Emmanuel Hospice’s Virtual Annual Celebration to Benefit Quality End-of-Life Care, Provide Support for Families

Grand Rapids, Michigan – Emmanuel Hospice invites the West Michigan community to join its virtual annual celebration from Sept. 22–Oct. 1.

Presented by CareLinc Medical Equipment, the online signature event will offer supporters, wherever they are, an opportunity to engage with the organization’s mission as frequently as they wish at emmanuelhospice.org/annualcelebration.

The event page will feature inspirational stories from those the nonprofit has served, a silent auction and opportunities to invest in the future of Emmanuel Hospice.

This is the second year Emmanuel has hosted its signature event virtually due to COVID-19. The nonprofit hopes to build on the success of last year’s online event, which raised more than $55,000.

“Our team is known for meeting each person exactly where they are, and for meeting each challenge with creativity and compassion,” said Sara Lowe, executive director of Emmanuel Hospice. “In that same spirit, we’re keeping with last year’s successful virtual experience model to safely celebrate our work with the community.

“We invite all families, caregivers, volunteers and community members to join us to expand the boundaries of care, ensuring every last moment is cherished and lived with integrity.”

This year’s event goal is to raise $75,000 to support Emmanuel Hospice complementary therapies and services, including funding for a new complementary service, the Art Legacy program.

Art Legacy is designed to engage patients by encouraging self-expression while assisting in symptom management, supporting memories and providing connection between the patient, loved ones and Emmanuel care team. Art Legacy allows the patient the ability to control and create, which can also offer caregivers new insight into a patient’s life or their thoughts and feelings during their hospice journey.

Funds will also be used to support new programs that rely on technology, which has long been a part of Emmanuel’s holistic approach to serving its patients and families – and made more critical by the pandemic.

In 2020, Emmanuel launched a new telehealth program to continue serving patients and facilitate family interaction amid visitor restrictions in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Emmanuel’s nurses, social workers, spiritual caregivers, music therapists and other team members are able to provide virtual care at the bedside through the use of iPads and specially designed transport carts.

Technology has also been integrated with many of Emmanuel’s complementary therapies and services to provide support and overcome barriers. For example, the use of virtual reality headsets and videos through the Flight To Remember Foundation allow patients to tour a meaningful location they’re unable to visit physically. The virtual annual celebration will highlight these offerings, new programs and other unique aspects about the nonprofit organization.

Andy Holtgreive, a consultant of ARIA Show Technology, one of the annual celebration’s sponsors, said Emmanuel Hospice’s early adoption of technology is a reflection of the organization’s commitment to continual improvement.

“Emmanuel Hospice is a tremendously progressive organization in everything they do from the care they provide to the way they engage the community,” Holtgreive said. “With the end user in mind, Emmanuel Hospice creates the highest level of virtual value and meaning for their community of supporters with a clear intention and purpose to their mission.”

With more than 90 team members and growing, the hospice care provider is now serving more than 175 patients daily in Kent and the surrounding counties. The organization also provides grief counseling and support services annually to more than 2,000 family members and community members.

Emmanuel Hospice has twice been named one of West Michigan’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For by the National Association for Business Resources for its commitment to excellence in human resource practices and employee enrichment. In 2020, the nonprofit provider of hospice care also received recognition on the national level.

About Emmanuel Hospice

Emmanuel Hospice is a faith-based nonprofit provider of compassionate, person-centered hospice care to patients and families in West Michigan. Serving the community since 2013, the organization is a collaborative effort of St. Ann’s, Clark, Porter Hills and Sunset designed to complete the continuum by providing end-of-life care to those inside – and outside – the walls of these organizations. For more information, visit www.emmanuelhospice.org.

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