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Updates
Check NEWS for past and current articles about
Dignity House Hospice and the hospice
movement in Lanark County.
Happy New Year to All!
As we move into 2010 our focus is on reaching our
funding goal and open the Day Hospice Program at the
Carolina Retirement Suites this year. We
will be gearing up for the Hike for Hospice in May,
and working hard to raise awareness of our mission.
As our goals become more clear, we have opted to
move forward with the more accurate name of Dignity
House Hospice to reflect that fact that this
initiative is for all the residents of Lanark County
and not just Perth. Please support Dignity
House in any way you can so that we can start
serving those members of the community who need our
support sooner than later.
After
receiving a number of generous donations from local
supporters we are
closing in on our goal to raise the first year of
operational costs for the day hospice program!
With a mere $15,000 left to fund raise, we are
confident that the clients of Lanark County will
rally to support our initiative and we will reach
our goal in time to go operational in 2010.
Our pin campaign (see side bar) has begun with a
limited number of original dahlia pins that say
'Hospice' on them. For $5.00 you get this
beauitiful pin and support a great cause. If
you are part of an organization and would like to
buy a package of pins, please do not hesitate to
contact us.
Heading into
the winter months, donations seem to be on the
rise. We will be in full throttle fundraising
for the next two months. Through a variety of
campaigns we would hope to have sufficient funds to
open the Day Hospice Program at the Carolina
Retirement Suites in 2010. Expect to see and hear a lot more
about Dignity House in and around Lanark County in
the near future.
The
Yoga
Connection First Annual Fundraising Day a HUGE success!
Sunday October 18th was a day of friends, yoga and meditation classes.
Delicious snacks, and
tea were available throughout the day. All of the staff and instructors
from the Yoga Connection contributed many hours of time and energy to this
wonderful event. The Board of Directors of the Dignity House Hospice are truly greatful for everyone's generosity. A warm thank you to
each person who participated in this very worthwhile fundraising day!
As we go into
October of 2009, we are excited by the many
pieces of our plan that are falling into place for
the opening of the Day Hospice Program. The
Carolina Retirement Suites of Perth have graciously
offered us both space and meals to allow us to run
the program. A number of communicty service
groups have expressed interest in helping with our
first year start-up cost of approximately $25,000.
Lanark County United Way has honoured us with a
grant recognizing the benefits to our community of
our efforts to establish the Day Hospice Program.
Our Board is focused and news regarding our Day
Hospice launch will be released in late fall of
2009.
We are already
half way through March 2009 and a lot of things
have been going on with Dignity House Hospice. In January 2009, we welcomed 6
new members to our working Board of Directors who
have expertise in everything from politics to
journalism and health administration. We are
currently working on a new set of By-Laws and moving
to a more formalized Board of Directors. We
are focused on starting the Day Hospice Program
under the name of the Lanark County Day Hospice
Program Initiative in June of 2009. Our
presentation to the Lanark County Council received a
very positive response with multiple councilors
coming forward to offer support, an approved motion
to write letters of support to both the South-East
and Champlain LHINs, and a request for an interview
from the Perth Courier.
We have been
very fortunate to find an ideal location for the
Day Hospice Program. For a small fee, McMartin
House of Perth on Gore Street has committed the Rice
Sisters' Parlour for five hours every Monday
starting mid-January. We have the volunteers.
We have the staff. Now we just need the
people! This program will cost a mere $12,000 for a
full year program. We will be seeking
businesses and individuals to sponsor a day ($250),
a month ($1000), or a year ($12,000) of Day Hospice
to help provide support for clients of Perth and
surrounding communities who are palliative, and to
provide respite for their families and loved ones.
Where are we
now?
As life has
become busier for everyone, and funding in this time
of intense fiscal restraint is virtually
non-existent, the Board Members have opted to pursue
initiating a Day Hospice Program
early in 2009.
We are working on
a fundraising event to take place on Wednesday
November 19th 2008.
