Associate Education Fund Helps Lighten School Load

Jane Kummel, Lenbrook Resident
May 11, 2016

To be honest, I’d never been a “chairperson” before. But somehow I got recruited to help to lead the development of Lenbrook’s new Associate Education Fund. That’s what I get for chatting with the CEO of Lenbrook about what a great idea employee scholarships are.

Lenbrook has many associates working full time and managing school at the same time. That’s pretty difficult, especially if you have a family as many do.

For Vocational/Technical Schools and College

Did you know we have an associate who wants to take a course in driving trucks in order to drive our Lenbrook bus? A young woman who wants to be a history professor?

We encourage vocational training as well as college. It’s our goal to help associates realize their potential and gain the skills they need to pursue their careers. I think by offering scholarships we’re not only helping current associates but also helping attract new employees, too.

This fund for Lenbrook employees is very important to me — probably because I regret not having pursued college earlier in my career.

Generosity of Many

We could not have started our fund without the generosity of our residents, staff, board and friends of Lenbrook. Together, they are helping our lead valet to get a degree in computer science, one of our LPNs go for her associate degree in nursing, and one of our concierges go for her merchandising degree.

Raising awareness and funds for the scholarships is the easier job. Our associates who go to school after hours are the ones who are doing the real work.

Jane Kummel and her husband Bert have been residents of Lenbrook since 2013. They had first planned to retire in North Carolina, but took one tour of Lenbrook and moved here instead. Their children live in New York and enjoy visiting at Lenbrook, which they call “a cruise ship on land.”