Category: Events

Gearing Up for Women Swimmin’ 2018

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On the morning of Saturday, August 11, 2018 Cayuga Lake will be bustling with activity for the 15th Annual Women Swimmin’ for Hospicare.  Women Swimmin’ is a community swim—not a race—that raises money to support of the work Hospicare & Palliative Care Services. More than 300 women will swim 1.2 miles across Cayuga Lake that day escorted by nearly 200 boaters and supported onshore by 100 volunteers. Dozens of other women will be swimmin’ laps in pools in Tompkins and Cortland counties, across the country and even around the world in the months leading up to August 11.

Photo by Frank Leahy

Women Swimmin’ is Hospicare’s largest fundraising and community outreach event of the year.  Many of the services we provide to our community are possible because of the generous support we receive though Women Swimmin’. Obviously, all of us at Hospicare think it’s a wonderful event, but you don’t need to take our word for it!  The following is what some past participants have said about Women Swimmin’.

From women who swam across Cayuga Lake:

  • “My favorite part of Women Swimmin’ is the sense of community, joy and love on the day of the event, meeting new people, and knowing that I’m helping a family receive the end of life support the need.”
  • “It was one of the most beautiful and powerful days of my life and I can’t wait to do it again and again. The greeting I received coming out of the water from one of the volunteers moved me to tears.”
  • “I believe in the purpose, in Hospicare. The swim is a wonderful way to raise money and give back. Swimming across the lake I swim with all I have lost. Shadow swimmers beside me crossing the lake on a beautiful morning.”

From women who swam Laps:

  • “It just feels good to do something that is good for the community as well as for your own health.”
  • “I loved being able to swim Laps because I couldn’t make it back home to Ithaca for the swim! It was fun to stay involved despite being farther away.”

From some of our boaters:

  • “Rain or shine, wind or calm, it’s a great day. A chance to be on the water, do good, honor those that are gone, celebrate with those that are here, and help promote an extremely important and worthy cause.”
  • “It is a fantastic way to support friends, families and Hospicare. In a world that is full of negatives, this is a celebration of Life.”
  • “Hospicare was my family’s blessing a few years ago. I was glad to give back to them!”

If you’d like to join us for Women Swimmin’, as a swimmer, boater or volunteer, here’s what you need to know to participate in this year’s event:

  • Lake Swimmer registration will open May 7 at 6:00 AM. In past years swimmer registration filled in 2 to 3 hours, so if you’d like to swim the lake this year, we suggest you plan on setting your alarm for 6:00 AM on registration day. This year’s event is eagerly anticipated by women in our community–and beyond. Some will even come from other states and other countries to participate!
  • Boater registration opens April 15 and will be ongoing until August 5.
  • Women Swimmin’ Laps–where swimmers swim at their own pace in a swimming pool of their choice– opened for registration March 15 and will be ongoing until August 10.
  • Volunteer –registration opens May 15. We rely on the help of over 100 volunteers to make Women Swimmin’ possible!

For regular updates on the 2018 event, “like” Women Swimmin’ on Facebook.

For more information, visit www.womenswimmin.org

Recognizing Community Support of Hospicare

Posted on by Hospicare

At its heart, Hospicare & Palliative Care Services is a community organization, supported by and providing service to our friends and neighbors throughout Cortland and Tompkins Counties. We could not fulfill our mission of supporting those dealing with serious illness or grieving a loss, without the aid and involvement of our community. The annual Hospicare Recognition Luncheon allows us to come together with our friends and neighbors to show our appreciation for their contributions.

This year’s Luncheon, sponsored by Rasa Spa, was held October 5 at The Space @ GreenStar in Ithaca.

Amy Dickinson was our keynote speaker. A native of Freeville, a nationally known author and syndicated columnist of “Ask Amy,” Dickinson delivered a wonderful speech full of insightful commentary on life and meaning at the end of life.

We also presented two honors:

Candy Cima, founder of Small Comforts Foundation

The Small Comforts Foundation, Ltd. received the Dr. R. Roy Coats Compassionate Care Award. This award is given to a caregiver or group of caregivers/agency, for consistently providing exceptional, compassionate care to Hospicare patients, allowing them to live their lives as fully as possible. Small Comforts is a local non-profit foundation “dedicated to funding and administering programs to raise the morale and or quality of life for people of all ages living with chronic illness.” Our Hospicare patients have been beneficiaries of Small Comforts compassion and generosity many times over the past 13 years. Some of the items they have funded include air conditioners for patients who didn’t have AC in their homes; a juicer so a patient could have fresh, nourishing juice; and warming gloves for a patient’s arthritic hands.

