NEWS RELEASE
ARCH HOSPICE
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The 2020 Hospice Heroes award winners are here! Hospice Heroes is an annual award ceremony recognizing community partners, staff, and volunteers who make an outstanding contribution to our community.
Hospice Heroes are exceptional individuals who embody ARCH values and are leaders who inspire positive change. Typically, this event is an intimate affair of gratitude, however pandemic-mitigating measures have prevented a 2020 celebration from being held in person. We are very grateful to our Hospice Heroes for their exemplary efforts!
Volunteer Hospice Hero – Sharelle Robertson
Sharelle Robertson has been an essential part of the Hospice team for some time, and her compassion and dedication have not gone unnoticed. This year, she received a flood of nominations from staff and fellow volunteers alike. Sharelle has been volunteering for ARCH since the concept was founded in the year 2000.
She witnessed ARCH grow from an idea, offered her helping hands during the initial fundraising efforts, and saw it blossom into the Day Hospice program. Sharelle, along with other volunteers, worked on the Stephanie’s Angels jewelry fundraiser which raised over $150,000 to first build Hospice. Sharelle even assisted in the initial set-up of our residents’ rooms: helping with furniture and art when our Hospice doors opened in 2008.
Sharelle has a keen awareness of what needs to be done in our home-away-from-home. She is usually seen at Hospice helping at least a couple days a week, putting in countless hours in the kitchen and with direct palliative support for our residents and their families. Sharelle often assists with ARCH Events, including our semi-annual Memorial Services and many annual fundraisers. Her support has been and continues to be invaluable. Sharelle’s gentle, kind and compassionate manner is appreciated by all who have the privilege of her presence.
Staff Hospice Hero – Dr. Karen Booth
Dr. Booth always goes above and beyond for her patients and their families. She is a strong advocate for all those she serves. She is always willing to help out our care team and volunteers to make sure our residents’ care is of the highest quality.
Dr. Karen Booth provides excellent, holistic palliative and end-of-life care, not only to our residents but supports the family caregivers as well. Her detailed attention to pain and symptom management is very much appreciated and her simultaneous dedication to quality does not go unnoticed. She chairs the Palliative Care Algoma Quality Sub-committee and prioritizes efforts to ensure quality improvements in palliative care that are cross-sector.
Dr. Booth thinks outside of the box to find creative solutions that ensure hospice and palliative patients are supported every step of the way. She takes special care to directly follow-up with resident family members to ensure they feel supported during their hospice journey.
Dr. Booth’s availability in rounding, mentoring and teaching of ARCH’s residential and connect care teams is invaluable; and her respectful, supportive and approachable manner goes a long way in yielding an ideal model of collaborative care.
Community Partner Hospice Hero – Machine ShopSupporting local non-profits creates rich communities. The Machine Shop has selflessly invested in Algoma District’s prosperity by helping Hospice provide comfort and care to local families. The Machine Shop is more than a business, it’s a family. The staff, owners, management, and extended family all come together to form the Machine Shop team.
For a number of years now, the Machine Shop has assisted ARCH in an invaluable way. Since 2017, they have organized as well as volunteered, solicited sponsorships, and sold tickets for the ARCH pancake breakfast. In three years, the event has brought in more than $37,000 for Hospice. Active ARCH supporters, they rally to help out the Bucket List Ball, which in two years has raised over $55,000 for Hospice.
The Machine Shop family selflessly donates their time to ARCH events, and pours in their passion to make sure the events are a success year after year. Ever the inspiration, even the Machine Shop family’s children help out – donating their birthday money each year, selling keychains at events and volunteering. So much more than financial supporters, these community leaders and volunteers inspire by always showing up, helping out, and doing the right thing.
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