TAYLORVILLE – The Taylorville Memorial Foundation awarded a $25,000 education grant to Jordan Handlin, an emergency medical technician at Taylorville Memorial Hospital.

Handlin will use the grant to complete her bachelor’s degree in nursing at St. John’s School of Nursing. The Taylorville Memorial Foundation Healthcare Education Grant program and the Katie McCarty Nursing Excellence Fund provided funding for this grant.

“We are proud to support local students pursuing degrees in health care with the opportunity to work at or extend their commitment to Taylorville Memorial Hospital upon completing their degree,” said Raedena Ryan, executive director of the Taylorville Memorial Foundation. “Our donors who support our Healthcare Career Education Grant program and make contributions to the Katie McCarty Nursing Excellence Fund to honor the memory of Katie McCarty should feel very proud of their investment, which make this program possible.”

Handlin, a 2019 Rochester High School graduate, expects to complete her nursing program in May. She will continue her clinical work at Taylorville Memorial Hospital, where she has served in the Emergency Department since June 2019 while pursuing further education to become a nurse practitioner.

“As young children, we are asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ My response was always ‘a helper,’” said Handlin. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to help others, which is exactly what I wanted to do since I was a little girl.”

For more information on the Healthcare Career Education Grant program, visit memorial.health/foundations or contact Ryan at 217-707-5271.

The Taylorville Memorial Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organized in 1995. The foundation accepts financial donations to help further the hospital’s mission.