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!

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.

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.”

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     

Thanks to a generous opportunity from the St. Marys United Methodist Church Foundation, if you donate to our new Hospice of the Golden Isles Endowment your money gets matched in a direct donation to our non-profit. So your gift doubles!  The Hospice of the Golden Isles Endowment is being managed by the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation to support our mission of caring for those who need us in our five county service area of Glynn, Camden, McIntosh, Brantley, and Charlton Counties in perpetuity. It is a great investment in our community, ensuring that those who need this specialized level of comfort care that our Hospice provides, will always be able to receive it. For more information simply send an email to pattycrosby@hospice.me or call 912-617-1463. If you’d like write a check, just make it out to the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation and earmark in the memo line that this is a donation for the Hospice of the Golden Isles Endowment. Or you can donate with your credit card by clicking this link to the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation. Shown in picture from l to r: Rochelle Bevan, Office Manager SMUMC Foundation,  Karen Miller CEO (HGI,) Jeff Barker, President/CEO SMUMC Foundation, and Patty Crosby, VP of Development (HGI.)        

Hospice of the Golden Isles is so proud of the work our volunteers do here at hospice and throughout the community. Recently, three of our hospice volunteers Rick Caauwe, Harry Easterling, and James Vivenzio, who is also a board member, escorted local veterans on the Honor Flight to Washington, DC by serving as their guardians for the trip. “This is our fourth year for Honor Flight. We had 75 veterans and 75 guardians make the trip, and we are already getting people to sign up for next year. For me, this is such a meaningful experience. In a true sense for me, the best part is being part of something bigger than myself, just like the feeling I get when I serve as a volunteer for Hospice of the Golden Isles,” says Vivenzio.

Shown in the picture to the right are Rick Caauwe and James Vivenzio at the Vietnam Memorial. Harry Easterling is pictured below with Korean War Veteran Spencer Tait. Here at HGI, we feel it’s our privilege to serve our veterans and are proud to partner with We Honor Veterans.  To learn more about our Veterans Support Program, how to volunteer for HGI, and how to get involved with Honor Flight just click the links below.

Veterans Support Program: https://hospice.me/services/veterans-support/

Become a Volunteer: http://hospice.me/giving/volunteer/

Honor Flight:  http://www.coastalgeorgiahonorflight.org

We are beaming with pride right now! Not only is Hospice of the Golden Isles the ONLY hospice in Georgia to earn the prestigious Hospice Honors from HEALTHCAREfirst for six years in a row, we are also the ONLY hospice in the Southeast Georgia to receive Hospice Honors Elite in 2018. This is our second time receiving Hospice Honors Elite.  Hospice Honors is a distinguished program that recognizes hospices providing the highest level of quality of care as measured from the caregiver’s point of view.  Our goal every day is to provide the best care, compassion, and support that all of our patients and families deserve in our service area of Glynn, Camden, McIntosh, Brantley, and Charlton counties. So, this award is especially meaningful for our team to receive.   Special thanks to Andre Jesequel for donating his time and talents capturing our team’s celebration in this video.  https://youtu.be/uW3MdYUir-U