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VOLUNTEER UPDATE
Staying Connected with You, Our Volunteers
I do believe spring is right around the corner!!
Let us be grateful to people who make us happy: they are the charming gardeners who make our souls
blossomí – Marcel Proust
News Flash
Because of the work of YOU
our Volunteers, the Central Okanagan Hospice Association is one of the finalists
nominated for the Volunteer Organization of the Year!!
Each year Kelownaís Civic and
Community Awards honour individuals whose achievements and contributions have
been of significant benefit toKelowna, whilst also recognizing the
talent, dedication and generosity of the cityís outstanding, athletes, volunteers, artists
and a business,whose unique gifts have contributed so greatly to life in
Kelowna.
Celebrating community spirit, the awards cover a wide
spectrum of accomplishment. Award recipients are chosen by committee, from nominations
received from the public (a very special Thank You to those who nominated
us J). This year's gala dinner and awards
presentationwill beheld on Wednesday, April23rd at the Grand
Okanagan Lakefront Resort and Conference Centre.
Press Release – Kelowna Hospice Foundation
The Central
Okanagan Hospice Association is
pleased to announce the formation of the Kelowna
Hospice Foundation. The
foundation will accept charitable gifts, invest them, and use the investment
income to support hospice programs and services.
The Kelowna Hospice
Foundation will commence operations on April 1, 2008 under the direction of a
Board of Directors:
President Laurie Bartley
Treasurer Sandy Fisher
Secretary John T Manton
Member Shirley Jensen
Member Robert MacDonald
The Foundation's fundraising
is different than that already conducted by the Association. The Kelowna Hospice Foundation is seeking endowment
funding, that is, funds that are to be invested and exist over the long term,
thereby representing continuous giving over many years. The charitable gifts
received, whether they be donations, bequests, or grants, are meant to ensure
the long term existence and financial stability of the palliative and
bereavement services provided by hospice.
According to Laurie Bartley, the foundationís
President, the imperative exists to ensure services in support of the
terminally ill and their families continue.
For more information contact:
Central Okanagan Hospice Association 763-5511
Laurie Bartley 317-0472
Greetings from the desk of: Bev MacLeod
With spring having officially arrived, the staff at Hospice
are experiencing renewed energy and optimism. The restructuring of staff responsibilities has afforded
each of us the opportunity to focus more specifically on certain areas of service. Diana and I share our joy with you in
the recent appointment of Shirley Buchanan as our new Director of Community and
Administrative Services. As
Co-Directors we are privileged to have the support of our Board of Directors,
the talents and knowledge of our counsellors, the competent skills of individuals
like Sandy Rice and several administrative volunteers. We likewise thank each of you for all
the that you contribute to promoting hope to our patients and families, lending
friendship and support, and bringing your power of presence into their lives.
This year we celebrate the opening of the new Hospice
House. This exciting occasion
lends optimism not only to the continuation of the work that has been done
historically, but also to new initiatives. So many have given so much to meet with grace and dignity
the needs of those in palliative care.
As patients are welcomed to this new facility, we anticipate that there
will possibly be added roles and responsibilities for some of our volunteers. As emissaries for our organization many
of you will have the joy of sharing in the opening and operation of this new
facility. What a great event
this will be!
Volunteer Support Meeting on April 16th
As our Spring Volunteer Training will soon be completed, we
welcome each of our 23 new trainees into our Hospice family. To provide you with the opportunity to
meet them and to renew your friendships with many of the volunteers you have
trained and worked with, we will be holding our first quarterly Volunteer
Support Meeting on April 16th. This will be held from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. here at
the office. We will be ordering in
dinner (a cost of $5.00 per person) that we will share from 6:00 – 7:00
p.m. We will then have a guest
speaker (TBA) from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. followed by a social time from 8:00
– 9:00 p.m. We look forward
to having a great turnout as it has been sometime since we last met with
you. Please
call the office to register your attendance. We will need to know the total
number joining us to ensure sufficient food for all.
Tel-A-Care Program
Hospice continues to explore effective ways in which we
can support and facilitate the healing journey of those having experienced
loss. With our growing number of
single seniors anxious to retain their independence, we are finding that for
some of our bereaved population, counselling and 1:1 bereavement support is not
something they are electing to accept.
