he BEE January 2015 • Issue 57 HopeWestCO.org A note from Christy Happy New Year to each of you! I can’t believe it is 2015 because it seems like yesterday I was making resolutions for 2014. As always, we have so much to be proud of and reflect upon throughout the year. We are so grateful to the members of our community who simply “define” our organization. I wish that I had the opportunity to thank each of you personally for what you do to make our mission possible. Christy Whitney President & CEO The number of people who received our care in 2014 reached an all-time high. Our services provide for patients and families facing serious illness and grief right here on the Western Slope. It is because of you that we can provide these vital services. Your support has been so important in assuring our ability to respond to those in need. It would be impossible to do what we do, and be who we are, without you. We have so many more exciting things coming in the New Year and we are lucky to have you with us each step of the way. Things we are looking forward to – Montrose office completion, a new idea at Heirlooms Grand Junction called Charmed where our talented staff and volunteers will help us repurpose and reinspire items – and the list goes on and on. Wishing you a blessed New Year! Ask your friends to join our cause! Often our friends or loved ones are looking to join a cause in the new year. We hope you will encourage them to join us. We need volunteers for all areas at HopeWest. Every hobby and talent has a place here. Opportunities include: Heirlooms - creatively display merchandise, cashier, greet and help customers and clean and repair donated items Administration - performing general office functions like greeting guests, answering the phone, filing or helping with other important projects Patient and family support - participate in a variety of activities such as: visiting with a patient, sharing hobbies and stories, reading to a patient, running errands, relieving the caregiver for a small amount of time and providing transportation HopeWest Kids - acting as mentors to children and teens who are grieving the loss of a loved one And so much more! Volunteer News Montrose & Ouray Counties Looking Back at a Remarkable Year 2014 was an extraordinary year for HopeWest in Montrose. Our volunteer numbers increased to 320. We served over 200 hospice patients. Our HopeWest Kids program in Montrose alone touched the lives of over 100 young people. Wow! These increased numbers happened with support of you, our dedicated volunteers, who serve in these areas and many more. Isn’t it rewarding to be part of a mission that is changing lives right here in our communities? You help to make our community a better place to volunteer, work, live and play. Because of our volunteers’ outstanding support and hard work, our 2014 Gala was a smashing success and netted $93,000. Our annual Golf Tournament netted over $26,000. Highlighting Our Staff Lisa Perez, Clinical Manager “The HopeWest philosophy of using a caring, sensitive and family-centered approach to care is how I always wanted to practice nursing. It’s a natural fit for me,” says Lisa Perez, Clinical Manager for Montrose HopeWest. “In my fairly new position as of last June, I schedule, supervise and assist our clinical staff in caring for our patients.” Lisa has been a Registered Nurse for 23 years. Prior to working at HopeWest, she worked at Montrose Memorial Hospital as a nursing supervisor. Lisa has experience in ICU, Orthopedics, Pulmonary and medical surgical nursing. “My father was in the Air Force, so we moved every four years,” says Lisa. “Growing up, I lived in Belgium, Holland and many of our states.” “I have a wonderful husband of 20 years and two teenage sons. We currently live on a small hobby farm. For relaxation, I love to cook, garden and can produce. Reading is also a great pasttime for me.” “I am honored to be a part of the Montrose HopeWest team. Every day I see positive differences we are making in the lives of people in our community. These fundraisers enable us to effectively serve our hospice and transitions patients. Thank you for recently completing our 2014 annual volunteer survey to evaluate your satisfaction with your HopeWest volunteer experience. The average level of satisfaction for Montrose HopeWest volunteers was 4.8 out of 5, with 5 being the highest score. We utilize your valuable survey feedback to continually improve the quality of our service to our volunteers. Thank you volunteers for a great 2014! We look forward with great anticipation to 2015! - Priscilla Cozzens, Montrose HopeWest Volunteer Coordinator ward 2014 S taff Heart of Hope A Christy Whitney, Deb Weiss & Starla Bacon