Hospice of Union County is sponsoring a blood drive for the American Red Cross on Wednesday, February 20, from 2:00pm to 6:30pm at the Red Cross office on East Franklin Street.  Hospice staff feels strongly about giving back to the community in which we live and work and we believe that this is one spectacular way to do it.

 If you would like to come out and join us, walk-ins are welcome - or you can schedule an appointment by calling Pamela Collins at 704-292-2105 or the Red Cross office at 704-283-7402.

 The Red Cross office is located at 608 East Franklin Street in Monroe.

Hospice of Union County will be holding its’ annual day camp for kids, Camp Whittle, on Saturday, March 1 at the Main Campus in Monroe from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.  Activities for the day focus on promoting healthy grief patterns and facilitating the healing process.  Children who are grieving need a safe place to express their feelings - someone to talk with openly about their thoughts and fears - and guidance to help them incorporate the loss into their lives.  Children grieve differently than adults, so they benefit from the specialized support of those skilled at working with children, and the opportunity to interact with other children and teens who have experienced the death of loved ones.

The Camp Whittle program uses art, music, storytelling, video and play activities in a group setting.  The day is designed to help children express feelings, remember the person they loved and provide them with ‘tools’ to continue towards healing.  Lunch and snacks are provided.

If you know of a child who you believe would benefit from attending this camp, please call the Bereavement Coordinator, Rev. Michael Flynn at 704-292-2102 or go to our website www.houc.org to look for further information and download the pre-registration form.

Hospice of Union County has scheduled a Grief Workshop at the Waxhaw Public Library on Thursday, January 17, 2008 at 5:30pm.  This two-hour workshop is open to the public. Our Bereavement Coordinator, Rev. Michael Flynn, will discuss healthy patterns of grief and healing.  This is intended to be an interactive session, with input from the participants, as well as our staff.

There will be handouts and reading lists available and light refreshments will be served.  If you have any questions, please call Kim Davis at 704-243-4424 or Michael Flynn at 704-292-2102.

Santa and Elvis visited our patients over the holidays!  We were so lucky to have Elvis - a.k.a. Joe Clough - (what a wonderful voice!) come to Hospice of Union County and sing for our patients staying in the Hospice Houses on campus.  He took time to speak to each patient and took requests for their favorite Elvis tunes, from gospel to Christmas to other all-time favorites such as Love Me Tender.  We would like to thank him for his gift of time and talent!

Speaking of gifts………..Santa Claus arrived on Christmas Eve (right on schedule) and visited with the patients, bringing Christmas cards and holiday cheer by the bagful!  Again, we are so very grateful to both of these ‘famous’ folks for adding to our Christmas cheer!

Hospice of Union County was blessed to have several groups caroling at the Hospice Houses, located on our main campus in Monroe, during the holiday season.  Church choirs, children’s groups and families came to sing, bring more than music to the patients at our facility.  Groups from Mt. Carmel Baptist, Hillcrest Baptist, Wingate Baptist, Lee Park Baptist, Midway Baptist, Friendship Baptists, Unionville Baptist and Benton Crossroads Baptist Church all shared their wonderful singing talents with our patients.  The bright little faces of the children’s groups were especially wonderful to see!  Hospice of Union County would like to thank those groups and their larger church congregations for the gifts of time and talent that they gave this holiday season.

Hospice of Union County will host the Tree of Love in the Monroe Mall beginning November 23.  The Tree provides the opportunity to purchase an ornament to honor or memorialize a loved one.  The ornament is then placed on the tree in the mall and the donor receives a second ornament that they may take home with them.  One family member recently told us that her grandchildren want to unwrap “Grandpa’s ornaments” first every year!

As with all Hospice of Union County fundraising events, all of the proceeds go towards patient care.  Without the generosity of the community, we could not continue caring for patients who are not able to pay for their own end-of-life medical care. 