Chuck Guttman

Charles Guttman received the Hospicare Volunteer Honor in appreciation of his 30 years of service to Hospicare. The Volunteer Honor is given to an individual volunteer or board or committee member who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to Hospicare and its mission. Chuck has volunteered through the years as a member of the Hospicare board of directors and the Foundation Board, and as an an advisor to the executive director on legal issues. He has also co-chaired the Hospicare Ethics Committee.

 

Thank you to our event sponsor
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Women Swimmin’ 2017 a Success!

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On Saturday, August 12, 2017, 284 women gathered to swim across Cayuga Lake (a distance of 1.2 miles). They were escorted by 150 boaters in kayaks, canoes, stand-up paddleboards and powerboats. And they were supported on shore by 130 volunteers who helped out at Cass Park, the Ithaca Yacht Club, the swim entry on the east shore, and in the days and weeks before the swim. Joining these swimmin’ women in spirit, if not in person, were 38 women who swam laps in pools throughout our community and around the world!

The women who decide to participate in Women Swimmin’ for Hospicare do so for many reasons. Some are swimming in memory or honor of a loved one who received hospice services. Some are swimming because they understand the importance of hospice services and want to make sure Hospicare will be here to support their family someday. Others swim for the physical challenge or the camaraderie of this community swim. One reason they all swim was proudly declared on our t-shirts, buttons and posters: “I swim to celebrate life.”

Some of the Hospicare Angelfish – our staff who swam for Women Swimmin’ 2017

At its very essence, hospice is a philosophy of care that celebrates life. Hospicare’s mission is to support our patients so they can live their lives as fully as possible, for however much time is left. Our team of skilled professionals and trained volunteers work together to provide physical, emotional and spiritual comfort to our friends and neighbors who are dealing with terminal illness. All of us here today, plus thousands of donors around the world, have come together to make sure that care continues.  To make sure everyone in our community can receive the hospice and palliative care they need to live their lives fully, regardless of whether they have insurance or means to pay.

Celebrating life and living life fully means different things to each of us. Obviously, it can mean swimmin’ or boatin’ across Cayuga Lake, or back and forth in a pool!

For some of the people we support, living life fully might mean:

  • a portable oxygen tank so he can go out to dinner with friends or watch a grandchild’s ball game.
  • a wheelchair and a raised garden bed so she can get outside and plant flowers
  • a volunteer to help her sort through and organize family photos
  • a social worker–and others–trying to make sure a beloved pet finds the right next home
  • a grief support group with others who are also grieving the death of someone they love

Most of all, it means there is an entire Hospicare team to make the burden of caregiving and dying just a bit easier.

All of us at Hospicare are immensely grateful for these swimmers and boaters who have given of their time and put forth great energy to fundraise for Hospicare. We also appreciate the volunteers and boaters, the friends and families who have supported our swimmers, and also to the corporate sponsors and underwriters who covered the expenses associated with the event. We truly could not support our community in all the ways we do without your amazing support.

Thank you!

No One Swims Alone

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No one swims alone. I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve said or typed that phrase in the seven years I’ve worked at Hospicare and been involved with Women Swimmin’ for Hospicare. It’s an important part of our Women Swimmin’ event—that no swimmer should be alone as she crosses Cayuga Lake. She should always be with an escort boat and ideally with other swimmers. Many swimmers and boaters say their favorite part of Women Swimmin’ is the community of the event and seeing so many other swimmers and boaters around them in the lake. It can be intimidating to be in the middle of a big, deep lake, but our swimmers are not alone out there.

The women who are swimming laps as part of Women Swimmin’ Laps for Hospicare are also not swimmin’ alone. They’re in pools with a certified lifeguard watching to make sure they’re safe. Some laps swimmers are part of a Women Swimmin’ team, who are fundraising together. Even if each swimmer is swimming her laps solo, she joins in the sisterhood of Women Swimmin’ for Hospicare. She is swimmin’–just as 1400 other women have swum over the years—to raise funds that support quality, end-of-life care for our community. While she swims her laps, she carries with her the memory of friends and family who have been served by Hospicare.