An official announcement with details will be
forthcoming within the next few weeks, so keep your
ears and eyes open!
Capital and
Start-up Campaign Underway!
We are in the
process of raising capital and start-up funds.
We have 28 different foundations and corporations to
whom we will be sending applications detailing our
project. Additionally, we will be sending
individual letters to prominent businesses, service
agencies, and clients in Perth that have a history
of community support. We aim to have this work
completed for November 1st
2008.
Our Project
Manager and Board member, Alanna Scanlon, was
interviewed about Dignity House by Brian Perkin of
Lake 88.1 on October 1st 2008
at 4:30pm. Feedback from the interview has
been very positive and even included a call from
Mayor John Fenick. We wish to thank him so
much for taking the time to offer his support for
Dignity House.
Over the course
of the past three Saturdays in
September 2008, two Board members have
attended the Perth Farmers Market to distribute
information about Dignity House, answer questions,
gather names in support of the hospice, and to raise
some money. We spoke to around 200 people and
raised a little over $80.00 in pocket change.
A very warm THANK-YOU
to everyone who stopped to talk with us, ask
questions make a donation of not just money, but of
time as volunteers, and offer us artwork for
auction.
On
September 17 2008 we
received the very frustrating news that Dignity
House cannot depend on any start-up funding through
the South-East Local Integrated Health Network (SE
LHIN). We had the option at this point of
folding the project, going independent and raising
$800,000 alone, or waiting until the SE LHIN changed
its priorities with respect to residential hospices.
We have chosen to forge ahead!
Our goal is to
raise $400,000 in the community, and request another
$400-600,000 from grants and foundations. We are
confident that once local community support is
proven and Dignity House Hospice is
operational, the SE LHIN will be open to providing
sustainable funding to the tune of $300 per patient
per day for the residential hospice, and $100 per
patient per day for a
Day
Hospice program.
It is official!
Effective immediately (and backdated to June 20,
2008) Dignity House Hospice is a registered Canadian Charity!
Our Charitable number is #
856314026. Official tax
receipts will be provided for all donations $25 or
more, and will be sent out before the end of
February 2009. Should anyone require said
receipt earlier, please do not hesitate to contact
us at dignityhouseperth@gmail.com.
A Fund Raising
Fashion Show coordinated by local consignment store
business entrepreneur Joanna McAuley is planned for
November 19, 2008.
Details will be released as information is
confirmed.
Board of
Directors members will be on hand at the Farmers'
Market at Crystal Palace in downtown Perth on
Saturdays from 8am to 1pm
September 6, 13, 20, and 27. We will
provide brochures about the hospice, answer
questions, and accept donations.
You can expect to
see another article in the Perth Weekender for the
Labour Day weekend.
This time we look at whether or not a residential
hospice is a duplication of health care services.
In the weeks following you will see articles dealing
with the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects
of dying, what to do when someone dies, and how to
access residential hospice care.
We had a very
productive meeting on August
25, 2008 that included four guests -- a local
chartered accountant who will help us set up our
financial books, and help us file our first return
as a charity in April 2009; a local retired LTC
senior administrator who had much sage knowledge to
share with us; a palliative care nurse from the
Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital; and a
potential volunteer and spiritual counselor for
Dignity House.
August 22, 2008: It is
official! Dignity House Hospice is a
registered charity recognized by the Canadian
Federal Government as a charity, and thus able to
issue receipts for all donations over $25.00!
August 12, 2008:
Things are falling into place! Dignity House may have a House
Physician. Negotiations will take place within the next 2-4
weeks. Also, we have received our first two unsolicited
donations for Dignity House Hospice! A warm
'thank-you' to both of these families!
After a lot of hard work on the part of
Board Director Stephanie Smart, the pre-proposal for Provincial
Funding with the South East LHIN was submitted August 11th.
