Author Archives: Hospice Foundation

Hospice Fantasy Golf Open

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PLAYING FOR A PURPOSE

Hope is not cancelled, Hospice is not cancelled, and golf certainly isn’t cancelled!

Since the onset of the pandemic, much has changed for us here at Hospice, as we continue to provide our critical services to our community. Our essential fundraising efforts have been hampered, especially with the necessary cancellations of our in-person events, and we have had to pivot with new and innovative ways to raise the necessary funds to support our mission.

Our annual Hospice Golf Tournament is going to look a little different this year, but we are so excited for this new opportunity to bring you fun and philanthropy safely in 2021, with our Hospice Fantasy Golf Open!

How it works:

  • For this year’s golf tournament, we will be pairing with TDJ Golf, a leading fantasy golf app! Each golfer will purchase a ticket to enter the fantasy golf tournament via our GiveSmart webpage and will compete against others supporting Hospice.
  • Once registration is complete players receive a code to enter into the TDJ Golf App. Starting Monday, August 23rd at 8 a.m. through 8 p.m. on Wednesday, August 25th, each ticketed participant will use the TDJ Golf app to draft three teammates (just like fantasy football) from the entrants that will be playing live in the in the BMW Championship in Owings Mill, Maryland from the 26th to the 29th.
  • Golfers will then play a round (18 holes) of golf at a course of their choice between Thursday, August 26th and Sunday, August 29th.
  • Once completed, participants submit the score from their round and handicap into the TDJ Golf App. Players not happy with their score are welcome to golf again and re-submit, and the app will use the score from the best round. Points will be awarded based on how participants play against their handicap.
  • Points from your live golf round will then be added to the fantasy golf scores of the players you drafted to determine the order of finish.
  • Cash Prizes will be awarded for the top three finishers in the following categories: Overall Champion (best personal score + pro team), Best Real Golf Score (in comparison to handicap), and Best Fantasy Team Score.
  • The TDJ app will feature live updates of the Hospice Fantasy Golf Open throughout the entire tournament, so you can follow along as you watch the BMW Championship on TV!
  • The four-day event will also feature a silent auction and raffles through our GiveSmart site! So, whether golfing or not, anyone can participate and be a part of the event!

All proceeds from this event will directly benefit the patients and their families we serve.

Registration and Sponsorship Opportunities coming soon.

Registration is Now Open!

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Though a difficult decision, due to the continuing COVID-19 health crisis, we have decided to hold the 16th Annual Run/Walk for Hospice originally scheduled for Saturday, July 3rd, in Fair Haven, NY as a Virtual Walk/Run again this year.

Although we look forward to seeing your smiling faces in person, as a virtual event we can now walk/run (together for Hospice) from anywhere! Last year’s Walk/Run was truly a great success, even in virtual form, with more than 170 participants raising over $5,700 from ‘start to finish’.

We’re excited to announce that we’re raising the bar with the hopes of hitting $10,000 to support the patients and families we serve. You can register today by Clicking Here! The event will run from June 27th-July 4th, 2021 so you also have plenty of time to spread the word to friends and family to partake in this epic event in support of Hospice.  For more information please call the Development Office at 315-634-1100 or visit https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Liverpool/RunforHospice

Helping Care Happen

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Hope means something different for everyone. Over the past year, hope appeared in places that Laura (Pellegrino) Bremer never expected. “I guess I never really understood Hospice…”, she reflects as she shares her story of hope, comfort, dignity, loss, and healing. “The Hospice staff saw a person and saw beyond his illness. There were so many times my dad was ready to quit but you all gave him hope.”

 “My Dad is perhaps the strongest, most committed man I have ever met. In the 17 years he battled his illness, all he ever wanted was more time and you gave that to him.”

Hospice’s specialized staff goes to where each patient calls home to guide, to educate, to listen, and to address the needs of the patient and the patient’s family. In 2021, Hospice will serve over 1,400 patients and families covering Cayuga, Onondaga, Oswego, and Madison Counties.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Amid a pandemic, you all found a way to partner with our family and to give my Dad a chance to finish his unfinished business with dignity.”

