Issue 2 pdf file here

Florida Suncoast
Quality of Life Fund
An elderly lady who was a patient
of The Hospice shared with her
hospice nurse that the one thing
she wanted to do before she died
was to go for a ride on a motorcycle. Thanks to The Hospice’s
Quality of Life Fund maintained
by The Hospice Foundation, the
patient was soon riding in the sidecar of a Harley Davidson, wearing
a leather jacket donated by a local
bike club. Cruising down the street
with her were dozens of motorcycle enthusiasts from the club.
assistance with an overdue bill.
A patient’s illness or condition
can take a tremendous toll on the
family’s finances. In such cases,
care team members may request
assistance to help the family catch
up financially, thus relieving some
of their emotional burden.
The history of the Quality of Life
fund is filled with special stories:
A patient wanted to go fishing
with his son one last time. The
foundation was able to arrange
for a fishing guide to take the patient and his son out for a day.
The Hospice Foundation’s Quality
of Life Fund, administered by Tim
Beams and Mike Bell of The Hospice Foundation, is a pool of money to be used when a patient and
family care team member identifies a need or a special request
from a hospice patient. Every effort is made to fulfill the request
using outside sources or donations
whenever possible, supplementing that effort with assets from the
fund as needed.
A patient wanted to go on one last
vacation with his wife and young
son to visit friends and spend a
week away from chemotherapy and
doctor appointments. The patient
died several weeks after the trip.
His wife and child will always
have the pictures and the memories
of that trip to comfort them.
A patient asked for assistance
painting his house, which had
fallen into disrepair during his
long illness. He did not want to
die with this task falling to his
Tim explained that many of the
requests from our patient and family care teams are for emergency
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Mary Lou Nelson
gets ready for
her ride.
FALL
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2007
Windows of Opportunity | Windows to Knowledge | Windows to Understanding
of the
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The
Hospice
Foundation
The Hospice Foundation of the Florida Suncoast
Meet Our Team
Mike Bell
Executive Director
(727) 523-3400
mikebell@thehospice.org
B.A. Safley
Director of Philanthropy
(727) 523-3416
basafley@thehospice.org
Eva Eraclides
Circle of Caring Director
(727) 523-4166
evaeraclides@thehospice.org
Bryn Warner
Director of Annual Giving
(727) 523-3414
brynwarner@thehospice.org
Karen Van De Putte
Planned Giving Manager
(727) 523-3422
karenvandeputte@thehospice.org
Niki Zawacki
Special Events Coordinator
(727) 523-3420
nikizawacki@thehospice.org
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Smart Giving
Recent changes in the tax laws governing individual
retirement accounts (IRAs) have made it easer and
more attractive to give a portion of our IRAs to charity.
Under the Pension Protection Act of 2006, you save
more on taxes when you make a charitable gift directly
from your IRA without incurring tax liability. Prior to
the new law, you would have had to report any amount
taken from your IRA as taxable income and then take
a charitable deduction for the gift. Direct contributions
to the charity meet the minimum distribution requirement for IRAs. Among other tax benefits, donors who
do not itemize on their taxes aren’t able to take advantage of a charitable deduction, but will now enjoy the
tax savings of a direct gift from their IRA.
To be eligible for this special tax treatment, you must
be at least 70 ½ years old. The maximum amount you
may transfer from your IRA is $100,000. Your spouse
may also transfer up to $100,000 from his or her IRA.
Remember, while proposals have been made by legislators to make this gifting opportunity available permanently, as of this writing, this benefit is only available for gifts made up to December 31st, 2007.
You may make a gift simply by contacting your IRA
custodian to request a direct transfer from your IRA
to an eligible charitable organization, such as The
Hospice of the Florida Suncoast. As you visit with
your financial advisor this tax season, please discuss
whether this new law would be of benefit to you. For
more information on this gifting opportunity, please
contact Karen Van De Putte at (727) 523-3422, or
karenvandeputte@thehospice.org. v
Chris
It is with tremendous sadness
that we at The Hospice Foundation say goodbye to our good
friend and coworker Chris Jordan, Capital Campaign Manager.
