CEO Message: January 2022 Going for Good! Happy New Year to all our friends and supporters. As we begin 2022, there are endless wishes for a happy new year, for better times, and positive change. While I appreciate all the well-wishes, sometimes I think our phrase should be ‘Have a Good Year’; as good seems more definable than happy. So, what does ‘good’ look like? What makes a day, a month, or
CEO Message: November 2021 Dear Friends, At a recent meeting with local skilled nursing facility directors* we had a presentation about the Ombudsman program and the important role they play in advocating for older adults. It is a very interesting program and I encourage you to look up the California state program or our local program through Alliance on Aging. At one point, the presenter asked: “When will you be ready
CEO Message: July 2021 I am becoming a person that I didn’t think I was. I’ve seen them for years. Now… I’m one of them. And with this confession, comes an apology for all the times I’ve rolled my eyes… I hope you didn’t see me, I’m sorry. This person isn’t overly indulgent as I once thought. I don’t think they are all the same either. I’ve always prided our family
CEO Message: March 2021 Dear Friends, Partial to torch songs with a feisty edge, I've always loved Dolly Parton's song that starts with... “Here you come again / Just when I've begun to get myself together / You waltz right in the door / Just like you've done before...” Admittedly not all the lyrics apply, but when we think about our process of re-entry, it sure feels like the first few
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,
CEO Message: October 2020 Dear Friends, Fall is a time of anticipation for traditions and celebrations that we’ve known all our lives. Just thinking about it, we can almost experience the scents and sensations that come along with this season. Starting with the Jewish high holidays, onto playful Halloween and spirited Día de los Muertos, through Christmas, Hanukkah, and all the varied religious and cultural celebrations in December, the season culminates with
CEO Message: July 2020 Dear Friends, A message to you a few months ago was from my living room via video. We all thought that with a short, but disciplined stay-at-home approach, life would have been starting to resemble a version of normalcy by now. Sadly, that is not the case. All of us at HG Foundation are still working remotely and know we are very fortunate to have important work
CEO Message: March 2020 Dear Friends, I began composing this letter towards the end of February, thinking about HOPEGives. But today March 17th, as I return to writing, the world is in a healthcare crisis and we each need to examine how to instill confidence and hope. Our healthcare system will be taxed, and our patience will be tested. At Hospice Giving Foundation, our primary focus is to ensure excellent care for
Hope is such a simple, sweet word. We hear it so often. It conjures up warm feelings, melancholy, certainly some level of anticipation. And yet, as words go, it is tough to define, probably because it means something unique to almost everyone. Expressions prompt us to make it easier: “Just have a little hope.” “Don’t give up hope.” “Hope springs eternal.” But those expressions don’t generally get the job done. We each must define what hope means to us and how we go about capturing this elusive hummingbird in our lives.
Bench for Bob, Love Letters, and Legacies Bob was a retired psychoanalyst, a VNP as he used to say (very nice person!), and in his spare time an extraordinary woodworker. He was a deep listener, sometimes a consoler, and for many, his wisdom was a life line. Julia lived until 102. Her final act of love was written in her will to express her gratitude through carefully selected gifts to family,
