Lights for Life Remembrance Service and Open House...

Mark your calendars for

Thursday, December 6th

for the

Annual Lights for Life

Open House and Remembrance Service.

To make a memorial donation online and / or learn more about this and other events please scroll down this page. You are also welcome to contact Susan Roy, Executive Director at sroy@hvwa.org or call (207) 873-3615 x 13.

We hope to see you on December 6th.

Your support is so appreciated!

Volunteers help in many ways at HVWA!

Most people think that becoming a Hospice Volunteer means they will be working with people who are dying or grieving. That, of course, may be true but it is not always the case. There are many other ways Volunteers help this organization... so if you want to make a difference but do not feel you are able to work with clients, this BLOG will give you an idea of SOME of the ways our Volunteers pitch in and help! Many hands and many hearts all make for a special kind of caring...

The column at your left includes pictures of the special events and programs described below. You can also give a donation, make reservations for special events or register for Camp Ray of Hope. We welcome your questions: Call (207) 873-3615 or email hospiceinfo@hvwa.org If you are purchasing tickets or making reservations, for a weekend event, after 2pm Friday you MUST print a reciept and bring it with you to be admitted. Thank You!

Hospice Memorial Healing Garden

Those who have driven by our Hospice Community Center at 304 Upper Main Street cannot help but see the Garden has come together beautifully! This project was one of our long-term goals for over 10 years and it finally came to be thanks to the commitment and hard work of a few volunteers and members of the community. We are grateful to the donors whose generosity was vital to this project as well!

Pictures taken as the project progressed can be viewed in the slide show in the left column - just click on the picture that is currently showing and enjoy!

WE STILL WELCOME DONATIONS IN MEMORY OR HONOR OF SPECIAL SOMEONES TO HELP WITH PURCHASING PLANT MATERIALS AND MAINTAINANCE OF THE GARDEN. DONATIONS CAN BE MADE USING PAY PAL (USE THE "DONATION SECTION" OF YOUR CHOICE - PERHAPS A BUILDING AND GROUNDS PROJECT OR YOU MAY WISH TO SUPPORT HVWA'S ANNUAL APPEAL OR ONE OUR SPECIAL PROGRAMS AND SERVICES) FMI CALL (207) 873-3615 TO REQUEST A BROCHURE OR STOP BY THE HOSPICE COMMUNITY CENTER AT 304 MAIN STREET WATERVILLE.

Hospice Community Center of Central Maine

HVWA held a 5-year strategic planning session in March 2009. Long term sustainablity for programs and services was the focus. The Strategic Plan includes goals for financial security, staffing, volunteer recruitment and retention and building and grounds needs. The Hospice Community Center will undergo updates and improved functionality in three phases. Phases 1 and 2 are completed and an open house and celebration of those projects was held September 29, 2010. Total completion of the building projects has / will allow HVWA to grow the lending library, expand meeting space, increase Hope's Place programming, community outreach and educational sessions, and adult grief support groups.

The Hope's Place building then and now!

Hope's Place provides a safe and supportive environment to grieving children, teens and familes through peer support groups, which nurture and encourage safe expression of grief and loss. Hope's Place honors each child's individuality and their process towards discovery of resiliency and emotional well-being. To learn more about this program visit the web site http://www.hvwa.org/hopes-place.shtml. To see the picture album of the Hope's Place building and its evolution since it was acquired in 2007 see the slide show below, left.

Summer Solstice in the Garden Party

Saturday, June 16, 2012 (raindate June 17th)
The third Saturday in June we hold this annual event at Fieldstone Gardens in Vassalboro. Guests of all ages enjoy gardening workshops, live music, the pristine gardens at Fieldstone Gardens. Children enjoy building a Fairy House Village and other activites. A gourmet buffet luncheon adds just the right touch to the day! Volunteers are needed to lead workshops, as vendors, to provide music and to help plan the event. Proceeds from this event support end-of-life and grief support services at HVWA.

KEEP SCROLLING DOWN TO SEE THE SLIDESHOW (IN THE LEFT COLUMN) OF PREVIOUS GARDEN PARTIES. DOUBLE CLICK ON THE PICTURE THAT IS SHOWING AND YOU WILL BE TAKEN TO PICASSA WHERE YOU CAN VIEW PICTURES AND DOWNLOAD PICTURES AND / OR ORDER PRINTS FROM PICASSA.

