Fundraising goal shattered by $29,000
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Pictures courtesy of Wendy Oliver |
|
Some 700 participants in Sunday's Hike for Hospice shattered the fundraising goal of $125,000 by collecting a whopping $154,000 for the Stedman Community Hospice.
"I'm absolutely stunned," said
Olga Consorti, president and CEO of St. Joseph's Lifecare
Foundation.
In this, the sixth annual Hike for Hospice, "the community pulled through once again" to demonstrate its support for the end-of-life care centre, Consorti said.
"They are angels," Susan Allison said of hospice staff and volunteers.
Allison and her sister Robin Brennan participated in the walk in honour of their mother Myrt Byers, who died at the hospice in December.
"They treated her with dignity," Allison said.
Executive director Cheryl Moore said the hospice has witnessed the passing of 641 people since it opened five years ago, including 117 last year. The names of each are commemorated on a series of plaques framing the rear patio of the hospice.
The hospice has extended its programming over the years beyond its intensive end-of-life care to include physician outreach to the newly diagnosed, and survivors' coping programs.
Families are "surrounded by support and care”, which eases their healing process,
Moore said.
The annual fundraising walk is almost like a reunion in some ways, she said, because staff and family members can rejoice in the memories of former patients.
Don Berry said that, until his wife Heather spent her final week of life at the hospice, he had no idea what palliative care or hospice care was all about. "It was a foreign word to me," he said.
When his wife's doctor suggested he look into moving her to the hospice for her last days,
Berry wondered why, considering the excellent care his wife was receiving in hospital.
Berry drove to the hospice for a look and that was all he needed. His wife was transferred and spent her final week at the hospice before her death on May 17, 2009.
Berry said that his wife's condition prevented her from appreciating the facility, but the hospice provided a "very homey atmosphere" for her large grieving family to "spill over into”.
The hospice is "a benefit to the community”, he said.
As a thank-you,
Berry, who owns three local Tim Hortons franchises, took part in Sunday's hike as a sponsor, providing, of course, coffee and Timbits to the crowd.
For the last four years, the local Hike for Hospice has been the top hospice fundraiser across the entire country, Consorti said.
"It's an amazing feat" that shows the dedication and loyalty of the community, she said.
"We have to credit the staff and volunteers at the hospice" for making it such a special place for patients and their families that so many people want to give back, Consorti said.
The hospice requires about $1.5 million each year to maintain its high standards and ensure its services are free.
The 2010 hike's fundraising total of $154,000 is six times the $25,000 that was raised during the inaugural hike in 2005.
hibbotson@theexpositor.com
Article ID# 2560775