Light Up A Life Honors Loved Ones

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Light Up A Life Honors Loved Ones
Amid the flurry of holiday events,
Connie Loffer and Carey Toops
make time to help families in
Delaware and Franklin Counties
honor and remember loved
ones through the HomeReach
Hospice-sponsored Light Up
a Life events. Light Up a Life
features holiday trees adorned
Connie Loffer
with ornaments that bear the
names of donors’ loved ones.
Some gifts are made in tribute; some are made in memory; all
are made in honor of a life.
The Delaware Light Up A Life tree
lighting was held on December 4, 2011
where family and friends gathered
to hear the community chorus and
harpist, and to share memories of
their loved ones.
Connie makes certain
the names of loved
ones are calligraphied
on ornaments to be
placed on the holiday
tree at Grady Memorial
Hospital. Connie, a
forty-year resident of
Delaware County and
a thirty-year employee
of HomeReach Hospice,
sees many of the
same names year
after year. “This event
means so much to our
community. People
come every year to
hang their ornaments
as a way to remember
people they’ve loved,”
Connie explains.
Nine handmade quilts bearing the names of lost
loved ones are displayed during the Light Up A Life
ceremony at Grady Memorial Hospital. Connie
shares that, “So many people tell me that they feel
as though they are touching their loved ones when
they touch their loved ones’ squares on the quilt.”
Carey Toops was a second generation volunteer at the Kobacker
House when Light Up a Life came her way. Just as her mother
once did, Carey works at the front desk in the lobby where she
answers phones and greets visitors. She recalls, “It was a few
years ago when someone needed help writing names on lots
of ornaments that were to be placed on the holiday tree at the
Franklin County Court House... It just looked like something I
wanted to do.”
Carey Toops
The Light Up a Life job has been
Carey’s ever since. She writes
each name submitted by a
donor on an ornament and then
delivers the ornaments weekly to
the court house where the tree
is displayed from Thanksgiving
until New Year’s Day. The tree is
sponsored by the Franklin County
Commissioners in honor of
hospice patients.
Light Up a Life events in Delaware County and Franklin County
benefit OhioHealth HomeReach Hospice, central Ohio’s only fullservice nonprofit hospice, providing skilled end-of-life care for
patients and compassionate bereavement counseling for their
loved ones.
Looking for a way to put aside more
money for retirement?
A deferred gift annuity is an ideal way for donors
planning for retirement to supplement their retirement
income and make a gift to HomeReach Hospice.
For a minimum investment of $10,000 you will receive:
• An immediate charitable income tax deduction
• Guaranteed income after retirement
• Reduced capital gains taxes, if you make your gift
with appreciated securities
who makes a gift of $10,000 earns 8.8 % at age 65)
• An excellent yield (For example, a 45-year-old donor
• Recognition on the donor wall at Kobacker House
The OhioHealth Foundation will send you a
personalized financial analysis that shows you how a
deferred gift annuity can benefit both you and Hospice.
Gift annuities that begin payment immediately are
also available. Please contact Mike O’Sullivan, Senior
Vice President, on his direct line at (614) 544.4591, or via
email at [email protected].
Donor Spotlight: Valerie Swiatek
Valerie Swiatek knows what
a difference hospice services
can make — for patients
and for their families. In
1997, Valerie’s mom, Barbara
Bonner, was diagnosed with
small cell lung cancer. “The
treatments were hard on her,”
Valerie says. “Mom spent a
lot of time dying as opposed
to living. Although hospice
Valerie Swiatek
care was available, we didn’t
know much about it. “And,
Mom really didn’t want it.” Near the end of their mother’s life,
the family decided to ask for help from hospice. “Hospice care
managed Mom’s pain, and that allowed her to let go.”
A few years later, Valerie’s father, Bill Bonner, was diagnosed
with pancreatic cancer and, with guidance from his physicians,
chose not to undergo curative treatment for the disease.
Instead, he entered the HomeReach Hospice program to
manage symptoms, relieve pain and live the remainder of his
life as comfortably and as fully as possible.
