle of Care offering scholarships

By Annelle Norman

After a year of supporting residents with rides to the grocery store, providing soup for ill folks and their families, transporting people to doctors and chemo appointments, raising funds with food service at summer markets, and the Craft Faire, Circle of Care (CoC) was the beneficiary of the proceeds from the raffle room and table sales.

CoC is poised to expand its support and services to Point Roberts seniors and families in need in 2017. What is most needed, currently, is at least one, preferably two, trained and certified home care aides. Once certified, the home care aide is prepared to serve anyone with basic, personal health and hygiene needs.

The CoC board of trustees is offering scholarship funds for home care aide training and certification. Training consists of 75 classroom hours, costs about $650 and takes about two weeks and then, once trained, one must pass an exam.

One of our goals is to facilitate the state-required training and certification of individuals so that Point Roberts has enough aides to provide care for as many residents as are in need. Home care aides typically make $20-$30 per hour in Point Roberts and are hired and paid directly by the client or their family.

The Fiber Fest is coming up on March 4 and CoC volunteers will prepare and serve lunch soup and salad and baked goods for dessert. Point Roberts Quilters have created a gorgeous Sunflower Quilt and raffle ticket proceeds will benefit CoC. Come see us for lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Diane and Max Briand are very generously sponsoring a buffet dinner and dance party fundraiser on Sunday, April 2 at South Beach House. A delicious buffet (with vegetarian options) will be served at two sittings, 6:30 and 8:30 p.m., and a popular dance band will perform starting at 7:30. Raffle tickets for the Sunflower Quilt will be sold as well as 50/50 tickets. The cost is $25. Tickets available for purchase at prcircleofcare@gmail.com or 945-5222.

Would you like to volunteer at any of these events or be a CoC volunteer? We will have a volunteer training session this spring and would love to have you join us. Contact CoC at prcircleofcare@gmail.com or 945-5222.