Our Hospice Summer Concert nets $168,000
Sep. 20—COLUMBUS — The 35th annual Our Hospice concert fundraising activities netted more than $168,000.
"We were disappointed that we were unable to host the concert again this year, but continue to be overwhelmed at the support we received and are very grateful for this outstanding response," said Laura Leonard, President of Our Hospice of South Central Indiana.
Organizers are grateful to Faurecia and Columbus Regional Health for sponsoring the concert and contributing much-needed funds for the care of the patients and families served by Our Hospice of South Central Indiana.
"In a very difficult year for healthcare, when our staff is exhausted, the ongoing support we receive from our community provide us not only much-needed resources, but encouragement to our staff who have been battling the pandemic for many long months," said Laura Leonard, Our Hospice of South Central Indiana President.
"Funds raised from the Summer Concert activities will go directly to the care of patients and families; those cared for by Our Hospice, which we have provided since 1980, and also those cared for by our Palliative Care team, a new program started in 2019 which is only reimbursed at a rate of 17 cents on the dollar. Our friends and supporters definitely responded positively, and we couldn't be more grateful," said Julie Davis, Events Coordinator for Our Hospice.
A record 5,082 raffle tickets were sold and as a total in funds Our Hospice netted over $168,000 exceeding the goal of $125,000.
"We are humbled by the tremendous support our communities demonstrated," said Davis. "Once again, we had to do many of our traditional fundraising activities differently and our staff worked very hard to reach individuals in our communities."
Other funding sources included:
—The American Legion Fish Fry raised a record $8,605 and fried 800 pounds of fish. The fish fry was sponsored by The American Legion Post #24 and Silgas.
—The cookies sale raised $2,044 and we sold out of 322 dozen cookies baked by our staff and volunteers.
Several people won cash prizes as a result of raffles. They included:
$10,000 — Chelsea Berkery of Bargersville
$500 — Lara Hack of Columbus
$250 — Rick Patberg of Columbus
$150 — Daniel Burklow of Rushville
$100 — Kathy Lentz of Columbus
The funds raised assist in caring for patients and families. In addition to providing additional support for patients and providing charitable care for patients who are uninsured or under-insured, the greatest needs for funds are to support three very important services:
—The Hospice Center, which serves patient and families needing a high level of care during an acute episode, for caregiver respite, and for families who need time to determine care-giving arrangements. The Hospice Center is an additional benefit to our community, and it is not self-sustaining.
—Bereavement Services, a free 13- month grief support service for anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved-one. Bereavement services are not reimbursed.
—Palliative Care, a minimally reimbursed specialty for the ongoing care of patients enduring a chronic or acute condition, while undergoing curative care. Palliative Care is reimbursed at a rate of about 17% of our cost.
Information provided — Information provided