“Choosing hospice made such a difference in
Dad’s quality of life,” declares Valerie. Most of
Bill Bonner’s hospice care was provided at home
and nurses also took the time to visit him at his
office. For months, he enjoyed daily life. He wasn’t
in pain and he wasn’t dreading treatments with
unpleasant side effects. “He was living his life.”
her needs, allowing Valerie’s grandmother to live at home. “My
sister and I helped, and we hired someone to stay overnight,
but we knew that we could get answers or help from the oncall staff at hospice twenty-four hours a day,” Valerie explains,
adding that having immediate phone access to hospice
professionals was very reassuring. For this hospice experience, it
was Dr. Amy Mestemaker who eased pain and provided comfort
to the Bonner family.
“I just can’t say enough good things about this organization,”
Valerie offers. In addition to acting as an ambassador for
HomeReach Hospice, Valerie chairs the Legacy Committee and
sits on the Hospice Development Board, where she is actively
involved in the engagement committee. Through the
Bill and Barbara Bonner Foundation and through personal
giving, she and her family have been major contributors to
hospice programming and the campaign to build the new
Kobacker House.
On a recent visit to the Kobacker House, Valerie’s commitment
to hospice was reaffirmed. “A family came through the front
door with their Burmese Mountain Dog,” she says smiling,
knowing the value that the presence of a beloved pet can have
for a patient. “In another room, a family had a crock pot full of
someone’s favorite family recipe, including all the traditional
side dishes. And, a few feet away, a little boy lounged on the
couch with his palms pressed together to make a pillow for his
head while adults chatted nearby.”
“I was thrilled to see these things happening in the Kobacker
House, the same way they would happen in any other house.
For me, this house is a place where families are encouraged to
rest, eat, talk and gather in the company of friends and loved
ones,” Valerie shares, smiling in a way that conveys her deep
appreciation for the value of hospice care.
During those months, Bill prepared his daughters to run the
family business, Bonner Enterprises, and to manage assets of
the Barbara and Bill Bonner Family Foundation. Bill believed
that charity is an investment in a better world. He advised
his children to consider gifts to charity as an investment. Like
any good investment, it should produce cost-effective results.
He cautioned them to make investments wisely and to study,
consult and participate.
Valerie recalls her father’s relationship with his hospice
physician. “She was amazing,” Valerie says of Dr. Connie Beehler,
“offering valuable medical attention and invaluable reassurance
to Dad that he was in good hands.” Bill made three visits to the
Kobacker House and passed away there in 2003 after one last
consultation with Dr. Beehler, who provided care and comfort to
Bill and the entire family that were gathered at his bedside.
Later on, when Valerie’s grandmother needed end-of-life care,
the family wasted no time in contacting HomeReach Hospice.
As her illness progressed, the hospice team accommodated
Valerie, pictured with her son Frankie, husband Frank and
daughter Cassandra, is a valued member of the HomeReach
Hospice Development Board.
New Leadership for HomeReach
Jim Newbrough, who most
recently served as chief
operating officer and chief
nursing officer at Dublin
Methodist Hospital, has been
named the new president
of OhioHealth HomeReach,
a position he has held in
the past.
Jim Newbrough
Jim’s history with the
OhioHealth system —
combined with more than 17 years of healthcare and nursing
experience, strong organizational skills and knowledge of
HomeReach services — makes us excited to have him resume his
HomeReach leadership role. He originally joined OhioHealth in
2006 as vice president of Operations for HomeReach and later
served as president.
Spring 2012
HOMEREACH HOSPICE
DEVELOPMENT BOARD
Ways to Give
Charlette Gallagher-Allred, PhD, chair
What kind of legacy do I want to leave? What would I like HomeReach Hospice
Tara Abraham
Trish Cadwallader
Ann Dickinson
Ann DiMarco
to accomplish with my gift? Should I give now, over a few years, or should I make
a bequest in my will? How do I make a gift that benefits HomeReach Hospice
and me or my family at the same time? Should I send a check or give something
Cindi Englefield
else?
