‘CLOSER TO REALITY’
Fundraiser helps to one day build new hospice residence
Cape Breton Hospice Palliative Care Society raises money to open new residence.
For the past 30 years the Cape Breton Hospice Palliative Care Society has dreamed of opening a new residence for patients, and that dream is getting closer to reality.
The society has been raising money to make the dream come to life for the past number of years and their efforts continued on the weekend with the second annual Sunflower Treasures Pop-up Shop on the Esplanade in Sydney.
All money raised from the fundraiser are going toward helping the society build a new 10-bed hospice residence.
“Right now we are just raising money and when the time comes the plan can be fully expanded and fully developed and these funds will be available to contribute to that,” said Cheryl Read, chair of the project committee for the pop-up shop.
The three-day fundraiser started Friday and wrapped up Sunday afternoon with close to 60 volunteers helping throughout the weekend.
The shop featured a variety of different items including vintage jewelry and collectibles as well as a wide selection of china, pottery, décor, home and cottage items, artwork, books and more, filling the 7,000-square-foot building, which was donated for the event by Bob and Dorothy Martinello.
“Every last item at the shop was donated by members of the community,” said Read. “We had an advertising out and a call to the community and for six days for the last two weeks people have come down and handed in all kinds of stuff, everything but clothing.
“We have had contributions of
family collectables of great value and some very humble things too, and everything in between — we have seen amazing support from our community,” she said.
The event was first held last year in Sydney. Last year’s fundraiser raised $13,000, with that money also going towards the new residential facility. Although totals for this year’s fundraiser were not known at press time, the society expects they have exceeded last year’s total.
Membertou has provided the society land for the facility adjacent to the Cape Breton Regional Hospital, while the BCA Group will build the building. The society’s part is to raise money to furnish and fully equip the facility, which is expected to cost approximately $1 million.
A hospice residence provides patients and their families endof-life care in a homelike, noninstitutional setting through a team approach that can include volunteers, social workers and spiritual care providers in additional to highly trained and empathetic medical and nursing staff.
The emphasis is on adding meaningful life to the remaining days for patients and their loved ones.
Irene Khattar, vice-chair of the hospice society, said the fundraiser also marks the start of National Hospice Palliative Care Week, which runs May 7-13 across Canada.
“Our work is ongoing yearround, every week of the year,” said Khattar. “It’s important to keep the awareness in the community.
Hospice palliative care is not something that everybody understands, very often it’s known as a result of a personal family experience.”
The process of building a new facility is currently ongoing.
“The hospice residence is certainly closer to becoming a reality for us,” she said. “We are in negotiations with the department of health and the province of Nova Scotia and we are encouraged by the advances we are making.”
To learn more about the Cape Breton Hospice Palliative Care Society, visit www.hospicecapebreton.org.