I’ve come to learn, and our Women Swimmin’ participants know or have learned, that “no one swims alone” is not just a Women Swimmin’ protocol but also a mantra for hospice care. Our staff and volunteers work together, as a team, to care for and support our patients and their families. Hospice is unique in that the focus of care is not only the patient’s physical needs, but also their spiritual and emotional needs, and those of their loved ones.

Our interdisciplinary team of staff and volunteers work together to anticipate and meet the various needs of our patients and their families. Some of those needs are medical (medications, medical equipment, personal care); other needs are logistical, emotional or spiritual. Whatever the need, there is someone on the Hospicare team who will make sure that need is met.

The journey of illness, death and grief is a difficult one. Your support of Women Swimmin’ for Hospicare means that our patients and their loved ones won’t have to make the journey alone. Hospicare will be there, with skilled staff and trained volunteers to provide the support, guidance and care that’s needed.

Because no one swims alone.

Melissa Travis Dunham was previously our manager of community relations at Hospicare. She was the event coordinator and helped organize Women Swimmin’ for four years.

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A Movement Prayer

Posted on by Hospicare

By Mimi Quillin

When I was at Boston Conservatory of Music majoring in dance, a group of us visited a hospice and performed for the people living there.  More than three decades of performing later and it is still one of my most memorable experiences.

The performance – a Christmas show – started.  Lacking a proper stage we danced in a big room with our audience in wheel chairs surrounding us.  Every way I turned there was a new face watching me.  Knowing that our audience was terminally ill made me cautious about how to approach them. They looked so delicate, propped up in their wheelchairs, with their heads covered in scarves to keep the cold from their heads.   I wondered if I needed to alter my presentation in some way to make them more comfortable. I was terrified, but I kept dancing and smiling and pretending that my audience was perfectly healthy.  As my nerves calmed down I began to see the looks of sheer joy on their faces.  I don’t know how to describe it without sounding trite.  Maybe it’s just one of those things that you have to experience to understand.  I was only 20 years old and I couldn’t imagine what it might be like to be dying.  I definitely didn’t think it included smiling or expressions of joy.  It was my first experience of understanding of the power of dance to communicate.  I had spent an awful lot of time working at becoming a dancer and a lot of that time is solitary.  It’s self-driven because let’s face it – no one else cares if you can point your feet or jump high or how many pirouettes you can do except you! And all that work was now giving something to someone else.  And much to my surprise, it was giving something to me, too!   I took a giant step forward feeling the responsibility and power flowing through me.   It was different from my parents or my teachers applauding me. I now had power to make contact and to bring joy.

Years later when I wasn’t getting much work because of hitting middle age – and that is bad news for a dancer (especially a female dancer) – I decided to seek out that experience again. I took a job as an artist in residence at Calvary Hospice in New York City.  I went there wanting to relive that strong connection to an audience that gave me so much power.  I honestly didn’t take the job for altruistic reasons, as much as I would like to pretend I did. I was looking for something. I knew that I was needed there. It was that simple.

Dancing is not at the top of the activities list in a hospice, but I discovered that every single person I came into contact with had a relationship to dancing.  I led a large group in dancing, I danced with patients in their rooms, I talked about dance with a dying dancer, I talked to a man who met his wife dancing to Artie Shaw before Artie Shaw became famous!  I remember one patient especially— Mr. Lettman.  He wasn’t actually ready to be in the hospice yet but he had no where else to go and he was seriously ill with prostate cancer.  He had been a New York cab driver since immigrating there from the Bahamas.  Knowing he could no longer walk, I began our time together by suggesting that he could move as much as he wanted to right there in his bed.  It made sense to him and he really missed moving.  I put on a CD of the song “Wade in the Water” and prepared to lead him in some movement.  Well….Mr. Lettman showed me!  He closed his eyes and he started by putting his palms together in a prayer.  As he expanded his movements I realized I was witnessing a movement prayer.  One of the nurses entered during his dance and she stopped and watched with me.  She looked surprised but the joy in his body was contagious and she began to smile and nod to me.  We both knew it was a very precious and special moment to behold.  The music ended and Mr. Lettman opened his eyes and smiled at me and said, “Thank you.”  I thanked him back.  I believe that was some of the most authentic dance I have ever had the privilege to see.  I was included in his prayer.