Having touched base with them by phone on one or more occasions, it does
appear that this form of communication is one that is most welcomed. We therefore want to introduce a new
program that will promote this option to those who find this a comfortable
option and a comforting form of communication.
For some of our volunteers who are reluctant to drive in the
evening, in the snow, or even get out on a regular basis, this option of
supporting bereaved individuals may be a productive and rewarding
alternative. Alternatively, some
of you may feel you have an extra hour or two a week to complement your current
volunteer responsibilities with Hospice. We welcome your feedback on this option. It may be that two or three phone calls
a week will assist in keeping us in touch with the well being of our clients. Recognizing the healing journey is not
always an even one, this would enable us to monitor some of the possible ups
and downs of their emotions and respond appropriately to those. Likewise, this promotes the development
of a friendship that is not dependant upon transportation or weather conditions
and one that can be anticipated with joy for those who are lonely or restricted
in their mobility.
To facilitate the implementation of this program, we would
like to provide (free of charge) a little additional training and orientation
to those of you who feel this may be a positive option for you. This will be held on April 8th.
from 6:00 – 9:30 p.m. While this is short notice, I wanted to
take the opportunity of having Diana support me in this presentation prior to
her leaving on a monthís trip to the Orient. Should you be interested in attending,
I would appreciate hearing from you at your earliest convenience. Feel free to call me here at the
office (763-5511 extension 103).
Should I not be available at the time of your call, please leave a voice
mail message and I will return your call as quickly as possible. Thank you for giving this
consideration. Your contributions
are so meaningful to those you serve and we thank you for all that you do on behalf of Hospice. How blessed we are to have you all
onboard!
Linens are needed for our Linen Sale
Our 4th. Annual Heirloom Linen & China Sale
will be held at St. Paulís United Church from April 17 – 19th. Please notify your family and
friends. If possible, bring in any linens and china that are in good condition
and have that ëheirloom qualityí.
This is a great fundraiser for Hospice and we welcome your
contributions.
Spring Cleaning??? We are looking for donations of:
-wool to make lap quilts for Hospice patients
-red fabric and sewers to make stuffed hearts ♥ to give to patients so they
may ìfill them with love and memories for their loved onesî ( fleece, velvet,
satin- the idea is to have a silky side and a fuzzy side, so anything that
resembles that)
- sewers to help with making new Hospice Volunteer Vests
Call our office if you can help us
Diana, Shirley and I all look forward to seeing many of you on April 16th.
Until then remember, "Love
is not measured by how many times you touch each other but by how many times
you reach each other." -(Cathy Morancy)
Warms Regards, Bev
"annyong haseyo" (Korean for "Hello") from the desk of Diana Barker
As Bev already mentioned, we are busy as ever training our newest group of keen
and enthusiastic learners for our Direct Service volunteer programs. We are
also madly working to developing new programs and opportunities for our
volunteers to deliver to our patients and their families. Future goals include implementing new programs
within the new Hospice House (slated to open later in the summer or early in
the fall) and increasing program deliverables in the areas of bereavement,
children and youth.
At the end of February I spent an incredible week in Victoria. I would like to say a very special Thank
You to the Central Okanagan Hospice Palliative Care Program who sponsored me to
attend a course called ëPsychosocial Care of the Dying and Bereavedí. This
one-week course presented a psychosocial perspective on hospice/palliative care
which included self care and team issues, the impact of disease transitions and
holistic care, and counselling and
bereavement support. I connected with many disciplines of folks from across the
western provinces who also work in hospice/palliative care. I came away feeling
thankful by the work that is being
done by our organization, proud and appreciative of the CO Palliative Care Program and the incredible work that
is and has been done by the staff of this dedicated group and I am inspired by
the work of those in other hospices around the country.