For over 35 years, we have worked to provide the best end-of-life care to all who need us. Each patient is assigned a patient care team made up of a Hospice physician, a nurse, social worker, home health aide, and chaplain. This team works closely together to provide care tailored to each patient inspiring hope, comfort, and dignity.

To continue to do this essential work, we need your support. To make a donation to our Spring Appeal Click here

A Special Day Camp For Grieving Children

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Camp Healing Hearts is a program for youth provided by The Hospice Grief Center. Camp Healing Hearts provides creative healing activities and an opportunity to connect with other children who have experienced a loss. Campers include children related to Hospice patients that have died, as well as any child in our community that has experienced the death of someone they cared about. Some children have experienced loss related to illness, while other children have experienced traumatic losses. We also understand that as a child develops they may start to process past losses differently, and Camp may be a way to help them with this.

Camp Healing Hearts is usually held as a day camp for four days in August. Children entering grades one through six who have experienced the death of a loved one and/or special person are who usually attend. Our Camp Healing Hearts program has been operational for over 18 years.

Due to COVID-19, Camp was held virtually in 2020 and we will be holding it virtually again this year for children ages 5-12. If your child is over 12 and is interested in Camp, please call (315) 634-2208. Camp Healing Hearts is funded by grants and community support allowing us to provide our day camp program for a small registration fee ($35 per child, $60 maximum per family). Since Camp will be held virtually, the fee will be waived again this year.

Our virtual Camp will be held throughout the month of August with a different theme each week. Each week connects to the themes we typically have each day at Camp: Telling Your Story, Feelings and Coping, Commemorating and Remembering, and ending with Hope and Moving Onward. Our virtual Camp offers different ways to learn about grief and to work through it by engaging in activities to help this process. There will be opportunities for children to meet virtually for certain activities with others around their age so they can know they are not alone in their grief. A unique aspect to the virtual Camp is it offers a chance for family or other trusted elders to be involved with the campers by discussing their grief together through engaging activities. Feedback from last year’s virtual Camp showed that this unique aspect was very helpful to both campers and their families.

Registration is now Open! If you know a child that would benefit from our program, please complete a registration form TODAY. Registration forms are available on our website at https://www.hospicecny.org/camp-healing-hearts/ or call the Hospice Grief Center at 315-634-2208.

Together, We Can Do So Much!

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It’s no secret what a difficult and trying year 2020 has been. Though it can be easy to worry about the days ahead – hope, comfort, and connection is something that we can all look forward to as we work through these times together.

Through all the challenges this past year has brought us, our determined team of healthcare professionals never wavered, despite the very real challenges of serving those in need during a pandemic. Though we cared for more patients and their families than ever before, the quality of our service, our dedication to comfort, and our ability to empower patients with dignity and hope has remained resolute.

Your support reinforces this determination as we prepare for the year ahead…

With the increased need of our services to accommodate the hospital’s early discharge to empty beds for COVID-19 patients, and the desire of patients and families to be home together during their end-of-life journey, we expect to have another monumental year of service in 2021.

With your support, we can continue to be there for those that need us.

Your donation to Hospice of Central New York & Hospice of the Finger Lakes will ensure that families in Cayuga, Madison, Onondaga, and Oswego counties will continue to receive the dignity, honor, comfort, and expert care they need and deserve.

Together, we can do so much. Together, we can get through this.

To make a donation to our Winter Appeal call 315-634-1100 or visit www.hospicecny.org/yeadonations.

Celebration of Life

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Thank you to everyone that joined us at our Celebration of Life event on Thursday, November 12th. This year, we hosted the event earlier than usual to accommodate a socially distant, outside event, allowing guests to drive through a luminary pathway to enjoy the lighting of the Tribute Lights for the first time this holiday season. The event allowed those who attended to take some time to pause, reflect and honor their loved one’s memory.

At Hospice, it’s been a long-standing tradition of remembering loved ones with a tribute light or memorial brick through our Tribute Lights Appeal. All proceeds go to providing both the critical funding needed to pay for costly medications, supplies, and equipment for patients, as well as dignity and comfort at the end of life for the 1,400 families we will serve this year.