My play, Dégagé (disengage), was born of my journal record of experiences like the one I had with Mr. Lettman.  I grew to care very deeply about many of the people at Calvary. And I learned to care the moment I met them because very often they were not there when I returned. They were on a bridge and had already started their journey.

The residents of Calvary allowed me in to the most private of moments in life – their death.  And when I sat with them or moved with them people often told me all about themselves.  I suspect if we had met under other circumstances that they might not have been so open,  but when it’s your time, you want to be remembered.

It was an honor to be here with them.  Dégagé (disengage) seeks to honor every single one of them.

 

Mimi Quillin is a performer, choreographer and writer. Her original play, Dégagé (disengage) will have its world premiere at the Hangar Theatre July 20-29, 2017. Visit the Hangar’s website to learn more and to purchase tickets.

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Illuminations: a Time of Remembrance and Community

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Each year, on an evening in early June, the gardens of the Nina K. Miller Hospicare Center on Ithaca’s South Hill glow with light. Visitors stroll our garden paths, which are lined with 300 luminarias, many dedicated to someone who has died. At the end of the evening a lighted canoe glides across our pond while trumpeters play “Taps,” and all who are in attendance pause to remember someone they love. This is Hospicare’s spring community memorial event: Illuminations.

This year’s Illuminations event will be held on Thursday, June 8. A reception and luminaria lighting begin at 7:30 p.m. A special program of remembrance starts at 8:00 p.m. Illuminations is held rain or shine. In case of inclement weather, the program moves indoors to the Hospicare Great Room. The event is open to the public. There is no cost to attend, although luminarias can be personalized for a suggested donation of $25. (Donations are greatly appreciated, but not required.)

If you are grieving the loss of someone you love, whether the death was recent or many years ago, and regardless of whether your loved one died on hospice services, we invite you to join us. Come experience the peace and beauty of the Hospicare gardens. Light a luminaria in memory or in honor of a loved one. Most importantly, share in the sense of community with others who are also grieving a loss.

If you would like to join us or make a contribution to have a luminaria lit in memory of someone you love, please RSVP online.

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Dryden Barber Shop Fundraiser: “Everyone Loves Hospicare”

Posted on by Hospicare

The Dryden Barber Shop has been in business 30 years, and Sylvia Short, the shop’s owner, wanted to throw an anniversary party. In keeping with the shop’s tenth, twentieth and twenty-fifth anniversaries, this party would be a fundraiser for a charity, but which one? “I thought, everyone loves Hospicare,” she says. “There’s not one person who says anything negative about hospice. Wow, how could anyone say no? It’s a win-win!”

Since making that decision, Sylvia has been planning the party with all benefits to go to Hospicare. She’s happy to do it, she says, because she is grateful for the care Hospicare gave her 85-year-old mother at the end of her life. Her mother was suffering from interstitial lung disease and reached a point where she decided to call Hospicare. “Mom called Hospicare herself and said, ‘What are my choices? I don’t know what to do,’” Sylvia remembers. “She told us she’d called hospice to find out the next step.”

Hospicare nurse Amanda McLaughlin, RN, immediately visited Sylvia’s parents in their home to explain hospice and to assess Sylvia’s mother for hospice service. Then Amanda became her nurse, visiting once a week to check on her and to keep her comfortable. Amanda and the rest of the Hospicare team made a real difference in the lives of all family members, Sylvia says. “That’s what Hospicare is known for. They help you. Hospicare made a huge impact because they were so good with my father. They were so good with all of us. It’s the way they present themselves. They’re not just there for the patient, they’re there for the whole enchilada. We certainly appreciated it.”

The Dryden Barber Shop event will be held at the Dryden Hotel and include a live auction starting around 3:30, face painting from 3:00 to 4:00, cake and a hot dog sale. There is a possibility of a raffle or silent auction, as well.

To see the items that will be auctioned, visit the Dryden Barber Shop’s Facebook page.

What: Dryden Barber Shop’s 30th Anniversary Celebration and Fundraiser

When: Sunday, May 7, 2:00−5:00 PM.

