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Tree of Remembrance

REMEMBERING YOUR LOVED ONES AT THE HOLIDAYS

         

          Hospice of Washington County (HWC) is inviting individuals to honor and remember their loved ones during the holiday season.

          Starting December 3 and throughout the month, individuals can create an ornament to be hung on HWC’s Tree of Remembrance. HWC will provide an ornament, which one can personalize with the name of your loved one or message one wishes to convey. After the ornament is placed on the tree, individuals can take an ornament home and place it on their own tree in memory of your loved ones. Individuals wishing to take part in the Remembrance Trees can stop by the HWC Office at 747 Northern Avenue in Hagerstown from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and Doey’s House at 11370 Caring Pathway Lane from 8 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. Mondays through Sundays. No donation is required to participate. 

          “The Remembrance Trees are a great way to reflect on your loved ones including their lives, the impact they had on your life and what their death meant to you,” stated Cathy Campbell, HWC’s Manager of Bereavement Services. “We have set up trees at our offices and Doey’s House in order to reach as many individuals as we can.”

          Ms. Campbell went on to explain that because grief can be so painful and overwhelming, we are sometimes scared into believing that, in order to begin the healing process and we must sever the bond we had with our deceased loved one. “It is actually quite the opposite. By maintaining that special bond, by commemorating the lives of loved ones, by keeping their memory alive, we are better able to find that special place in our heart that is reserved only for them. The relationship continues, just in a different way. As the holidays approach, we ask you to reflect on your deceased loved ones—on their lives, the impact they had on your life, and what their death has meant to you.”

          HWC is also holding the Pathways of the Heart Campaign. Individuals can honor and remember their loved ones with luminaries placed throughout beautiful City Park. Names of the loved ones will be read prior to the City Park Lighting on November 30, 2018 beginning at 6:00 p.m. on the stage located near “The Pod” Statue. The City Park Lighting Program will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. HWC is also adding a new event at Doey’s House entitled, “Lights for Love” on Sunday December 2, 2018 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with the loved ones’ names read at 5 p.m. The funds raised through these events will support the Benevolence Program at Hospice of Washington County. A $8 minimum donation is required per luminary per event or $12 for both events. 

          “The Benevolence Fund provides basic emergency needs to our patients and families at a time when they need it the most,” stated Senior Director of Development, Community and Public Relations for HWC, Karen Giffin. “When our staff visits patients, they often find that the patients have insufficient food, heat or cool air, or gas to go to the doctor’s. The Benevolence fund is a stopgap measure while our social workers work with the many community resources to provide on-going support. This fund will insure that immediate support is given to our patients and their families.”

          Individuals can also leave a legacy by having the name of a loved one permanently placed at Doey’s House, the only hospice house in Washington County. There are many opportunities including personalized stone paver and other naming rights. Pavers require a $250 donation, and there are a number of naming opportunities at a variety of levels Doey’s House.

                   More information on these programs designed to honor and remember your loved ones can be obtained by calling 301-791-6360.

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