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In Loving Memory Of

Update - Spring 2018

Spring brings promise and renewal.  A heart felt thank you to all of you who have donated to the Sea To Sky Hospice Project to date and a note to say that the project is still on target to start this year and, it's not too late to add your assistance to the cause.  Any contribution great or small helps to make this facility come to life.  Again, follow the prompts below to make your donation, thank you.

Update - Thanksgiving, 2017

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Just a great time of year for us skiers; if you're around the Village this weekend, you can't help but catch the vibe of anticipation with all the turkey sales going on.

 

Of course, it is the time of year to reflect on our many fortunes, big and small and to be grateful for all the things that enrich our lives.  We need to remind ourselves how lucky we are to have found our way to this amazing part of the world and always be on the lookout for ways to give back and enrich it.

 

 

 

The following letter is the second update on the progress of the Senior Ski Team's [SST's] official goodwill challenge; to do our part in the ongoing Capital Fund Campaign to help raise some of the money to build our Sea to Sky Community Hospice.  The Capital Campaign has a target of $2 million with a total of $1.35 million in committed donations to date.

I am pleased to say that we are reaching the 25% mark on our SST goal to raise at least $70,000.00 and from the bottom of my heart, I thank those of you that are the initial respondents  and have already given "In Loving Memory" to this great community project.

Now is the time to focus ahead on the next steps.  Together, we’re going to get this done; because it is the right thing to do. 

 

 

 

With the recent passing of one of my all-time Rock Music heroes, Tom Petty, I’m reminded that “we, are the living legacy to the leader of the band.”  He will live on because we will continue to listen to the music that defined moments in our life every time we hear his songs. Inevitably, we move forward and create our own ‘music,’ our own legacies; it is my hope that it takes the form of dedicated donations to this hospice project.

As time goes on, so does life and in the news lately has been the senseless destruction of human life south of the border down Vegas way where a heartless individual reigned down terror on a crowd of people otherwise enjoying a country music concert on a warm autumn evening.

As we struggle to come to grips with this ourselves, clearly our  focus needs to be on the victims and their families and console with them in their loss.  More importantly, we need to focus on the 500+ people who survived but were wounded and face weeks, months and years of physical and mental recovery from their trauma.  But, heal they will, life will go on though forever changed.

We can’t and shouldn’t begin to think about why someone would do such an act or why someone is even capable of physically obtaining these objects of mass destruction but rather, stand with and relate to those people that threw themselves on top of loved ones as a human shield and with those whose reaction it was to place themselves on top of total strangers, selflessly sacrificing  themselves; these are real heroes.  As you know man’s best friend, a dog, has that sixth sense to danger, just like a dog, these individuals came with unconditional love and took action accordingly.

In our own mental digestion of these harrowing occurrences, we need to find a way to heal too.  We need to identify with the mindset of the hundreds of people who lined up and waited patiently for their turn in the hot sun to help the Vegas victims by donating blood.

In good time, we need to find a way to give our own blood, sweat and tears in some way to heal ourselves, to ultimately become part of the communal healing, become a human shield for our own communities, to help end isolation of people, and the incredible anger that percolates in any individual who is [or chooses to be] marginalized.  We must never give-in to this kind of fear or to the shameless leaders who perpetuate it.

I’m just your humble scribe but the way I see it is, that there is only two choices on the road; love or fear, don’t be afraid to start walking down either of them, you won’t fall off a cliff.  Both paths are a journey and a process.  You can always change course once you’ve taken enough steps to make the right decision.  Own your accountability, own your own life.

But you need to take action.  There will always be a need to line up and give blood, don’t wait for a disaster.  There are a thousand ways you can pay attention to the good things that are happening and get up close and personal with people that are joined in practicing moments of gratitude and selflessness to others.

Identify with the mindset of those people who used their bodies as human shields, use yours to be a human shield for others in your community.  Say yes a way more than no, overcome fear by simply counting down 5,4,3,2,1 - and Go and get at it!  Doesn’t need to be perfect, you just need to want to do it.

 

 

 

Thank you for reading this. 

 

 

 

And now, if you want to be part of a human shield for those who are losing a loved one and help to build a home away from home [a hospice] where compassion and dignity rules the day on the Sea to Sky Corridor, consider aligning yourself with me and the team members who have already found a way to join the effort and be part of the solution to make the Sea to Sky Community Hospice a reality by April, 2019.

If you’re ready, here is the link to the Sea to Sky Community Hospice Web Site where you can discover all of the various ways to give. 

 

 

Or, perhaps you know of someone who knows someone and would like to talk to me personally about it.  Please give them my contact info, it would be my pleasure.  Again, Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving.

