On July 1, members of the Yakima Kiwanis Charitable Trust Foundation visited our campus to celebrate the creation of a powerful new partnership: the PNWU Kiwanis Scholarship Fund for Excellence in Service.
The $30,000 endowed scholarship will provide annual support to mission-driven PNWU students who are committed to pediatric care and service to rural and underserved communities.
The scholarship will offer preference to students with financial need, especially those with the lowest Expected Family Contribution (EFC), and to those involved in Kiwanis-affiliated organizations like Key Club or Circle K International, as well as students engaged in pediatric-focused efforts at PNWU, such as the Pediatric Club. Recipients must be in good academic standing and maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher for renewal.
“This generous gift from the Yakima Kiwanis Charitable Trust Foundation reflects a shared belief in the power of education, service, and leadership to transform lives.”
“We’re proud to partner with an organization that shares our mission of creating a healthier future for our communities,” said Dr. Robbyn Wacker, Interim President of PNWU. “This generous gift from the Yakima Kiwanis Charitable Trust Foundation reflects a shared belief in the power of education, service, and leadership to transform lives — especially the lives of children in underserved areas.”
During the Foundation’s visit to campus, representatives were welcomed by university leaders and students for a tour and a formal check presentation ceremony in Delta Dental Equity Hall. As the group gathered to reflect on the scholarship’s long-term impact, one theme echoed loudly: the power of community investment in the future of care.
“We’re honored to support PNWU students who are stepping up to lead in rural medicine and pediatric care.”
“Our Kiwanis mission is to serve the children of the world, and this scholarship is an investment in those who will dedicate their lives to that service,” said Tim Surber, President of the Kiwanis Club of Downtown Yakima and leader of the Kiwanis Trust Foundation. “We’re honored to support PNWU students who are stepping up to lead in rural medicine and pediatric care.”
That kind of investment, said Dr. Heather Fritz, Founding Dean of PNWU’s School of Occupational Therapy, sends an important message to students navigating the demands of a rigorous health sciences education.
“When community members and organizations invest in our students, it also signals to the student that they are worthy of investment and gives them the confidence to keep going.”
“When community members and organizations invest in our students, it also signals to the student that they are worthy of investment and gives them the confidence to keep going in a health sciences program that’s pretty rigorous and pretty demanding,” said Dr. Fritz. “Ultimately, it’s important because I like to say a high tide raises all ships. We can’t do it as an educational institution alone. We have to partner with community organizations. We can’t do it in a vacuum — we have to do all we can to support these folks before they get to the university, while they’re here, and then when they go on to their first clinical jobs.”
As the newest addition to PNWU’s growing list of endowed scholarships, the PNWU Kiwanis Scholarship Fund for Excellence in Service reflects a shared commitment to closing care gaps and increasing access to compassionate healthcare providers across the Northwest and beyond.
