Blog Archives - Page 3 of 5 - Hospice of the Golden Isles

2019 Wine, Women & Shoes

Wine, Women & Shoes 2019 at The Cloister was everything it was expected to be…FANTASTIC! At this sold out event, the ladies enjoyed a fabulous fashion show, wine, and lots of entertainment from the enthusiastic Shoe Guys. Special thanks to WWS Chairman Becky Derrick! Mason Waters also deserves a shout out for his hosting skills and dazzling wardrobe change. Yes, that’s him on the cat walk (shown below) sporting all white. The Shoe Guy raising the most money was Frank Solana earning him King of Sole status. Jay Wiggins came in a close second, and was crowned Prince of Sole. For more on our Auxiliary and WWS click here.

Farewell to Charlotte Raymond!

We hate to say goodbye to Charlotte, but at the age of 94 and after almost 40 years of serving Hospice of the Golden Isles (HGI) it’s time for her to be closer to extended family in Pennsylvania.

Today, we surprised her during our Volunteer Appreciation Party with a cake, card, and lots of best wishes for her next adventure. It’s hard to put into words how much we love and appreciate ALL that she’s done for our patients and our staff since 1980. Below is an older blog that gives you some insight into the impact she’s made at our hospice.

If you’d like to serve HGI as one of our treasured volunteers contact our Volunteer Coordinator Trish Burns at patriciaburns@hospice.me.

We featured Charlotte on our blog last year:

At 93, Charlotte Raymond is showing no signs of slowing down. She says her love for Hospice of the Golden Isles (HGI) is one of the reasons she’s still going strong. “I love Hospice so much. It stimulates my brain. At 93, not much else stimulates my brain,” she says with a laugh. “When I sit and make prayer shawls, it makes me happy to know the joy I’m giving someone else when they get one of them,” says Charlotte.

Charlotte has been making prayer shawls for patients since her earliest days with hospice almost 38 years ago, which is also when also when HGI was founded. “I got the idea for knitting a prayer shawl from a book I got as part of my training with hospice” explains Charlotte. Charlotte estimates that she makes around 200 prayer shawls for Hospice each year. “I sit in front of the TV and knit. I put love and prayer in all of them. I probably spend about 15 hours a week making them. It’s therapeutic for me,” she says.

Charlotte is not only a beloved part of HGI’s history, she also keeps track of our non-profit’s history. Each Tuesday, Charlotte comes to Hospice and places all published materials about Hospice of the Golden Isles into our scrapbooks. She is quite meticulous about making certain that everything is recorded. “This is my passion. This is our history,” says Charlotte.

Each week, after Charlotte has finished her work preserving our history, she can be heard walking down the hallway telling everyone, “I’ll see you all next week, good Lord willing!” To which, we reply “Then, we’ll definitely see you next week Ms. Charlotte.”

If you’d like to donate yarn for Ms. Charlotte’s prayer shawls contact Patty Crosby, VP of Development at pattycrosby@hospice.me or 912-265-4735. And, if you’d like to become one of our treasured volunteers like Ms. Charlotte contact Trish Burns our Volunteer Coordinator at PatriciaBurns@hospice.me.

109! What a great way to celebrate New Year’s Eve!

It’s a VERY happy New Year’s Eve at Marsh’s Edge retirement community today. In addition to the normal year end festivities, there was a milestone birthday being celebrated. Mrs. Cecil Woods, who is one of our hospice patients, just turned 109! She’s been living there for three years. Up until then, she was living independently. Yes….on her own! When asked what she’s enjoyed the most about living past 100, she said the people. She loves everyone, especially the staff at Marsh’s Edge. “Nice people, I love them. And, I think they love me” said Mrs. Woods. To which the staff eagerly replied in unison, “Yes, we do!” They prepared her favorite dessert for her birthday, a Pea-Picken cake which I’m told is a southern delicacy with pineapple and mandarin oranges. When I asked if I could try a piece, Mrs. Woods said “Of course, sugar…I’d love for you to have some of my cake.” Have to say, it was very good. I really enjoyed getting to know Mrs. Woods on her special day. I learned that she was born in Eatonton, GA and moved to Huntsville, Alabama when she was three. She became a seamstress and fashion designer in Miami while dabbling in real estate, buying and selling homes there. Before I left, Mrs. Woods said she had a good birthday and was ready for 2019! We should all have that passion for people, and zest for life. Happy New Year everyone! To make this an even sweeter birthday for Mrs. Woods, Lewis Turner from First Coast News gave her a special greeting on New Year’s Day. Click Below to see the video.