Lisa George
Many questions arise when you are trying to make a gift with impact. If you
Don Fellenz
Jack Gibney
Phil Glandon
Amy Mestemaker, MD
are considering contributing to HomeReach Hospice, please contact Lyndy
Ackerman at (614) 533.6046 or [email protected].
Jim Newbrough
Marian Schuda, MD
Valerie Swiatek
Sharon A. Tordoff
Published by the OhioHealth Foundation, Words and
Deeds brings good news about your gifts at work at
HomeReach Hospice. We also publish editions for each of
our OhioHealth care sites, including Riverside Methodist
Hospital, Grant Medical Center, Doctors Hospital, Dublin
Methodist Hospital and Grady Memorial Hospital.
Like extraordinary healthcare,
your gift is invaluable.
The OhioHealth Foundation helps our central Ohio family of faith-based,
not-for-profit, volunteer-governed hospitals and healthcare services fulfill
their commitment to extraordinary care.
The Important Role of Philanthropy
When the new Kobacker House opened in the summer
of 2011, OhioHealth HomeReach Hospice was poised to
extend comfort and end-of-life care to our community.
But, our work is not done!
HomeReach Hospice serves more than one hundred times the
number of patients it served in the early 1980s. The burgeoning
aging population and the growing acceptance of hospice
philosophies among physicians and patients has created a huge
demand for patient care and for grief and bereavement services for
families. The need for patient care is expected to grow as BabyBoomers age. Similarly, the need for bereavement programs will
grow to serve the needs of spouses, children, and grandchildren
they leave to cherish their memory.
Jim earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing at Saint Joseph’s
College in Maine and holds an MBA from Franklin University in
Columbus. He has been a vice president at Visiting Nurse Service
& Affiliates in Akron, Ohio and also served as administrator for
Bon Secours Home Health Services in Florida. Additionally, Jim
was president and CEO for the VNA of the Treasure Coast in Vero
Beach, Florida.
HomeReach is the largest provider of home care services in the
central Ohio area. Home care services include home health,
infusion pharmacy, home medical equipment and hospice. As
president of HomeReach, Jim will play a vital role in OhioHealth’s
overall growth strategy to provide exceptional care for patients
when and where they need services.
In response to our hearty welcome, Jim shares,
“I’m thrilled to be back with HomeReach and have
the opportunity to lead this great organization.
The care provided by our wonderful staff to the
residents of central Ohio is second-to-none. Our
new Kobacker House has set the standard for an
inpatient Hospice facility in Ohio and provides a
great environment for end-of-life care. The future
looks very bright for HomeReach, and I’m glad to
be back home.”
Grief and bereavement programs for families and for communities
who suffer loss are supported solely through philanthropic dollars.
Like hospice’s counseling services, the new Kobacker House was
funded entirely through philanthropy. Clinical care for patients is
typically paid by insurance programs, but special programs — a
soaking tub, expressive arts therapies, music to soothe the soul, and
the reassuring nudge of the Kobacker House’s canine companion
— are not. These extras offer physical and emotional comfort to
patients whose circumstances compel them to appreciate that
every moment matters.
As we go forward, OhioHealth HomeReach Hospice hopes you’ll join
us in our efforts to assure that outstanding hospice services will
be available for future generations. Your gift, combined with gifts
from others who, like you, value our commitment to quality-of-life
for patients and for their families will strengthen our clinical and
bereavement programs.
Your gift can be directed to an aspect of our programming
that is meaningful to you, or you may decide to give to one of
our priority areas. You may choose to make a gift during your
lifetime or through your estate. Every gift is important. Every gift
matters. Every gift helps OhioHealth HomeReach Hospice provide
outstanding care and reassuring comfort for those who need us
today and for those who, in the future, will choose hospice care for
their end-of-life journey. Please contact Lyndy Ackerman at (614)
533.6046 to discuss your interest in making a gift.