Messages from our Board President

 
 The TIME IS NOW! Have you seen it? Have you come in for a visit? Have you experienced the care provided through this facility? Have you volunteered your time?

The TIME IS NOW!

Have you seen it?

Hospice Huntsville has opened the doors of Algonquin Grace – the new five bed residential hospice.   Our building project is a success. Algonquin Grace is a beautiful home that is one of its kind. It is the only rural hospice in LHIN 12. Did you know the closest residential hospices beyond Algonquin Grace are either in Barrie or in Sudbury? These are large ten bed facilities. We have built and believe in our rural, local five bed facility. We are unique and Muskoka is on the MAP! Be proud of the work that has been done. Shout our success from the mountaintops! Effective palliative care and support for dying well need to be available to ALL of us!

The TIME IS NOW!

Have you come for a visit?

Hospice Huntsville’s administration, the hub of our visiting volunteer program, grief and bereavement program and our fundraising team are all housed at Algonquin Grace. The residential hospice house is a centre of excellence. It is a centre of information about, access to and advocacy for excellent palliative care. Algonquin Grace is a community centre – open to the public. When you open the front door, you will be greeted by the friendly face of a volunteer available to help you with whatever you need. The environment that we foster at Hospice Huntsville is one of openness, peacefulness and true joy of spirit. We are here to celebrate our residents’ and clients’ lives and journeys through their final days. Do not be afraid to visit – our space is not one of sterility or closed-door policies.

The TIME IS NOW!

Have you experienced the care provided through this facility?

Hospice Huntsville, between January and March 2012, provided care for 26 residents who came to Algonquin Grace for the final days of their lives. The staff members at the residential hospice are caring, knowledgeable and so very dedicated to making end of life a peaceful and dignified journey for our residents.   Their professional assistance is also available for family members and friends.

Our truly special volunteers are fundamental to creating the warm and friendly environment that surrounds our residents and their families. They spend many hours at the bedside of our residents providing support and care.

We have heard from you…..

The TIME IS NOW!

Have you volunteered your time?

Expanding our programs to include the residential care program has allowed Hospice Huntsville to focus on and expand our volunteer opportunities. We now have the support of 107 volunteers working in many different roles. You might be one of our volunteers…..Tell your story of why YOU volunteer! Or you might know someone volunteering for us…..Ask them to tell YOU why they volunteer. Understanding the joys of volunteerism and knowing the vast contribution that you can and do make to improve the options for dying well in our community will ensure hospice success.

The TIME IS NOW!

We will all die. We all deserve to die well. We are blessed to live in a community that really and truly believe this and are willing to support this with their time, energy AND their financial donations. Become part of our TEAM. The time is NOW!  

  

January 2012

The Algonquin Grace residential hospice of Huntsville is now OPEN! It was with great pleasure and tremendous respect and thanks to all involved that participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony on January 4th, 2012.

The days leading up to the grand-opening event were filled with last minute touches to the interior décor, interviews with local media and internal hospice work to be sure that the event paid respect to all that were involved with this very worthwhile project. It wasn’t an easy task to THANK everyone who put their minds, expertise, money, hours and hearts into creating our residential hospice. These four walls tell so many stories of work done to get where we are and work to come to be sure we provide the excellent end of life care that we strive to provide.

The ribbon cutting ceremony was an overwhelming event bringing our community together. We were joined by dignitaries including Minister Tony Clement, MPP Norm Miller, District Chair John Klink, LHIN Chair Bernie Blais and Mayor Claude Doughty. Their words of ongoing encouragement and support for hospice were received with gratitude. Community members including those that have a passion for hospice through their previous involvement on the board of directors or staff or committee members and those that simply have a keen interest in knowing we are improving the care of the dying in our community came to participate and offer words of encouragement. We at Hospice Huntsville were overwhelmed by the amount of people showing their support.

The residential hospice name, Algonquin Grace, was unveiled. The naming opportunity was granted to the Huntsville Physicians following their successful campaign to raise $250,000 for our capital campaign. Other naming opportunities were designated to:
Karen and Brian Markham- Bedroom
Drs. Deb Harrold and Rich Trenholm – Bedroom
Alberta Beaman – Dining room and Patio
Bob Chochlowsky in memory of Sandy Chochlowsky – Library
The Greenwood Family – Tim Hortons – Respite Room
Gordon and Beryl Schakelaar – Sunroom

The new staff members are currently training and preparing to accept the first resident to the Algonquin Grace on Monday January 9th, 2012. Hospice Huntsville’s excellent working relationship with Hope Huntsville the Algonquin Family Health Team’s palliative care team, the hospital and the CCAC of LHIN 12 have allowed a smooth transition to the referral process of residents to the hospice. Serving end of life patients in the setting of their choice is together, our goal.

It is a busy time of transition and growth for Hospice Huntsville. We are so pleased with the process thus far. Our community is a wealth of positive people and businesses. We thank everyone involved in Hospice Huntsville and look forward to your ongoing support and involvement. Together we are a success and together we should be proud of the new residential hospice in Huntsville, serving Muskoka – Algonquin Grace.
 