I wanted to let you know I will be away from the office from April 18 until May
21. My son is teaching English in Korea and my husband and I will be making a
trip oversees to visit with him and learn more about the geography, culture and
the people of Korea. We will also be cruising the Yangtze River in China, so
needless to say I am very excited and am now ëcounting the sleepsí until we
leave. In my stead, Bev and the gang at the office will be upholding my
responsibilities; so if you need anything and would normally contact me, please
call Bev ( or Shirley or Sandy at the office) . For Now, ì chongmal
komapsumnidaî(Many Thanks ), Diana
For your Information
Direct Service Volunteers who are not currently active: if you are not
currently active as a volunteer and have a blue Hospice Volunteer vest, kindly
return it to our office as we are in need of more. If you are interested in reinstating
and reactivating to your previous role(s) or are interested in trying something
new, a ëreactivation processí is in place and we would be interested in
speaking to you more about it.
1:1 Palliative and Bereavement Volunteers: Please remember to submit your Volunteer
Hours and Patient Report to our office on a monthly basis; you can email, mail,
Fax or telephone the information.
Vigil Volunteers: please remember to ìcheck inî with the nurses upon arrival when serving at
facilities (DF-Cottonwoods and KGH
- 4B). Also ensure you enter pertinent ënotesí into the patient info binder at
the facilityís Hospice Volunteer Desk. Notes we would like to have are on how
the death went (i.e. ëpassing was peaceful, family at side at bedsideí or ëplease follow up
with family immediately, bereavement supports may be necessaryí)Öthat sort of
thing. If at anytime you would like to call the office and have us follow up
with any family member(s) following a death, we would be happy to do that. (Leave
a message on Bevís or my Voice Mail)
KGH- 4B and DF Volunteers: Please remember to let your Convener know if you will be
absent (YES, even if it is only for one shift). Conveners all have Voice Mail
at home and Lyn and Angelee both have email (if you do not have their contact information
call us and we will joyfully pass it on)
Special Thank Yous ♥ to our Volunteers at KGH 4B and DF for the heart warming Valentines
Teas they hosted for the staff(s) at those facilities. I know your delicious
and stunningly displayed goodies, gifts and thoughtfulness was greatly
appreciated by those who attended. Once again you did our organization proud♥
Hospice House Updates:
What ís on the Wish List?
Thanks for askingÖthere has been a Wish List created of items we would like to have
donated for the Hospice House. If you are interested in seeing and considering
donating an item from that list, please call our office. The list involves
simple things like books and baking pans for the kitchen, to medium sized items
like CD players and lamps to larger items like rocking chairs and recliners. We are so pleased to be able to tell you
we have already had some of our wishes come true, thanks to the generosity
of donors in our community.
Gardens at the new Hospice House
Have you been wondering what is going to happen for the Gardens at the new Hospice?
We are thrilled to tell you the wonderful team of green thumbs who have been
tending the Serenity Gardens at Douglas Fir, will be moving with us to plant,
tend and nurture the new gardens at the Hospice House. Recently our volunteers
Judy Bell, Don Burnett and some of the members of the Serenity Green Thumb Team had the opportunity to look at the plans and ask questions of the landscaping contractor ìsite360î. Once the
site is prepped (this fall), our Garden Volunteers will move in to do their
magic in the areas we reviewed.
If you are interested in joining this team as a ëregular maintenance gardenerí or
would like to volunteer to do a one (or two) time shoveling of dirt, plant
plants or build us some structures, please give us a call.
We are so Thankful for this Team of quiet unassuming workers who provide us, the
staff at the facilities, our patients and families the beautiful surroundings
they create for our comfort and tranquilly
Öthis another example of the true blessings of YOU, our Hospice Volunteers
As Always, Warm Regards to All, Diana
UPCOMING EVENTS and ACTIVITIES
for VOLUNTEER Participation and/or Involvement- 2008
Tuesday, April 1st 2008 (No Foolin'!!) Brown Bag Lunch
All Direct Service Volunteers are invited - 12 noon
at Cottonwoods
All Direct Service Volunteers are invited to this monthís
Brown Bag Lunch, at Cottonwoods. We have invited a guest to speak on "Infectious
Diseases" and will be reviewing IHAís Universal Precautions we as Hospice Workers are all to be aware of. There
will be an opportunity to ask questions and clarify any misconceptions we may
have about working with our clients/patients. This will be a valuable insight
forus as hospice volunteers.The meeting will last approximately one
hour. Location of presentation is at Cottonwoods in the back area of
their main cafeteria.
