Letter: Thank you for helping hospice

Thank you for helping hospice

The volunteers, board and staff of HomeCare and Hospice of the Valley wish to sincerely thank all the local businesses and individuals who donated funds, facilities, food and drink to our recent “Trees of Hospice” event. Our gathering at The Little Nell in Aspen on Monday was a tremendously meaningful evening of remembrance, camaraderie and hope.

We are especially grateful to all of the staff of The Little Nell for providing us with an inviting and intimate space for attendees to share memories of loved ones and of hospice. We also wish to thank those who participated in this year’s event, including Jean Moore (our emcee extraordinaire), Jeannie Walla, Tim Fox, Mike Kaplan, Drs. Kelly Locke and Doug Rovira, Pat Newkam, Maria Morrow and Rabbi Mendel Mintz. We also want to thank our greeters, Judy Zanin and Mary Ellen Secrist, as well as our tireless volunteers who organized and staged this wonderful evening.

Hospice of the Valley is the only provider of end-of-life care in this region. From Aspen to Vail to Parachute and all points in between, our nurses, aides, therapists, chaplains, social workers and volunteers care for those who are dying as well as their families. We will never turn away a patient because of inability to pay, and events like Trees of Hospice help fund this commitment.

Finally, we want to give special thanks to the ladies who spent countless hours stitching hundreds and hundreds of beautiful heart ornaments by hand. These hearts are wonderful tokens of the enduring love we have for those who have died, and they are a symbol of hope for their families. Thank you.

Markey Butler

Executive director

HomeCare and Hospice of the Valley.