Mary Huebner Memorial CNA Scholarship

for Certified Nursing Assistants

 

Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) are a vital part of a family’s caregiving team, providing basic personal care for people living at home. They offer respite to the patients’ families and friends, and become the support system for those who live alone and need care. They help individuals and families to age in place.

 

To help address the critical shortage of these health workers in West Hawaii, Hawaii Community Caregiver Network has created the Mary Huebner Memorial Scholarship, honoring  Mary Huebner’s memory and her many contributions to both HCCN and the greater Kona community. This scholarship will be awarded four times a year to students selected by the HCCN Scholarship Committee from West Hawaii applicants  who plan to attend Island CPR in Kona.

 

The Scholarship

 

The HCCN Mary Huebner CNA scholarship will provide $1,075 for a student to attend Island CPR, Kona’s local medical training school. This amount will be paid directly to the school after the student makes an initial tuition payment of $350. Release of funding to Island CPR depends on the student’s passing grades. Please download a fillable application form HERE.

 

​Mary HuebnerJune 24, 1939 - Nov. 28, 2021     Mary Huebner was born Mary Louise Cochran on 6/24/39 in Hennepin, Minnesota. After high school, her life journey took her to Phoenix, Arizona where she attended the police academy and worked as a police officer. She was one of the first female police officers in Phoenix to drive her own “beat.” After suffering a work-related injury, she was not satisfied with being on the desk. She moved to Hawaii in 1987, as her grandmother and brother were living in Kona at the time, and she fell in love with Kailua-Kona.

 

     Mary became active in the West Hawaii community. While working as a travel agent for Kona Coast Travel, she became very active in the Kona Crime Prevention Committee and eventually became president. Mary was involved in social organizations such as the Soroptimist International; she was on the board of directors of Hospice of Kona and HCCN (Hawaii Community Caregiver Network). She worked hard on the HCCN annual caregiver conferences and fund-raising for Hospice of Kona. She was also very active in local and state politics, often helping candidates in their campaigns. Mary was a Hawaii delegate to the State White House Conference on Aging held in January of 1995, one of the State delegates to the WHCOA (White House Conference on Aging), and also a volunteer for the Hawaii chapter of AARP.

 

     Mary passed away on November 28, 2021. She is survived by a son, Scott; a daughter, Cori Christian; and a grandson.