The Chatham-Kent Hospice (CK Hospice) has been helping local residents requiring end-of-life care and families dealing with grief for 10 years.
To celebrate that milestone, the hospice is promoting multiple community projects and throwing its doors open to the public.
"This is the first time, since our initial tours 10 years ago, that the hospice is open for public tours," shared Brock McGregor, Executive Director of the CK Hospice Foundation Board.
Those tours are available on Wednesdays in June from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. to those who register.
"Folks can come on in. They can tour the space, see what it looks like 10 years later," he said. "[They can] learn more about hospice services, whether it's something that they're interested in, thinking about the future, or they have a family member that might benefit. It's a really great opportunity to learn and re-engage with that space."
There is limited space for tours, so anyone interested is encouraged to sign up as soon as possible. McGregor explained that the easiest way to book a tour is online.
Other initiatives linked to the CK Hospice, helping to celebrate its 10 year anniversary include a community art project and a kitchen renovation project.
"Ten years ago, when the hospice was under construction, there was a length of fence that individuals would tie ribbons to in memory of loved ones. We're bringing back that length of fence and putting the ribbons back out," McGregor described. "So, individuals who that have a connection to hospice or want to tie something in memory of an individual can come out and do that, and then we collect all those ribbons and do some art with them afterwards."
He added that the project is another way to reconnect and recognize the impact that the CK Hospice has had on the community.
Another big part of the 10-year celebration is a kitchen renovation campaign.
"It is a capital campaign," McGregor said. "We're raising money for a kitchen renovation."
The goal is to raise about $286,000.
"We know that for many people that kitchen environment and food is a real source of connection and of building relationships, and after 10 years of really constant use that space really needs to be updated," he said.
More information about that campaign can be found here.
The CK Hospice includes 10 fully furnished suites, with state of the art medical equipment and room for family members to stay overnight if they wish. All services, including palliative care and grief counselling, are provided at no cost to residents or their families.