A full proposal cannot be submitted until requested by the LHIN if
the pre-proposal is accepted. While a large piece of our
operational budget would come from this source, the Initiative will
push through on donations and grants until such funding is received.
Our first newspaper article by Board
Director Alanna Scanlon was published in the July 25th
edition
of the Perth Weekender. We have already had a very positive
response from the community, and will continue to submit educational
articles to Ian Gray at the Perth Courier. His, and his
staffs', support is greatly appreciated!
Effective June 20th 2008, Dignity House Hospice is
officially incorporated as a non-profit organization by the province of Ontario.
Registration with the Canada
Customs and Revenue Agency as a charitable organization
is pending. The file manager for Dignity
House assures me that a decision should be forthcoming and has asked
to be called at the end of August 2008
for an update on our charitable status.
July 15, 2008:
Despite our best efforts, the initial
proposed site for Dignity House Hospice has been sold. While this
house was ideal for a residential hospice,
the Dignity House Hospice
Initiative is on track and will continue to
operate full speed ahead. Our Board of
Directors will begin a new search of local
realty -- a suitable building, or land.
If we are unable to find an appropriate
pre-existing residence, we will look at
building the hospice from the ground up.
If anyone is aware of, or is considering
donating land or a building that might be
suitable as a residential hospice, please
contact us
immediately.
National Hospice Palliative Care Week
May 4 - 10, 2008
"As Minister of
Health, it is my pleasure to recognize
National Hospice Palliative Care Week, which
runs from May 4-10, 2008. This week is a
great opportunity to celebrate all who work
in the field of hospice palliative care and
to inform Canadians about the importance of
compassionate palliative care.
This year's
theme is "Advance Care Planning - Let's Talk
About it." Advance care planning is an
important process of reflection and
communication. It involves an individual
making decision about future health care
wishes in the event that the individual
becomes incapable of giving informed
consent. Although difficult sometimes,
discussing these matters with family
members, friends, and health care
professionals can ease the difficulty some
experience with this important decision.
National
Hospice Palliative Care Week offers an
opportunity for Canadians to hear about the
importance of advance care planning in
supporting the best quality of life possible
as we near the end of our lives. Advance
care planning tools are also available to
help Canadians discuss their wishes with
loved ones and care providers.
I invite
Canadians to join me in recognizing and
thanking all of those who work in this
demanding field. These individuals work to
ensure that good quality and compassionate
palliative care is there when we need it,
and their efforts benefit us all."
Tony Clement
Minister of Health
June
24th: We were very fortunate
to receive a letter of support for the Dignity House of Perth
Initiative:
"
Dignity House, how appropriate for
those who require just that in their final
stage of life, when all else is taken from
them. I offer my support and praise for
those who care enough to provide such an
alternative and option for those we love in
their greatest time of need."
Sincerely yours
Barbara Rice
Following
our meeting of May 13th,
the Board of Executive Directors of the
Dignity House Hospice has agreed to
make the Initiative public by the end of
August 2008. Watch for information on
hospice and palliative care, as well as
updates on Dignity House in the Perth
Courier.
We have applied for
Provincial incorporation and just recently have learned that our
Articles of Incorporation have been approved. Our application
for charitable status with the Canadian Customs and Revenue Agency
is expected to take considerably longer -- up to 18 months.
While we are looking at other possible methods of fund raising and
applying for Government and Private grants, the reality is that
until we are registered as a charity, we cannot undertake a fund
raising campaign. As a consequence, the proposed site of
Dignity House Hospice is in jeopardy until we are able to
secure working capital. At this time, we have appealed to both
our local MPP, Mr. Randy Hillier, and our local MP, Mr. Scott Reid
to champion our cause, and support the approval of charitable status
for our Initiative.
For more information on
these activities and upcoming plans for Dignity House, or if you
would like to arrange a private donation, please feel
free to contact:
Board of Executive Directors
dignityhouseperth@gmail.com
Thank you for your
interest and support
of this project! |