Where: The Dryden Hotel, 42 West Main Street, Dryden

 

Register for Women Swimmin’ for Hospicare 2017

Posted on by Hospicare

At dawn on Saturday, August 12, 2017 more than 300 women will swim 1.2 miles across Cayuga Lake for Women Swimmin’ for Hospicare. Women Swimmin’ is a community swim—not a race—that raises money in support of Hospicare & Palliative Care Services.  Nearly 200 boaters will escort these swimmin’ women along the way and about 150 volunteer support them on shore.

Registration for this community swim opens Monday, May 1 at 6:00 a.m.

Here’s what you need to know to participate in this year’s Women Swimmin’ event:

  • Lake Swimmer registration will open May 1 at 6:00 AM. Last year’s swimmer registration filled in less than 2 hours, so if you’d like to swim the lake this year, we suggest you plan on setting your alarm for 6:00 AM on registration day. This year’s event is eagerly anticipated by women in our community–and beyond. Some will even come from other states and other countries to participate!
  • Boater registration opened April 15 and will be ongoing until August 5.
  • Women Swimmin’ Laps–where swimmers swim at their own pace in a swimming pool of their choice– opened for registration March 1 and will be ongoing until August 11.
  • Volunteer –registration opens May 15. We rely on the help of over 100 volunteers to make Women Swimmin’ possible!

For regular updates on the 2017 event, “like” Women Swimmin’ on Facebook.

For more information, visit www.womenswimmin.org

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Join Us for Spring Volunteer Training

Posted on by Hospicare

Would you like to volunteer with Hospicare? We depend on over 100 volunteer community members to help our agency carry out our work. Our trained volunteers visit patients in their homes or assisted care facilities, offering practical help and companionship. They also assist the agency in other ways, depending on their interests and backgrounds.

What do volunteers get out of volunteering for our agency? Volunteer Kat Patton says her work with Hospicare gives her a chance to learn and grow as she gets to know the patients she helps. “As a volunteer you meet remarkable people who happen to be at the end of their lives,” she says. “There’s a lot of joy and wonderful connections to be made. I meet people who have done amazing things. I didn’t know them back then, but I can still hear about it now and see the twinkle in their eyes when they talk about their experiences.”

Spring volunteer training will be held for three consecutive weeks: March 14, 16, 22, 23, 29 & 30, 5:30 PM-9:00 PM. The trainings will take place at the Nina K. Miller Hospicare Center, 172 East King Road, Ithaca. Attendance at all sessions is required.

Before registering for training, prospective volunteers must submit an application form, available on line and meet with Wendy Yettru, manager of volunteer services for an informal interview.

For further information, check out the volunteers section on our website or email Wendy or call 607-272-0212.

Lucky 13th on August 13

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Women Swimmin’ 2016

The 13th Annual Women Swimmin’ for Hospicare took place on Saturday, August 13, 2016—and luck was smiling down on us! The morning was warm and muggy, but rains held off until late in the day and the lake was calm for our swimmers. After gathering at Cass Park Rink at dawn, 320 swimmers took buses to the east shore so they could wade into Cayuga Lake and swim across to the Ithaca Yacht Club. The women were escorted by 170 boaters and cheered on by two volunteers floating near the east shore in a giant inflatable ducky and a flamingo. As the swimmers emerged from the lake, their friends, family members and hundreds of people from the community were there to greet them and celebrate their success.

Again this year, additional swimmers participated in Women Swimmin’ Laps for Hospicare, swimming a distance they chose, in the pool of their choice with a certified lifeguard. Nineteen swimmers took part in Women Swimmin’ Laps and their combined goals totaled more than 200 miles. Several of our Laps swimmers were on-hand at Cass Park or the Ithaca Yacht Club to cheer on their lake swimmin’ sisters.

We wish to thank everyone who gave their time, talents and money to support this event, including about 140 volunteers who provided support on shore and in the days leading up to the swim. We also extend a special thanks to our corporate sponsors. They covered all event expenses, so that the money raised by swimmers and boaters will go toward patient and family services. Their generosity, and the generosity of all our event donors and supporters, allows us to keep our promise to provide end-of-life care and bereavement support to anyone in our community who needs our help.

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