It’s time for the Hospice of Union Annual Holiday Auction.  On Saturday, November 8 at First Baptist Church in Monroe, we will be holding a live and silent auction with doors opening at 8am for preview and bidding starting at 9am.

 This year we have a huge variety of items - from a 500 pound Black Angus heifer to weeks at the beach and services you’d need on a daily basis, like oil changes, hair cuts and restaurant gift certificates.

 We also have some very nice packages for overnight stays at some of the nicest hotels in Charlotte, coupled with gift certificates from the nicest restaurants to go with it!  A Christmas gift or even save it for Valentine’s Day and you’re really ahead of the game in a good way! 

As a non-profit hospice care provider, we can accept those patients who cannot pay for their own end-of-life care.  To continue helping those patients, we do fundraisers throughout the year, including the Auction and the Golf Tournament.

If you have any questions or would like to donate an item or service, please call Hospice of Union County at 704-292-2100 or go to their website at www.houc.org.

There will be a benefit breakfast at Midway Baptist Church on Olive Branch Road in Wingate on Saturday, October 18 from 6am to 10am.

The beneficiary is Faith Wiles, a fourteen-year old young lady who is currently being treated for recurrent Ewings Sarcoma and undergoing aggressive chemotherapy.  In May, it was determined that the cancer had metastized to the lungs.

Midway Baptist Church is located at 4615 Olive Branch Road, Wingate, NC 28174.  You may check their website, www.midbc.org for further information or directions to the church.  A minimum donation of $6 per plate would be greatly appreciated.

Children who are grieving need a safe place to express their feelings, someone to talk to openly about their thoughts and fears, and guidance to help them incorporate the loss into their lives.

On Saturday, October 18, 2008, Hospice of Union County will offer Camp Whittle, a one day camp for children ages 6 through 16.  The program is offered free of charge and open to any child(ren) who have experienced the death of a family member or friend.  The camp will be from 8:30am until 4:30pm at Central United Methodist Church in Monroe.

The program uses art, music, storytelling, video and play activities in a group setting.  The day is designed to help children express feeling, remember the person they love and provide them with “tools” to continue toward healing. 

Pre-registration is required to attend.  To pre-register, preferably by October 10th, please call 704-292-2100 or go online at houc.org for a pre-registration form or for more information. 

The results of the Benefit Breakfast hosted by Hope Second Advent Christian Church were remarkable - $3250!  Wow - is that a lot of sausage, bacon and eggs!  Hospice of Union County can pay for 10 days of a patient pain pump with that sum, medical supplies for 6 patients who remain in their own home or three weeks of Hospice care for an indigent patient.

According to Wayne Berg, Resource Development Director for Hospice of Union County, the church contacted Hospice a couple of months ago, “asking if they could do a benefit breakfast to benefit our patients.  We were grateful then and pleased to say, “certainly”, and are even more grateful now that it is done and they raised such a large total.” 

Hope Second Advent Christian Church will be hosting a benefit breakfast for Hospice of Union County on Saturday, August 30 from 6am to 10am.  Suggested donations are $6 for adults and $3 for children.

The church is located at 6804 Morgan Mill Road, Monroe, 28110.

All proceeds go towards patient care and will allow Hospice to continue providing care to those patients who are not able to pay for their own end-of-life care.

If you have any questions, please call Hospice at 704-292-2100 or e-mail the Community Relations Coordinator, Pamela Collins at pcollins@houc.org. 

Hospice of Union County will be offering volunteer training on July 28,29, and 31, 9:00a.m. to 1 p.m. at the office in Waxhaw. Volunteers are the heart of Hospice. They provide support to patients and their families, either in the patient’s home or at the Hospice Houses on the main campus in Monroe. Training sessions will be held at the Hospice Services of Western Union County office at 703 W. South Main St., Suite B., Waxhaw. For more information, call 704-243-4424 or 704-292-2112 or visit their Web site at www.houc.org

Hospice Services of Matthews has scheduled a Grief-Healing workshop entitled “Coping with the Loss of a Loved One - A Workshop for Healing Hearts” at Matthews Public Library on Thursday, June 19th, form 5:30 to 7 pm. This workshop is free of charge and no pre-registration is necessary. Michael Flynn, bereavement support coordinator for Hospice, will lead a discussion of healthy patterns of grief and healing. Light refreshments will be served.
For details, call Kimberly Polk 704-846-4339 or Michael Flynn 704-292-2102

Hospice of Union County raised more than $102,000 at its annual Golf Tournament on Monday, May 19 at Providence Country Club!  A full roster of foursomes had simply gorgeous weather in which to enjoy a wonderful barbecue lunch and full afternoon of golf before returning to the clubhouse for food and fun, in the form of the raffle and silent auction.

Rob and Jean Kreisher, the tournament’s co-directors were elated over the total and the room was truly abuzz with excitement after Executive Director, Mike Linker, announced the days proceeds.  A long list of thank you’s were given both at the tournament and in follow-up ads and personal notes to the sponsors and donors.

 ”You just never know how successful any given year will be - but this year, we simply knocked it out of the park,” said Rob Kreisher.  “We can only use this year as a benchmark for future years and keep working and believing that people recognize what a great cause this is.”

As with all Hospice of Union County fundraisers, all of the proceeds go towards patient care. 

Hospice of Union County has scheduled grief workshops, entitled “Coping with Loss of a Loved One - A Workshop for Healing Hearts” at three locations in May and June.  Hospice of Union County’s bereavement support services are open to the public and one need not have had a family member at Hospice to attend.  The workshops are conducted free of charge and light refreshments are served.

Thursday, May 15 from 5:30 to 7:00pm, the workshop will be taking place at the Waxhaw Public Library.

Tuesday, June 3 from 5:30 to 7:00pm, the workshop is happening at the Lockhart Taylor Center on the SPCC campus in Wadesboro.

Thursday, June 19 from 5:30pm to 7:00pm, the workshop will be presented at the Matthews Public Library.

The workshop is intended to be an interactive evening of sharing and learning, with participants encouraged to share examples from their own life of both the challenges and options to overcome the life changes that come with grieving the loss of a loved one.

There is also a regularly scheduled Bereavement Support Group which will meet at the main campus in Monroe at 6pm on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of every month.  The next meetings will be May 13 and May 27.  Please join us.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call Michael Flynn, Bereavement Services Coordinator at 704-292-2102.  

Hospice of Union County held the Groundbreaking Ceremony for their Hospice House III on Tuesday, April 8.  More than 100 supporters ranging from political and civic leaders to volunteers to staff to major donors for the Capital Campaign to fund Hospice House III were there to help turn the dirt.

One of the wonderful things about Hospice projects is that they almost always involve family members of patients, both past and present.  As one said, “It’s what I feel passionate about - helping people who are going through the same thing we went through and helping them like you all [Hospice of Union County] helped us.”  In so many ways, that same sentiment was expressed by leaders of the Capital Campaign, including Carol and Carlton Tyson, as well as Larry Helms as they made short statements regarding their involvement with Hospice and with the Capital Campaign, particularly. 

Construction of the House should begin shortly, with an anticipated date of Spring 2009 for being able to receive and care for patients.

Watch as you drive by the main campus at 700 W. Roosevelt Blvd. in Monroe for construction equipment and signs of activity on construction of the Hospice House!