In July, Chris lost a long, hard-fought battle with cancer. Throughout his illness Chris continued to work
tirelessly to raise money for The Hospice’s St. Petersburg Community Service Center. Chris’s love of The
Hospice came second only to his love for his family,
his wife, Amy and his young son, Grant. His courage,
perseverance and dedication and his ever-present
smile, were an inspiration to us all. v
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The Hospice Foundation of the Florida Suncoast
Save the Date
November 10,
2007
On November 10, 2007, walkers from all over the community
will participate in The Hospice of the Florida Suncoast’s
St. Pete Stroll. Come and join us at the St. Pete Pier
at 9 a.m. (registration begins at 8 a.m.) for a morning
stroll full of fun, good company and live entertainment.
Come as individuals or as a team. Longtime media
personality and senior advisor for the Tampa Bay Devil
Rays, Dick Crippen, will be on hand as emcee.
The Hospice St. Pete Stroll is a 3.7 mile stroll along
downtown St. Petersburg’s waterfront to benefit the 2,500
patients and families served by The Hospice of the Florida
Suncoast. The stroll is a great opportunity to build unity
among family, friends, co-workers, and the community and
remember or honor special people in our lives.
For more information about participation and volunteer
opportunities for this event, or for more information about
future events, please contact Niki Zawacki, special events
coordinator, 727-523-3420 or nikizawacki@thehospice.org.
Community Groups Step Up
Chicago Bob Golf Tournament
After losing a husband and best friend to cancer
last year, Barbara Allen and Joe Liberatore
organized a golf tournament to celebrate his life.
Now in its second year, the Chicago Bob Memorial
Golf Tournament, held in July, raised more than
$10,000 in honor of Robert “Chicago Bob” Allen.
Cruzin’ with the Stars
On August 3, 2007, more than 100 people came out
to enjoy a night of gaming, wonderful food, and
good company for the first ever Cruzin’ with the
Stars event. Organized by a group of community
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partners from Treasure Island Casino Cruz,
Condos by Sirata, Sloppy Joe’s, Sunset Vistas,
Premier Limousine and Florida Barter, the group
was able to raise more than $10,000 to support
The Hospice.
AVID Engineering Golf Tournament
Employees from AVID Group of Clearwater worked
together to organize a community golf tournament
to honor the memory of their beloved co-worker,
Jayson T. Kmiec. A portion of the proceeds
benefited The Hospice. The group presented The
Hospice with a check for more than $9,000.
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The Hospice Foundation of the Florida Suncoast
Donor
Highlight:
Lipman family
depiction on
cover of “Family
Memories” CD.
It has been said that music has healing powers and
can lift a person’s spirits. Music has also been used to
raise awareness and money over the years for various
causes and charities. One dedicated supporter of The
Hospice, Bernice Lipman, has found a unique way to
do both.
After the death of her son-in-law in 2001, Mrs.
Lipman’s two grandsons attended Camp Triple L:
Love, Laughter, Leisure; a weekend long children’s
bereavement camp run by The Hospice of the Florida
Suncoast.
After seeing how much the camp helped her two
grandsons cope with the death of their father, Mrs.
Lipman was determined to “do everything in [her]
power to raise money” for Camp Triple L.
“I wanted to do something for the camp knowing that
they helped my grandsons.” Mrs. Lipman said.
Mrs. Lipman decided to raise money for the camp
using her own talents. She wrote three songs, one
each for her husband, son-in-law and son, and with
the help of musician Mark Dye and singer Rene’
Vallee, she made the CD Family Memories. With
the help of her daughter, Mrs. Lipman established
the Robert E. Rath Memorial Fund in memory of her
daughter’s husband. The fund benefits Camp Triple
L. Mrs. Lipman has been selling the CDs since the
summer of 2003 and has raised $750 thus far for the
Camp LLL program.
Now six years after losing their father, Mrs. Lipman’s
grandchildren are doing well. Her grandsons are both
enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program,
and her granddaughter is an honor roll elementary
school student. v
On behalf of all Camp Triple L kids, The Hospice of
the Florida Suncoast thanks Bernice Lipman for her
industriousness and her loyal support.
Quality of Life Fund
wife. The Quality of Life fund was used to purchase
the supplies and members of the patient’s patient
and family care team painted his house on their own
time.