Hospice is actively seeking groups and organizations to “adopt” a day at the tree.  If you or your organization are interested in adopting a day, please call Beth Deal at 704-292-2112.

The Annual Holiday Auction for Hospice of Union County was held on November 10 at First Baptist Church in Monroe.  It was really successful from a number of standpoints - financially, of course, but also from the point of view of transitioning to a new space and a slightly different format.  As always, the volunteers, sponsors and donors from the community made all the difference.  They fulfilled so many roles so successfully that we all stand amazed and grateful at what Union County and the surrounding areas give to us, so that we can give to our patients.

 Thank you so much to all of our sponsors and donors and the to the volunteers who make it work better, year after year.

It’s time for the Annual Holiday Auction for Hospice of Union County!  This is a big fundraiser for us and the proceeds all go to patient care - that way we can help the patients who can’t pay for either part, or all of, their end-of-life care.  It’s our honor to be able to take those patients who may need some financial help to get the medical help they need.

 The auction is Saturday, November 10th this year, from 9am to 1pm.  And we have a new location!  We will be at the First Baptist Church in Monroe, on Morrow Avenue this year.  In past years, the Shriners have very graciously hosted our auction, but it has grown to the point that we had to find a larger space (aren’t we lucky?), and First Baptist graciously offered their gymnasium/activity center to us.  We’re truly grateful for our hosts, past and present.

 Right now, we’re still looking for donated items - new or antique.  Any individual or business wanting to donate something is welcome to call 704-292-2100 to let us know and we’ll come pick it up and give them a receipt for their taxes!

Marcia Tucker, BSW, has worked with Hospice of Union County for three years, providing social services and emotional support to our patients. This year, Mrs. Tucker submitted a proposal to speak about grief at the Carolinas Center for Hospice & End of Life Care 2007 Caring Conference, a workshop to further educate hospice professionals on various end-of-life issues. Her proposal was accepted and she will speak at the conference at Sunset Beach in September.  “I seek any opportunity to pursue the passion I have for educating caregivers about the importance of self-care as well as the support we provide to our bereaved families. Dealing with our grief can be the most difficult task we undertake, but it shouldn’t be covered up; healing cannot happen without learning to cope with the emotions that loss provokes,” says Mrs. Tucker.  Marcia wrote her own program about the importance of dealing with the myriad feelings and difficulties that arise when someone suffers the loss of a loved one. In her day-to-day job, Marcia assists the families and friends of our patients and provides a valuable resource in the days, weeks and months following their loss, but she is always looking for more ways to help. She also leads our children’s grief camp and the monthly grief support group that meets at our campus in Monroe.  For more information about the upcoming Caring Conference or about the grief support services that Hospice of Union County provides, please contact Marcia Tucker at 704-292-2100.  

For those with a discriminating taste for beauty and elegance to those with an overwhelming need for speed, the Second Annual Motorama Classic Car Show on Saturday, September 8th is the place to be. Registration starts at 8:00 am and the judging is from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm with the awards presentation at 3:00 pm. The proceeds from the car show will benefit Hospice of Union County, in memory of Carlton McWhorter. Motorama Classic Cars, which opened in June of 2006, is owned by Carlton Tyson and Dale Ledbetter, two serious car buffs and supporters of Hospice of Union County. In just over a year, they have sold over one hundred classic and muscle cars to enthusiasts from as far away as Montana, California, even Canada and Mexico. Bob Knight, Sales Manager, says there have even been inquiries from Australian citizens about some of their cars. Motorama has become not only a regional and national dealer, but an international dealer!  On the day of the car show, there will be lots for the kids to do in a kids’ area with a moonbounce and different games and activities. There will also be a DJ and food vendors, as well as six judging fields, a show field and car corral. Come join us at Motorama for a fantastic day of great music, wonderful food and of course, gorgeous cars!

For more information, please call Motorama Classic Cars at 704-226-9400 or visit www.motoramaclassiccars.com; or call Hospice of Union County at 704-292-2100.