April 8th 6:00 – 9:30 pm Tel-A-Care Training
A new Program for Direct Service Volunteers to have the
opportunity to be involved in – communicating via telephone with our
clients/patients -please see Bevís note above for more explanation or call her
at the office 763-5511
April 12 Beans Ní Jeans
Kick up your heels dancing to the Cruzeros (cabaret style country
rock), bid on our silent auction items, enjoy the chili bar and so much more. A casual evening
fun, friends, food and fundraising. Tickets $40 available at the
Hospice Office Beans Ní Jeans will be held at the Kelowna Curling Club. Money raised from the event will go to educational and counseling programs as
well as the Hospice library and resource center.
April 16th 6 -9 pm Volunteer Support Meeting and Pizza Party
As our Spring Volunteer Training will soon be completed, we
welcome each of our 23 new trainees into our Hospice family. To provide you with the opportunity to
meet them and to renew your friendships with many of the volunteers you have
trained and worked with. This will be held from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. here at
the office. We will be ordering in
dinner (a cost of $5.00 per person) that we will share from 6:00 – 7:00
p.m. We will then have a guest
speaker (TBA) from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. followed by a social time from 8:00
– 9:00 p.m. We look forward
to having a great turnout as it has been sometime since we last met with
you. Please
call the office to register your attendance 763-5511. We will need to know the total
number joining us to ensure sufficient food for all. This will be held at the
Hospice Office.
April 17, 18, 19 4th Annual Heirloom Linen & China
Sale
In honor of our mothers and grandmothers who have passed
before us, we are pleased to announce a linen and china sale, not to be missed! We have moved the sale to the St. Paul
United Church at 3131 Lakeshore Road to accommodate more tables, more linens
and more china than ever before.
If you love to shop for heritage items, this is the place! Shop Thursday and Friday from 9:00am to
4:00pm and Saturday from 9:00am to Noon followed by lunch.
April 26 and 27 "Good Grief Camp" Children's Retreat ~ For children ages 7 – 12 yrs who have experienced a loss
Call the office for more information and to Pre-Register
- Facilitated by our Bereavement Counsellor, Carol Grant and trained
Hospice Volunteers
May 2 - June 6 (Friday mornings) Enhanced Bereavement Training
Volunteers interested in taking this enhanced training are
encouraged to call our office to Register. Class size is limited; Registrations will be secured on a first
come first serve basis. There is a $20 fee (cost recovery).Classes will run for 6
weeks, Friday mornings 9:30 – to 11:30 am at the Hospice Office and will be
facilitated by our Bereavement Counsellor, Michael Martin.
May 4 Hike for Hospice
(participate as a Walker, Volunteer, Sponsor, Donor)
Get involved
and get walking at our 7th. annual Hike for Hospice on Sunday, May 4th. Last yearís Hike was a huge success
thanks to people like you. Gather your family, your friends, your
co-workers and even your dog and join us at Mission Creek Regional Park. Money
raised will support educational programs and the Childrenís Bereavement
Camp. The Hike always proves to be
a fun day of exercise. You will enjoy the BBQ and may even win a prize! Special
Surprises are also in store, so mark the
date on your calendar and plan to attend.
If you are interested in coming on board as a Corporate Sponsor, be so
generous as to donate a prize, or can volunteer that day, please contact the
Hospice office at 763-5511 or info@kelownahospice.com
May 5 – 11th Hospice Palliative Care Week
June 2008 COHA's Annual General Meeting (date TBA)
Summer 2008 Annual Volunteer Picnic and "Family Reunion" (date TBA)
Fall 2008 High Tea for Hospice
Harvest Tea Date and location to be announced
In Our Community
L.I.F.T. Program
– New Beginnings for Widows and Widowers
Sponsored by Dignity Memorial. Adjusting to the loss of
a spouse is the most stressful experience that many will ever face. You may
feel isolated and alone, believing no one really understands how you feel.
This program is both educational and entertaining, with guest speakers on a
variety of interesting topics. There are no fees or dues to participate.
L.I.F.T program speakers do not sell anything, they only inform.
For more information, call Barbara 762-2299.
Springfield Grief Care Program
Springfield Funeral Homeís Grief Care Programs have been
enthusiastically received by those who have attended and many have received
tremendous help in moving through their grief. For more information on upcoming program dates, call
Clair Jantzen at 860-7077.
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