Lamar Area Hospice Fundraising Committee presents $90,000 check to Lamar Area Hospice

Presenting the annual donation check to Lamar Area Hospice are Lamar Hospice Fundraising Committee members:  Front, left to right – Christa Melgoza, Collette Widener, and Executive Director of Lamar Area Hospice Deb Pelley.  Back, left to right – Cheryl Preisser, Lisa Farmer, Kim Burgess, Norma Swanson, Robbie Sue Young, Rose Ann Yates, Amy Fort, and Patti Emick.  Committee members not available for photo were:  Melonee Marcum, Christal Maggart, Morgan Becker-Alba, Jane Gardiner-Dykes, and Dianne Pool.  The golf tournament committee also included Ron and Joyce Reedy (not pictured). 

Letter of thanks from Lamar Area Hospice

What can only be described as an extraordinary example of commitment and community generosity, the Lamar Area Hospice Fundraising Committee presented Lamar Area Hospice with a check for $90,000, made possible through two annual fundraising events, the Backyard Bash and the Angel Open Golf Tournament. While these events take place every year, the success achieved this time was truly remarkable. The final amount raised was not just successful—it was astonishing. It serves as a powerful reminder that compassion and community spirit are alive and well. As a rural nonprofit organization, it is all-important to be engaged and more important to be RELEVANT in the communities we serve. People want to support, financially and through volunteerism, an organization that visibly impacts the community. There is no doubt that Lamar Area Hospice has benefitted greatly from generous donations and successful fundraisers.

However, there is a reason Lamar Area Hospice, so often, is the charity of choice and we remind ourselves every day why that is. YOU CAN COUNT ON US. We may not know it all or have every answer but we will certainly HELP you figure it out. Many of the additional services we now provide came about because there was a need in the community and the answer was not hospice. Our Helping Hands Program is a perfect example of that. It was developed in 2006 because there were numerous seniors in our community that needed just a little help to stay safe at home, others needed some assistance going home after a hospital stay and in many cases there was a well needed reprieve for caregivers of the disabled or chronically ill. The Helping Hands Program has been a lifesaver in the community ever since, averaging forty plus clients on services at all times AND there is no fee for services provided. Lamar Area Hospice has an almost constant stream of people coming into our building needing medical equipment; shower benches, wheelchairs, walkers, risers, etc. Lamar Area Hospice maintains and loans this equipment at no charge for as long as they’re needed. This is significant in our communities where resources are sometimes limited. Lamar Area Hospice provides grief support to the community at large through resources and support groups. In 2016 Lamar Area Hospice hired a Child Life Specialist and started the Children’s Good Grief Program. Since then it has expanded to include services in ten area schools in addition to the groups that meet in the office, AND again there is never a charge. All these services are in addition to exceptional Hospice services, over and beyond what is required.

Our average daily census is between fifteen to thirty hospice patients receiving 24/7 support 365 days a year. Our staff consists of 17 full-time employees, 15 Helping Hands caregivers, 12 patient volunteers, in addition to 42 volunteers who serve on the Board of Directors, fundraising committee, Prayer Shawl Ministry, Food to Families ministry and office support. Without exception, they are a very compassionate and caring group of people working collectively to ensure that Lamar Area Hospice is worthy of the phenomenal support we receive from the communities we serve. Our mission statement; “A community where every day of life matters”. We will NEVER lose sight of that and the undeniable fact that it would be impossible if not for the commitment of our phenomenal fund raising committee and an incredibly generous community.

Those involved deserve recognition, not only for organizing the effort, but for inspiring such an overwhelming response. This success story is one worth celebrating!

Deb Pelley – Executive Director, Lamar Area Hospice

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