 

 

 

October 17, 2011

Have you seen it yet?
 Have you stopped (or at least slowed down) when driving up to the hospital or the doctor’s office? There on your right. There in the treed lot, nestled into the Muskoka landscape. There it is! The Hospice Huntsville Residential Hospice. The walls are up, the door is on (makes sneaking in to check things out difficult!) and the finishes are being completed.
You, the people of Huntsville and Lake of Bays have done it! You have built the first residential hospice in Muskoka. From the beginning, I have relished in how lucky we are to be working in Huntsville and Lake of Bays and I am continually astounded by the ongoing support of our local community members and businesses. Hospice Huntsville’s residential hospice has been built by goods, time, expertise and financial support all donated by everyday residents and cottagers that believe that WE deserve to die well, WE deserve dignity, peace and quality end of life care.

Hospice Huntsville is ready and eager to prove itself as a fundamental organization in providing this quality end of life care. Together with our established medical community and Algonquin Family Health Team and the community resources – Huntsville and Lake of Bays IS a place that puts much needed emphasis on dying well.

Hospice Huntsville’s volunteer support program and grief and bereavement program continue to provide hospice care in our homes and hospital while we ready ourselves to accept residents in our residential hospice.

We look forward to welcoming all of you in for a visit at our OPEN HOUSE. Please check back to our website for the dates of the open house and plan on attending. It will be a great opportunity for us to thank you for your ongoing support and to recognize the gifts donated to make this project possible.
 
Also, I would like to extend warm wishes for the holiday season and ask that we all consider continuing our support for the Hospice Huntsville programs through donation. CanadaHelps online donation (www.canadahelps.org) makes giving easy.
Thank you.

Dr. Deb Harrold
Hospice Huntsville – Board President
 
 
August  17th, 2011
IF YOU BUILD IT…..
The walls are up. The stage is being set. Our dreams are becoming reality! We are so excited to share these pictures with all of you. (Artist's rendition.  August Building Progress) The building is going VERY smoothly in the most capable hands of Greystone Construction. I am not a builder myself and have come to rely upon the simplified version of the milestones met and those yet to come, but I am able to report we are on time and on budget! That is a true success. 
Day in and day out I hear comment on the excitement of our community witnessing the rising of this Hospice house. I hear “this is so needed in our community” and “what a beautiful setting” and “the building looks gorgeous” and “can’t wait to get to work every day to see the progress being made”. Ok, I admit that last quote is mine. I am excited every day to turn the corner and see what the hardworking crew has been up to and what heavy equipment is on site.
I have been fortunate enough to be surrounded by a great crew of professional and volunteer people with building know how who are seeing this project through. I encourage you all to stop by and see our building site and all the excitement that is happening. Check out the signage on the property too. Hospice Huntsville is clearly so very pleased to have the support of our many local businesses that have provided in kind donations to our building project.
Hospice Huntsville’s upcoming visiting volunteer training course is full to capacity, which is also a sign of a true community commitment. We are actively recruiting for more and more volunteers to support the residential hospice. We will need handymen, gardeners, reception support and kitchen help to name a few. Are you handy? Can you make a mean batch of muffins? Can you brainstorm fundraising strategies? Can you lend a hand at an upcoming event? If this sounds like you or someone you know, please lend a hand. Volunteerism is a sure way to give back to your community!
Our fundraising efforts continue in full swing. Our capital campaign group is busy working with private and corporate donors to secure the remaining approximately $400,000 to reach our $1.6 million capital campaign. And our operating fundraising is continuing in earnest. Hospice Huntsville recognizes that to maintain our operations of our residential hospice and our community programs, we will have to fundraise over $350,000/year. Our car raffle is one of our signature events that is on right now! Don’t miss the opportunity to BUY A CAR RAFFLE ticket to win a 2012 Honda Civic. Thanks to Jason Armstrong at Huntsville Honda for supporting this event.
Please drop in for a visit. Say hi to the staff. Provide your comments or your application for a volunteer position. Buy a ticket and support our fabulous Hospice Huntsville team!
Thank you.
Dr. Deb Harrold
Hospice Huntsville – Board President
 
April 23, 2011

SPRING is in the air….and we are getting muddy!

We have begun site clearing and grubbing and the smiles on our faces show how very happy we are to have mud on our boots. Greystone Project Management has been awarded the contract for building our 5 bed residential hospice. They have been instrumental in designing us a beautiful building with all of the pieces in it that will allow us to provide high quality end of life care. Currently, we are awaiting the final “sign off” of our land lease by the Ministry of Health and we will be on our way to digging! Until that time, Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare and Hospice Huntsville have agreed to prepare the site for our project. Through a tendering process, HLD has been chosen to complete the site preparation work. We would like to thank them for the work and the generous donation to our residential hospice project.