Tender Love & Hair for Hospice!

We are so thrilled to be able to offer our patients hair services thanks to the generosity and talent of this young man, Joey Lane! Joey has his Masters of Cosmetology from the Aveda School in Jacksonville, and is now studying to become an RN at the College of Coastal Georgia in Brunswick. So, why did he decide to volunteer his time providing hair care to our patients? “I enjoy both and this combines both of my loves. Actually, they are pretty much the same when you think about it. You are offering a service, a service that I realized was very much needed in hospice care,” explains Joey. Under the direction of our Volunteer Coordinator, Trish Burns, Joey has already offered hair care to five of our patients at our Hospice House and is expanding to our patients at the assisted living facilities. David Boeck (shown in picture) is a returning customer. For Mr. Boeck, it’s more than just hair care, he says it’s also a chance to talk about football and family with a friendly, caring person. As for Joey, ” I love hearing people’s stories, connecting, and making them feel good.” Joey’s volunteer service is cleverly called “Tender Love & Hair.” He’s currently raising funds for some of the hair care products that are needed and was blown away by the initial response. Click here to donate.

St. Simons Food & Spirits Festival Returns in 2019!

Make plans now to join us for the return of the St. Simons Food & Spirits Festival on March 23rd, 2019 at Gascoigne Bluff. This year, it will be a one day event with the added benefit of great bands! Appropriately, this year’s event will be called Bands & Bites. More information to come once all the details have been finalized. Hope to see you there at this wonderful benefit for Hospice of the Golden Isles. www.saintsimonsfoodandspirits.com

Dove Society Party 2019!

We can’t wait! Plans are already underway for our 2019 Dove Society Party on March 30th! All of our Dove Society members from 2018 will be invited. So, look for your invitations in the mail soon. This year is going to be even bigger and better than last year. We are so grateful that the same beautiful home in the Yacht Club on St. Simons is being offered once again for our party. Below are notes and pictures from the Inaugural Dove Society Party in 2018. Enjoy! On March 10, 2018, our inaugural Dove Society Party was a huge success thanks to the generosity of the homeowner who not only offered his private home in the Yacht Club on St. Simons for this special evening, he made a very generous donation as well. More than 80 guests were treated to heavy hors d’oeuvres, live music, and a spectacular view of the sunset. This event was our way of thanking our special circle of donors who are vitally important to our mission of providing The Best Care When It Matters Most, regardless of ability to pay. If you are interested in joining our Dove Society and becoming a part of this distinguished group of outstanding supporters, contact Patty Crosby, Vice President of Development of Hospice of the Golden Isles at pattycrosby@hospice.me or 912-617-1463

Thank you Markdown Monster!

We love the Markdown Monster! I-95 Toyota is donating $100. 00 from the sale of every vehicle to local charities, and Hospice of the Golden Isles (HGI) is grateful to be listed among them. This is such a wonderful gift to the community! When you buy a vehicle from the Markdown Monster you simply tell the salesperson which charity you’d like the donation to benefit. It’s that easy. Special thanks to Kenny Sims, the General Manager of I-95 Toyota for offering this significant giving opportunity. Total donations to HGI have already exceeded $7,000. The most recent donation is pictured above for $1,200 from the November sales. Kenny Sims is shown on the far left of the check and our CEO, Karen Miller is on the far right.

Dove Society Reception 2018

We love our Dove Society! One of the ways we show our Dove Society members how much we appreciate them is to hold a reception in their honor prior to Lights of Love, and this year we are thrilled that so many were able to attend. Some of our most faithful donors came like Hugh Nunnally, Helen and Pep Peppiatt, Dewey Benefield, Helen and Don Billings, Joyce and Johnny Thomas, Margie and Bud Dorsey, John Boney, James Vivenzio, Pat Cooper, Catina Tindall, Christy Jordan, Harry Easterling, Rev. Marcia Cochran, Deb Maner, James Vivenzio, and Karen and Mark Miller. Our Dove Society members are also listed in the Lights of Love program and will be invited to a special party in March at a private home on St. Simons Island. If you are interested in joining our Dove Society please call me at your convenience (912)-617-1463 or click here for more information. We hope you enjoy these pictures from our Dove Society Reception 2018. Special thanks to our wonderful volunteers lead by our amazing Volunteer Coordinator, Trish Burns. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, just send Trish an email at patriciaburns@hospice.me.