SPONSORSHIPS ARE STILL AVAILABLE!
Special Thanks to sponsor Fieldstone Gardens. Additional 2012 sponsor announcements will be made soon. If you, as a business or individual, have interest in providing a sponsorship for this event please contact Susan Roy, Executive Director at sroy@hvwa.org or (207) 873-3615x13. As always, HVWA needs and appreciates your support!

Swing for Hope and Hospice Golf Tournament in Memory of Susan Armentrout McConnell

Monday, August 6, 2012
The first Monday of August we gather at Natanis Golf Course in Vassalboro for our annual Golf Tournament. Proceeds from this event benefit Hope's Place for grieving children and teens. We welcome you to volunteer, provide a sponsorship - or better yet, gather a team and join us for the day. Whatever the case, we welcome your support!

If you would like to register NOW - scroll down until you see the golf tournament slideshow in the left column on this screen. Directly below the slideshow you can register and / or give a sponsorship using Pay Pal. When you process your order please remember to click on "Add special instructions to the seller" and enter the names of your team members or any other information you would like us to have. FMI or to register you can also call tournament chair Paul Drouin at 873-1493.
Thank You!!

Camp Ray of Hope

September 15 - 17, 2012
Camp Ray of Hope is an annual statewide weekend retreat for grieving families that was founded in 1995 as a place for children and their families to come together and learn new ways to cope with their loss, to meet others with similar circumstances to remember special times, to make new friends, and to have fun. Children write stories about their loved ones, draw pictures, participate in arts & crafts, and go on nature hikes. They also learn healthy outlets for anger and self care techniques. Adults of all ages spend time with other adults in a group setting as well as joining the children in some activities. Workshops offered on Saturday afternoon include fishing and canoeing, crafts to express your creativity or preserve memories, and self-care options. Childcare is available on site for infants and toddlers. More than sixty volunteers from all over the state help make this weekend possible by helping with activites, presenting workshops, facilitating peer grief groups for all ages, provide complementary care sessions and a myriad of behind the scenes tasks. If you are interested in volunteering or want more information about this program visit our web site http://www.hvwa.org/. Donations for this program are gratefully accepted.

Annual Interfaith Memorial Service

22nd annual Memorial Service on Hospice Sunday, November 4, 2012 at 4:00pm. Place to be announced. Those who attend will be given an opportunity to come forward during the service to light candles in memory of loved ones. People are also free to share a meaningful poem or reading at that time. There will be someone available to light candles for those who are uncomfortable coming forward or who are unable to attend. If you want to attend but do not have transportation, or wish to have a name read in your absence, please call the Hospice Volunteers of Waterville Area Community Center at 873-3615 or email hospiceinfo@hvwa.org. A light supper will be served in the church fellowship hall directly after the service.

November is National Hospice Month and the first Sunday in November is chosen as Hospice Sunday because it is also All Soul’s Sunday. This is a time when many congregations remember those who have died in the previous year. Some congregations remember those who have died over the years. History indicates that this has been a celebration since the Middle Ages. It consists of two days. All Saint’s Day on November 1st, the eve of which is known as All Hallow’s Eve, translated into modern day Halloween. On both days the prayers of the church are offered for those who have died. In Buddism, a similar observance is held as an expression of filial piety for deceased family members. The Jewish memorial service for the departed is Yizkor. It is held in the Synagogue on Yom Kipper (the Day of Atonement) earlier in the fall.

Lights for Life Open House and Tree Lighting

Thursday, December 6, 2012

The first Thursday in December you are welcome to join us at the Hospice Community Center, 304 Main Street, Waterville for an open house 4:30-7pm. Guests enjoy scrumptious refreshments; Mellori Worthern of Uniquely Music soothes us with her beautiful harp; The Tourmaline Singers will share their voices in powerful song; and guests enjoy a time of support and camaradarie. Special activites for children (at Hope's Place) are also part of the evening. The Hospice Memorial Healing Garden is the focal point for a special lighting ceremony, in remembrance of people we have loved and lost. We also welcome donations in honor or family members or friends (in lieu of holiday gift giving). Your gifts are vital towards helping HVWA provide end-of-life and grief support services. Enjoy the picture slideshow of past Lights for Life open houses (in left column). FMI feel free to call 873-3615 or stop by the Hospice Community Center. For your convenience online donations can me made via the link (in left column). Donations are gratefully accepted throughout the month of December. We thank you for your support!