Our Blitz and Boon – capital campaign fundraising events are well underway. What a success to have our community talking about ‘hospice’. The Goof on the Roof kicked off the blitz and thanks to J Rock (and some thick wool socks) and FM 105.5, hospice received cash donations and a lot of public awareness. Robinson’s Independent Grocer, Muskoka Rent-All, the Huntsville Otters, the Huntsville Fire Fighters and all of our volunteers also deserve a BIG thank you for your helping hands.High Tea at Chartwell Selects Muskoka Traditions was a sold out event. It was well attended by community members interested in learning more about hospice and supporting our desire to improve palliative care in our community.Upcoming and ongoing events including – Buy a Brick, Wine Tasting and Food Pairing and Council Cooks promise to be exciting. To date, Hospice Huntsville has raised $7,300 from the “Blitz and Boon” activities. It is such a pleasure being part of a community that stands in support of Hospice.

Our Fundraising Signature Events also continue to happen. HIKE FOR HOSPICE is being held on Sunday May 1st on the Hunter’s Bay Trail, Huntsville. Registration begins at 12:00pm at the Rotary Pavilion, Avery Beach Park. This event will bring many of us together who have shared the journey through end of life with a loved one. It is a chance to remember, celebrate, share and take a moment or two for a breath of fresh Muskoka air! We are eager to exceed our fundraising landmark set last year of $ 10,289.00.

PLEASE COME OUT AND JOIN US AT OUR HOSPICE HUNTSVILLE EVENTS, WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Sincerely,
Dr. Deb Harrold
Hospice Huntsville, Board President

 

March 17, 2011
I haven’t been this excited to write an update on Hospice Huntsville in a long time! In 2010, the strategic plan for Hospice Huntsville outlined three main focus areas and I would like to touch on all three of them with updates.
Volunteers are fundamental to Hospice Huntsville. We continue to emphasize the need for volunteers throughout our organization and successful recruitment continues year round. Hospice is pleased to say that we now have a full complement of dedicated board of director volunteers. These individuals bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and enthusiasm to the table. I would say “never a dull moment” at one of our board meetings!
Public Relations and Promotion has always been important for Hospice Huntsville, yet sometimes a significant stumbling block. “Dying well” with the support of hospice isn’t always what people in our death denying society want to hear about. Hospice Huntsville, through hours of dedicated and creative work by a number of volunteers working with the capital campaign and the fundraising committees, has approved a new “look” to some of our promotional material. We hope that you will like it as much as we do. The sleek new look brings pizzazz to our ability to promote our signature fundraising events and the upcoming capital campaign Blitz and Boon.
Residential Hospice is a cornerstone of our plans for development and growth. I am pleased to report some great news on this project. The board of directors has approved the building committee to enter into contract negotiations with the successful candidate of our design-build proposal. We will be able to share more details very soon, including a SAVE THE DATE announcement for the ground breaking!
Funding for such a significant project is an ongoing challenge, however I am also very pleased to share that Hospice Huntsville has received a significant commitment from the District of Muskoka. On Mar 14th, 2011, the District approved $200,000 to be given to Hospice Huntsville for the capital expenditure of the residential hospice build. Securing this funding has made a substantial difference to the funds still required. The capital campaign team is working hard to reach their goal.
Significant work in these three main areas of focus for Hospice Huntsville will continue. I am surrounded by the best group of community oriented, passionate and hard working people that continue to bring success to our organization!
Sincerely,
Dr. Deb Harrold
Hospice Huntsville, Board President
   

February 28, 2011

Great News!

The building committee for the residential hospice is moving ahead quickly. The RFP was open on February 16th and was met with excitement by three local contractors. The building committee has met with these interested contractors and work on the design build proposals is well underway.

Our capital campaign continues to be active in the community, raising awareness and funds. The campaign will be sure to reach new levels when the “shovel breaks ground”.

Our fundraising committee is dedicated to promoting Hospice Huntsville’s signature fundraising events that will sustain the operations of our volunteer programs, grief and bereavement programs and the residential hospice.

We also welcome a number of new volunteer board members including Norma Connolly, Mary Potts, Gord Schakelaar and Tim Withey.
Thank you for joining the team!

Sincerely,
Dr. Deb Harrold
Hospice Huntsville, Board President

 

February 2011

Hospice Huntsville is committed to improving end of life care in our community. Hospice Huntsville has been hard at work securing land, funding and community support to build a five bed residential hospice to provide an alternate setting for end of life care. We are working feverishly to finalize all of the pieces required to secure the most effective and affordable five bed hospice is built in Huntsville. Many talented and dedicated individuals are giving their time, expertise and financial support to this project. We, at Hospice Huntsville, want to thank them for their continued support. The Board of Directors continues to provide exceptional oversight; ensuring that adequate reporting and decision making processes are in place within every aspect of this community project.
 
If you have an interest in getting involved to help Hospice Huntsville reach their goals, please contact Bev Lashbrook, Executive Director at 705-789-6878.
 
Please feel free to contact Bev or myself with any questions or concerns about this communication. Hospice Huntsville will continue to keep our community updated with the current status of this project by posting updates on our website. To this end, please invite any individual asking questions about our project to visit our website at www.hospicehuntsville.ca or call Bev Lashbrook at 705-789-6878.
 
 
Sincerely,
Dr. Deb Harrold
Hospice Huntsville, Board President