Tim Beams of The Hospice Foundation is extremely
proud to be involved in the administration of this
special program. Tim recognizes the need for good
stewardship; “Our teams get to know the patients and
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families fairly well, and they are pretty good about
identifying when a patient has a valid need.”
The Quality of Life Fund is one of many programs of
The Hospice of the Florida Suncoast that may not fit
neatly into perceived traditional hospice care, but
serves as a wonderful tool in support of The Hospice’s
goal to serve each of our patients with a focus on
quality of life. v
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The Hospice Foundation of the Florida Suncoast
Volunteer
Highlight
Several years later,
Kathy decided to
get involved with
The Hospice as a
volunteer.
When you think of volunteering at The Hospice of the
Florida Suncoast, what image comes to mind? The reality is that there are so many different volunteer positions available that there truly is a place for anyone
who has a desire to be a part of this community-based
organization. Kathy Wilder is a shining example of a
person who wanted to get involved with The Hospice
and found her niche, which provides her with fulfillment and a sense of accomplishment.
Kathy Wilder moved to Florida in 1978 and has lived in
the same home for 30 years. She has two grown children; Colby and Tiffany and two granddaughters, Cassidy and Cloe, and several step-grandchildren. Kathy
said she loved being a stay-at-home mom. Now that
her children are grown, the families come together every Sunday at Kathy’s house for a big Sunday dinner.
Kathy first learned about The Hospice 12 years ago
when her mother was a patient. Kathy describes that
time as “an amazing experience for all of us, because
it allowed us to have [my mother] there with us until
she died”. After her mother’s death, she and her family
received grief support from the Hospice’s Center for
Loss and Healing.
eeee
“I always knew,
after my mom
died, someday I’d
be ready to give
back.” Kathy said.
“There were so
many people that
gave of themselves
and that was important to me.”
Kathy was unsure at first where she would “fit in” at
The Hospice. She soon found her niche in two areas.
For the last several years, Kathy has been a member
of The Hospice Foundation Board of Trustees and a
member of the special events committees for both
The Hospice ball and the fashion show.
Kathy takes her role on the board very seriously, describing herself as “a quiet, but productive member of
the foundation board.”
Kathy summed up The Hospice volunteer experience
this way - “There is something for everybody – whatever you think your strength may be, you can find
some place here”.
Special Events f f f f
Upcoming Special Events for Fall, 2007
Hospice Golf Classic
September 27, 2007
Refinish Line Auto Paint Supplies Golf Classic
October 6, 2007
The Hospice St. Pete Stroll
November 10, 2007
Gift Wrap & Trees of Love
November-December 2007
Lights of Lake Park, Largo
December 2007
For more information on any of these events, or if you would like
to register for or volunteer for any of these events,
please contact Niki Zawacki at 727-523-3420 - nikizawacki@thehospice.org
or Bryn Warner at 727-523-3414 - brynwarner@thehospice.org for more information.
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The Hospice Foundation of the Florida Suncoast
Did You Know...
You can support The Hospice of the Florida Suncoast
and at the same time provide yourself with a
guaranteed income for your lifetime through The
Hospice Foundation’s Charitable Gift Annuity program.
In exchange for your gift of cash, appreciated
stock or other assets, The Hospice will pay you
a guaranteed fixed income for your lifetime.
The Hospice charitable gift annuity can: 1)
Provide a higher rate of return than you can
obtain on a CD; 2) provide a guaranteed
lifetime income; 3) provide income tax savings,
capital gains tax savings and estate tax
savings; 3) Provide valuable support for The
Hospice of the Florida Suncoast. In today’s
volatile market, a gift that has a higher rate
of return and a guaranteed lifetime income
sounds pretty good.
For more information on charitable gift
annuities or to receive a personalized
calculation of the guaranteed lifetime payment
you will receive from your own gift annuity,
please contact Karen Van De Putte, (727)
523-3422 or karenvandeputte@thehospice.org.
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ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
5771 Roosevelt Blvd • Clearwater, FL 33760
(727) 586-4432 • www.thehospice.org
florida suncoast
the hospice of the
paid
u.s. postage
organization
non-profit