CEO Message: January 2021

Dear Friends,

New beginnings offer hope. I don’t know anyone who wasn’t ready to be done with 2020. However, the pandemic and the immense stressors on families, along with serious societal unrest continues to bring about loss, sorrow, and tragedy in our country. More than ever, we need to work together to create hope and healing.

I think to find hope in times of very serious trouble, it takes contemplation, being present, and intentionality. While these concepts reach into all the pockets of our lives, my task is to ensure they are part of the work of Hospice Giving Foundation. Intentionality at Hospice Giving Foundation means taking the time to understand that which is missing or inequitable in local end-of-life care: to listen to the needs, prioritize solutions, and focus on ways to deepen our impact.

A good discipline is to stop and listen. Based on discussions within our Strategic Work Group, we are asking our end-of-life stakeholders (providers and clinicians on the frontline of end-of-life care) to answer a few questions about what is top of mind and most needed in our community. With that information we will invite them to listening sessions to further develop our understanding, funding priorities, and areas of focus.

Who is listening to you? When it comes to what you want for end of life, have you had conversations with your loved ones, your doctor, a close friend? There is an art to finding comfortable ways for those important conversations. To help find your best way to have that conversation, consider joining our workshop led by Shary Farr, a dear friend to Hospice Giving Foundation and advocate for compassionate end-of-life care, and Fred Jealous, who made it his life work to help men find better ways of communicating and connecting. Scheduling yourself for this workshop could be a good step towards the hope we’re all needing in our lives. It seems counter that talking about death would bring you hope, but when people are prepared, understand options, and share their most personal wishes with important people in their lives, it brings peace of mind, relief, and yes, hope.

Throughout this new year and in all that comes before us, let’s find the time to listen, to be present, to find ways of honoring each person and what makes them unique. As they say, our differences are what makes us stronger. Let’s find ways to be in community; to invite exploration, discovery, and acceptance; and to show up with respect–all values integral to HOPEGives, our movement to shift attitudes about death. Can we count on you to be part of this? I hope so.

For over 23 years, Hospice Giving Foundation has been committed to supporting care through end of life that honors all our different desires and needs, and respects the many unique cultural, family and faith traditions that make our community so special.

To have our community in partnership with us in this work – that brings me hope.

With sincere best wishes,

Siobhan M. Greene
President/CEO