Each year a Montrose HopeWest staff member is awarded the Heart of Hope award by votes of the staff members. Deb Weiss, R.N. and Case Manager was recently given this prestigious award for her outstanding work. Congratulations Deb! Hot Water Productions’ Gift to HopeWest Each November, in honor of National Hospice Month, Joe and Paul Derence of Hot Water Productions generously host a promotion called Hot Tubs for HopeWest. For every hot tub sold, Hot Water Productions donates $100 to HopeWest. This year’s event generated $1,100. Thank you, Joe and Paul, for supporting compassionate care for HopeWest patients and their families. On-Going Volunteer Education Opportunities We are postponing the January 15 viewing of “Pioneers of Hospice – changing the Face of Dying.” We will re-schedule this DVD at a later date when we can view it in the meeting room of our beautiful new building. Safety & Infection Control Training for Patient Support Volunteers will be presented on Friday, January 16, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. in Montrose Memorial Hospital Conference Room B. Mary Watson, HopeWest Safety Officer, will present this pertinent information. All patient support volunteers are strongly encouraged to attend. Self-Defense Awareness Tips and Other Critical Tips on Protection from Fraud & Deceit will be presented by officers of the Montrose Police Department Thursday, February 19, 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. in Montrose Memorial Hospital Conference Room B. All HopeWest volunteers are invited to attend this informative and practical class. Volunteer January Birthdays Diane Buford 1 Paula Sterling 1 Donna Swala 1 Clair Ledger 2 Harvey Cozzens 3 Sherry Rose 4 Sharrie Blackwelder 5 Marian Ferguson 5 Betty Lee Tipton 10 Jennifer Randolph 13 Pat Blackwelder Merrilee Robertson Sandy Bliss Deidra Manary Linda Dodge Bill Armfield Shirley Langland Valentina Lert Marie Neubert Linda Sullivan 14 14 15 20 23 24 24 24 26 28 The Gala Is “Frozen” Volunteers Needed Mark your calendars! Saturday, March 21, is the date for the annual Montrose HopeWest Gala at the Pavilion. Frozen is the theme! Many volunteers are needed in the following areas to help make this event successful: set up on March 20 -21; providing food for staff & volunteers who set up; working at the Gala; tear down after the event (11:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.) If you want to help with the Gala, please call Priscilla at (970) 252-2642. Heirlooms News Montrose Heirlooms would like to announce the addition of Maria Verble as Sales Associate to our staff. Maria will hold a part-time position with Heirlooms. Su, Tom, Maria and I would like to extend our heartfelt thank you to the wonderful volunteers who have really stepped up to help fill in during Sally’s leave. We appreciate all your extra effort to ensure that Heirlooms runs as Sally would want it to. We know she would be really proud of your caring attitudes during her time of rest and rejuvenation. Thank you for ‘picking up the ball and running with it!’ - Kelly Thompson, interim Heirlooms Manager Mark Your Calendars Heirlooms Quarterly Meeting will be Wednesday, January 14, 5:30 p.m. at the store. Please join us and hear what our final numbers are for 2014. Bring a prepared dish for a group meal. Our Birthday Lunch is changing into a BREAKFAST! Our January Birthday Breakfast will be Wednesday, January 21, 8:00 a.m. at the Hospital Café. We are opening this birthday celebration to all HopeWest volunteers who have January birthdays! Come and meet more volunteers while we celebrate YOU! As a reminder, everyone pays for his/her own meal. Most Hours Worked in November Joan Burch - 60 hours • Sandy Shalley - 35 hours Britny Hardison - 34 hours Total Heirlooms Hours for November – 1,203 hours Coming soon... Our 2015 Gala theme is n e z o r F Mark your calendars: 3090 North 12th Street, Unit B Grand Junction, CO 81506 Black Tie & Boots Saturday, January 17 Two Rivers Convention Center Montrose Gala Saturday, March 21 Montrose Pavilion Do you want to receive the newsletter electronically? Send us an email to info@hopewestco.org and we will add you to our list! ? e s u o H l Ful The holidays have come and gone and now you have beautiful new things to fill your closet and your home, but you’re short on storage space… ...donate your once treasured items to Heirlooms! 635 Main Street Grand Junction (970) 254-8556 Monday - Saturday 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 521 Main Street Delta (970) 874-5251 Monday - Saturday 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 435 E. Main Street Montrose (970) 252-3648 Monday - Saturday 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.