LIVING WELL

Pictured are Hospice of the Golden Isles’ Auxiliary Members Sube Lawrence, from left, Melissa Stroud, Lori Fiveash, Ali Coleman, Melinda Dickinson, Lynn Lewis, Glenn Ferrell, Denisha Summers, Donna Johnson, Joan Hearn, Elain Goodwin, and Barbara Bruce

Hospice Auxiliary steps up to give back

WORDS BY SISSY BLANCHARD, BECKY DERRICK, AND DONNA JOHNSON

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Over the past two years, so many of us have faced new challenges and have been often reminded just how important it is to take care of each other. While it hasn’t always been easy, it’s been beautiful to see how people in our community and worldwide rose to the occasion and helped those in need. Locally, Hospice of the Golden Isles is one non-profit agency that continues to take on that mission. A community fixture for more than 40 years — now even more vital than before — Hospice of the Golden Isles, despite all the challenges that the pandemic brought with it, continues to provide care for patients and their families in need, wherever they are and regardless of ability to pay.

A few key facts about Hospice of the Golden Isles (HGI):

• HGI is the only community-founded non-profit hospice serving Southeast Coastal Georgia since 1980 (serving families in Glynn, Camden, McIntosh, Brantley, and Charlton counties).

• It cares for hospice-eligible patients facing life-limiting illnesses.

• It’s the only area hospice with a free-standing inpatient facility, the Robinson Center, which provides acute/symptom management and respite care.

• It is the only area hospice providing a residential patient facility, the Jolley House, for patients without a suitable home situation or caregiver. director, who is a board-certified doctor in hospice and palliative medicine.

• It offers community bereavement services to residents dealing with grief and loss, even if their loved one was not in their care.

The care Hospice of the Golden Isles provides differs from other types of healthcare because the focus of the non-profit organization is on honoring patients’ lives and offering comfort and support to their loved ones when curing an illness is no longer possible. This specialized care allows patients to have pain and symptoms expertly treated, with the goal of retaining clarity to enjoy time with family and friends. Hospice care is about helping people do the things they love for as long as they are able.

The mission of the organization is to walk families through the end-of-life process with care and dignity. Many don’t know that Hospice of the Golden Isles also guides the bereaved families toward a path of healing from grief and loss.

Providing care at this level is expensive and, while some of the costs are covered by Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance, the gap is still substantial. Hospice of the Golden Isles relies heavily on community fundraisers and donations to cover uncompensated patient costs, and much of that comes to fruition from the hard work of a seemingly tireless group of volunteers — the Auxiliary of Hospice of the Golden Isles, a membership-driven organization dedicated to supporting the mission of Hospice of the Golden Isles through community awareness, fundraising, and patient projects.

In 2008, the Auxiliary of Hospice of the Golden Isles was established to help support fundraising and community education initiatives. Janice Lamattina served as the Auxiliary’s first board president. She and her inaugural Board of Directors were instrumental in helping to grow Hospice of the Golden Isles into the vibrant organization it is today.

Since its inception, the Auxiliary has raised over $800,000 in unrestricted funds for Hospice of the Golden Isles to meet the agency’s areas of greatest need. The Auxiliary has recently helped the organization make capital improvements to their Hospice House, including a new roof and the

purchase of commercial generators. It has also covered a significant portion of Hospice of the Golden Isles charity care for patients without insurance coverage or the ability to pay for residential hospice services.

With the Auxiliary’s focus on fundraising and community awareness, they host several events each year — Wine, Women & Shoes, Open Homes Open Hearts and the Bridge Luncheon. The Auxiliary is excited to bring those events back in 2022, beginning with Wine Women & Shoes.

Wine Women & Shoes is a highly anticipated event by ladies of all ages around the area. It is always an early sell-out and the approximately 400 attendees are key influencers, tastemakers and connectors in their homes and communities. Over the past eight years, Wine Women & Shoes attendees have had a spectacular time while raising nearly $300,000 for the cause. The 9th year promises all the same fun — and more! — with a little change in scenery.

The 9th Annual Wine Women & Shoes event will be held at the new event venue, Frederica Golf Club on St. Simons Island, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 5. As always, the event will be a combination of all things fabulous: wine tastings from national-award winning vintners, shopping with exclusive marketplace vendors, trip raffles, wine raffles, a dream closet raffle, live auction, silent auction, jewelry pull, fashion show, superb swag bags, charming Shoe Guys and a delectable, seated lunch. This event truly is the most fun “girls’ day out” experience in the area, offering something to be enjoyed by everyone.

Donna Johnson, 2021 President of the Auxiliary, is excited to bring back the in-person Wine Women & Shoes event, “It’s an enjoyable and worthwhile event —one of the most popular and talked-about events in our area. We encourage our attendees to be ‘fabulous’ for a great cause and partner with the patients and families of Hospice of the Golden Isles.”

Tickets go on sale soon, so be sure to follow Wine Women & Shoes Golden Isles on Facebook and Instagram to get yours before they’re gone!

For more information, please visit our website www.winewomenandshoes.com/event/ goldenisles or email us at auxhospicegi@ gmail.com.

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