Come See our New Friends of Hospice Wall!

It was a great night for Hospice of the Golden Isles (HGI) on December 6th, 2018, as we unveiled our new Friends of Hospice Donor Recognition Wall in the lobby of our Hospice House. This is our latest way of thanking our major donors, past and present. Our Founders are recognized in a permanent section that says “With Gratitude for our Founders whose substantial gifts of $100,000 or more greatly contributed to our strong foundation of serving our community.” We were so honored to have some of our Founders in attendance that night, like Hugh P. Nunnally and Helen and Pep Peppiatt of the Virginia and Harris Robinson family. Dewey Benefield and his family were also recognized for their contributions to HGI, including our Hospice of the Golden Isles Endowment. Dewey shared a few words about our non-profit and how much he appreciated our dedicated team members who supported him while taking care of his beloved wife Tiggie. Also in attendance that night, Johnny and Joyce Thomas who have donated more than $250,000 to HGI since 2005 through their R.E. Thomas fundraiser that honors the memory of the family patriarch. Our Auxiliary of Hospice of the Golden Isles is also featured on the wall for their 10 years of service to hospice, raising more than $625,000 since 2008. For those of you interested in donating to our non-profit mission, the Friends of Hospice Donor Recognition Wall is a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate your support. It will stand as a permanent tribute of legacy gifts and generous contributions to our mission of providing the highest quality, most compassionate care to all who need us in the Golden Isles community. A minimum donation of $10,000 to either our Hospice of the Golden Isles Endowment or directly to Hospice will be recognized in our Golden Heart Dove Society every year your gift is received. A minimum donation of $50,000 to either our Endowment or directly to Hospice will be permanently recognized in our Benefactors Circle and updated every year of your donation. For assistance with your major gift, you can reach me by calling 912-617-1463 or sending an email to pattycrosby@hospice.me. Below are more pictures from our unveiling ceremony.

Inaugural Hospice of the Golden Isles Endowment Party

What a night for our honoree and our new Hospice of the Golden Isles Endowment! Not only was Dewey Benefield surprised by an appearance from our special guest speaker, UGA’s very own Loran Smith, he was also recognized for his contributions to UGA in a video greeting from legendary Coach Vince Dooley, which is attached below. Loran Smith also brought gifts from UGA that included a certificate noting Dewey’s place in UGA’s history as the “Poet Laureate,” a football signed by Coach Smart, and a miniature replica of the Stan Mullins’ bronze statue of Herschel Walker. The replica was made with a 3-D printer by the students at Athens Tech to pay tribute to Dewey’s famous description of Walker as “That Goal Line Stalker.” The final numbers from the fundraiser at the A.W. Jones Heritage Center on Oct. 4th are still being tallied, but early results look very promising. We are so grateful for our sponsors the William O. Inman, III family, The Sumerford Family Fund, and the Robinson Investment Group. Because of their donations all of the proceeds from the event will go toward our new Endowment. And those dollars will be doubled in special matching gift directly to Hospice of the Golden Isles thanks to a grant from the St. Marys United Methodist Church Foundation. The Endowment is managed by the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation to sustain our non profit mission of providing the highest quality, compassionate hospice care to those who need us in Glynn, Camden, McIntosh, Brantley, and Charlton Counties, regardless of ability to pay. We’d like to extend a special note of gratitude to our event hosts Brooke Sumerford and Nancy Wainwright, our guest speaker Ben Slade, Al Wise Photography, Halyards Catering, Imint Media, The A.W. Jones Heritage Center, musician Owen Plant, and our wonderful team of volunteers led by the incomparable Trish Burns. We are also thankful for the silent auction donations from the following: Sea Island, Nancy and Adam Wainwright, Stellers Gallery, Mildred Huie Wilcox, Halyards, Hook & Knife Charters, The Lodge at Little St. Simons, Steve Penley, Bill Inman, and the Davis Love Foundation. We hope you’ll enjoy the photos from our special night. Endowment Party Power Point Click here for the greeting from Vince Dooley