This week, we decided to jump into the world of Twitter. If you are a frequent “tweeter” you’ll want to follow us @HospiceofLenawe. It’s just one more way we are trying to be accessible and keep in touch with our friends and neighbors.

We’re continuing to update this Blog frequently with information regarding our ongoing Capital Campaign. We’ve raised just over $2.3 million toward our $5 million goal. The support we continue to receive from our community is amazing. We are so grateful to live in a community that steps up to assist worthy causes. When we do that we are continuing to make our community a better place for each of us and our children and grandchildren.

A $250,000 grant from the Weatherwax Foundation has helped push    Hospice of Lenawee’s Capital Campaign over the $2-million mark. The current campaign total with gifts and pledges is just over $2.3-million toward a $5-million goal.

Bill Kenyon, Hospice of Lenawee’s President and CEO, said, “We are extremely grateful to the Weatherwax Foundation for their support. The foundation is an integral part of both the Jackson and Lenawee communities. Their support and encouragement of our project is a wonderful testament to the importance of this endeavor for our community.”

 The Campaign for Hospice of Lenawee is designed to raise funds for the construction of a hospice residence, administrative wing and bereavement center. There is currently not an in-patient hospice residence in Lenawee County. By building a hospice residence here, the over 100,000 people who reside in our county will benefit by having the option of 24-hour hospice care close to home. 

The Weatherwax grant will be used toward funding the facility’s administrative wing. As the desire for hospice services grows so does the staffing necessary to meet the community’s needs. Hospice of Lenawee’s current location is no longer adequate to house the staff who care for an average of 75 patients per day.

The overall Campaign goal is $5-million. Kenyon explained, “We need to get to $3.3 –million in order to tart construction. We hope to get to that level of support in 2010. We estimate that it will take 12-months to complete construction. This grant from the Weatherwax foundation goes a long way toward making our dream of a hospice residence a reality.”