Three years ago, Anne Evans came to HopeHealth hoping to become a volunteer. When the director of volunteer services asked if she had any experience with hospice, she smiled and answered, “a lifetime.”
For as long as Anne can remember, her parents were dedicated hospice volunteers.
“My father was so committed to the hospice mission and remained a lifelong volunteer, even up to his passing at 92,” Anne recalled. And when her mother was dying, hospice helped fulfill her wish to pass away in the comfort of her own home.
Anne’s parents’ passion for hospice instilled a strong sense of what compassionate care can do and the value of truly listening to another person.
“When I began looking for a volunteer experience, HopeHealth was a natural choice for me,” Anne shared. “I already believed in their mission and wanted to be part of their work.”
Anne is currently working with two patients. One, she says, gains much support from HopeHealth and her volunteer: “She has physical challenges and lives alone, HopeHealth is there for her with support.” Anne’s visits with another patient, challenged by dementia, provide personal connection and engagement.
“Spending time with these women is emotional but so meaningful to me. And I think it is meaningful to them.”
“What surprised me most about becoming a HopeHealth volunteer was the relationships I would forge with these patients.”
Given her family’s history with hospice, financial generosity was an extension of their relationship with compassionate care.
Thirty years ago, her parents founded the Mary Lincoln Johnson Foundation, in memory of Anne’s sister, making donations to organizations with impact and purpose.
“Hospice and now HopeHealth mean so much to my family in so many ways,” Anne said.
Last fall, her family awarded HopeHealth a $10,000 grant to the Arthur S. Robbins Hope Fund, HopeHealth’s fund that supports patients in need.
“Hospice has been a lifelong journey for my family. I feel blessed to be able to be part of HopeHealth—these important relationships, this compassionate care—both as a volunteer and supporting its financial resources. To me this is not charity, this is not a chore. It is a gift.”
HopeHealth volunteers play a critical role in our work, helping to care for people facing serious illness, supporting patients and their families, and assisting with administrative tasks and fundraising events. Please call (833) 818-1919 or email VolunteeratHopeHealth@HopeHealthCo.org, to learn more.