Please know, The Solace Garden will remain lit until the first of the new year and is available to visit all year long.

National Hospice Month: A Time To Raise Awareness

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The month of November is National Hospice Month, a time to educate, and raise awareness of hospice care in our communities. When families have a good understanding of what the Hospice option is, they can then make more informed decisions about their own and their loved ones care.

Hospice care is provided in a home-like setting, whether it be the patient’s house, nursing home, or skilled nursing facility. Hospice care focuses on the patient’s quality of life by addressing pain and symptom management.  The Hospice philosophy is about living out our final months as comfortably and peaceful as possible. Improving the patients overall quality of life is our number one goal.

Every step of this journey there is a care team there to help the patient and their family maneuver through the many end-of-life changes and stages. End-of-life is a special time that should be cherished and treated with respect and dignity; this is our specialty at Hospice of Central New York and Hospice of the Finger Lakes.

For more information call us at (315) 634-1100.

A Tradition of Remembering

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This year, celebrate the memory of someone special. At Hospice, we have a long-standing tradition of remembering loved ones with our annual Tribute Lights Appeal. We invite you to make a donation this year in honor of your loved one.

Your gift will be recognized with a Tribute Light in Hospice’s Solace Garden during the 2020 Holiday Season and will represent the shining memories of your loved one. A gift of $150 or more will provide a permanent tribute brick to be placed in our Solace Garden in the spring. Our beautiful Solace Garden is located at the Liverpool Office and open to visitors all year long.

When you choose to remember your loved one with a gift to our Tribute Lights Appeal, you will receive an invitation to join us at our Celebration of Life event scheduled for Thursday, November 12th, where we will light the Garden for the first time this Holiday Season. The Solace Garden will shine until the first of the year.

“There are two ways of spreading light – to be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it.”
-Edith Wharton

Your donation will do more than honor your loved one – it will provide both the critical funding needed to pay for costly medications, supplies, and equipment for patients, as well as dignity and comfort at the end of life. We ask you to make a donation to help provide these essential services to over 1,400 families in our community.

We thank you for taking part in this tradition and remembering your loved one with a gift that brings hope to those who truly need it.

To make a donation click here!

Our Solace Garden lights are sponsored by:

Honor Your Favorite Physician

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Each year we are proud to honor one special physician in our community with our annual Anita Award. The award was established in 1998 by friends and family in memory of Anita Stockman. The intention of the award is to heighten awareness of the importance of physician communication and support provided to patients and their families facing life-limiting illness and to also promote these skills among physicians in training.

Nomination letters for the Anita Award are solicited from people in our community who have personally experienced responsive care from their physicians. Honor the physician in your life who goes above and beyond for their patients by submitting a nomination letter.

Please send your nomination to: Anita Award, Hospice of Central New York and Hospice of the Finger Lakes, 990 Seventh North Street, Liverpool, NY 13088 or email your nomination to info@hospicecny.org. Please include your name and contact information and why you think this physician merits this award.

19 Years of Solace

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Here at Hospice of Central New York and Hospice of the Finger Lakes we have a lovely Solace Garden located at our Liverpool Office. Our Solace Garden was established in 2001 with the purpose to bring a place of solace and reflection to the community and Hospice families.

The Solace Garden consists of beautiful annual and perennial flowering plants, as well as green foliage. The garden has identified pathways, each signifying a feeling that reflects the core of Hospice: Dignity, Peace, Hope, Comfort, Joy, Love and Serenity. The foundation of these pathways are bricks laid in memory or in honor of loved ones.

Over the last 19 years the Solace Garden has been expanded and updated. In 2003 a protective tree line was added, as well as beautiful benches for people to sit and reflect. In 2014 the garden was expanded to offer additional space for families to honor or memorialize loved ones with bricks. In 2018 an additional entrance pathway was installed that is also accessible.

Our Solace Garden is available 365 days a year for people to come, visit, sit and reflect. We hope our garden continues to bring peace and comfort to our community for years to come. If you would like more information on how to purchase a brick to memorialize a loved one click here. If you are unable to visit our garden in-person but would like to view it virtually click here.