The Original Message

The idea of a Sea To Sky Community Hospice came about simply enough, after the realization that there wasn't a facility capable of meeting the demands of the communities of Pemberton, Whistler & Squamish.  In fact, there are currently no designated hospice beds in the Sea To Sky Corridor!  When a person occupies an acute care hospital bed, it can cost between $1,000 and $1,200 per day while an equivalent hospice bed costs about $450 per day.  

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This is a compelling statistic and one that has spurred the hospital societies of BC to look for a way to be more cost effective and at the same time, enhance the care and support for not only those who are dying but also, for their loved ones.  More than $1 million dollars has already been committed towards the Sea To Sky project to date.

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This money is earmarked to build 4 palliative care rooms by 2019 in a calm area located between the  Squamish General Hospital and Hilltop House, long term care facility.

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The idea is to provide a big home, not a small institution.  A place between a hospital and a home that meets the medical needs of people facing the end of life yet be able to be a place that can be a home to share emotions and account for spiritual needs at this difficult time with loved ones and family.  Another statistic I will share with you is that palliative care is commonly thought to be required for the elderly; in fact nearly 1 in 3 people on the corridor needing the service are under the age of 40!

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As a member of this community for more than 30 years, it is my pleasure to take a leadership role in the quest to raise some of the money required to make this hospice a reality.  At the time of writing, there is still a need for about $700.000.00 to be raised.  I have set a goal to raise 10% of that amount or $70,000.00 together with other caring people like yourself.  And, with your help, it will be done and, done over the next hours and days.  The sooner we do our part, the sooner the project will become a reality.

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I say hours and days only because in life, there are no guarantees and no one knows when it will be their turn to leave us.  All we know is that dying is a certainty that none of us can escape.  Being able to help financially if we can, is a privilege.  As our donation is a selfless act that will really make a difference for other people, we benefit in many ways especially when we take it as an an opportunity to give in memory of our own departed loved ones.

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To this end, I invite you to add the name[s] of your loved ones  to the "In Loving Memory Board" right here below with Manon's and mine.

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Thank you.

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How To Donate

1. Simply click this link and follow the prompts to become a Supporter at any level you desire.  

 

2. Then, send me an email stating your name[s] and the names of those you are making the donation in memory of so that I can add it to our "In Memory Of" Board.

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3. In your email, indicate the amount of your donation so that I can keep a running tab of our progress.  The individual donation amounts will remain completely confidential.  I will simply report to you on our progress as a group, as it occurs.

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4. As you will be donating to a registered charity, your donation is tax deductible so you will receive a receipt for tax filing purposes.

           The SST

"In Loving Memory Of "

      Donations List

Wendell Moore & Manon St Pierre  

-  In Loving memory of Evelyn and Jim Moore and Philippe St Pierre

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Chris Patrick & Josie Chuback

- in memory of Heather & Peter Howard

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Rod Rhoda

- on behalf of Ray & Mona Rhoda

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Ian & Colleen MacDonald

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Suzi Doggett & John Doyle

- In loving memory of Lois & Doug Doggett,  Helen & John Doyle and Mare Jessop

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Colin Harold

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Sharon Denny and Team in Loving Memory of Helga Kargyl

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Letters & Comments

Hi Josie
 

re: How wonderful that you are taking on a leadership role here!

Is this initiative the same as the one mentioned at Andree's celebration? 

Many thanks for your commitment !

 

Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. This isn't the initiative that was mentioned at Andree's celebration.  The Sea to Sky Hospice has been in progress for over 3 years now, and, at this point is a collaborative that is only coming to the attention of the public in the past few weeks by way of news releases that the major funding is now in place.
 

"The facility will be part of a continuum of care, offering a living / dining / kitchen area for families, a quiet room / sacred space, and access to garden areas.

The project is a partnership between the Squamish Hospice Society and Vancouver Coastal Health, and recognizes it is on the traditional homelands of the Squamish and Southern Stl’atl’imx First Nations."


The reason for this and coincidental to the passing of Andree was the tremendous amount of back office work that had to be completed in order to get the hospital societies on the Sea to Sky corridor to come together and acquire the initial Provincial Government financial help that has made it possible to get the ball rolling.
 

And now, a new door has opened which is our opportunity to step up to the plate and help make this house a home with love and commitment.
 

The takeaway here is our donations in money and commitment in kind will be the lasting connection to this special place and do our little part to make it a big home and not an institution where family and friends can be with their loved one at life's end. 

 

As Mike [Janyk] put it about his experience and sharing memories of his mother, although cancer takes away, it has given me an opportunity to see a deeper side of life, to see how powerful love can be. Cancer has really opened me up to see how much beauty there is in the world; that when we are at our best, the outcome is secondary and the moments we spend together are primary.

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