Author Archive: Lee Ellison
Winning Hospice Honors Number is…
SK Paper shred Fundraiser this Saturday 4/13
Paper shredding or document destruction is critical for safe keeping confidential and sensitive information. Most of us create and keep files with sensitive content; examples of which are bills, financial statements, marketing plans, employee files, and even delivery packages. Join us this Saturday 4/13 for the SK Paper shred fundraiser at Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice located on 99 Sparta Avenue in Newton. The event runs from 9a – Noon. The cost is $6 per grocery sized bag. Bags can be purchased in advance for $5 at our office. Office hours are 8:30a – 4:30p Monday – Friday.
Businesses are welcome to participate!
There are laws that penalize improper disposal of documents with sensitive and confidential content. Organizations that hold personal data but neglect to protect it face financial and legal consequences. Employers for example use paper shredding services to get rid of employee files which are no longer in use.
Shredded paper gets recycled!
Numerous trees are cut down in order to make paper. To protect forests, people advocate a “paperless society”, and only use paper as a last resort. Reusing and recycling strips and bits from paper shredding machines is also another method of preserving forests.
Keep your personal information safe!
Identity theft cases are prevalent, and increasingly becoming a huge threat with the advent of the Internet. It’s considered ‘best practice’ for organizations and individuals to shred mail and delivery boxes to avoid identity theft and fraud.
It’s time to Spring clean!
Piles of papers cause clutter and increase the risks of fire. Offices need to constantly get rid of these papers as part of an organization-wide records management system. At home, clear away some of that clutter and paper to make space for something meaningful to you and your family.
Time to Shred and Help Others!
Time to Shred and Help Others!
NEWTON — March 9, 2019 — Now is the time to prepare for spring and cleanup around the home. One of the best types of cleanups is the shedding and shredding of old paperwork, bills, receipts, documents and anything with identifying information. Individuals and businesses are welcome and assured that their confidential paperwork will be professionally shredded on site.
Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice along with its partner SK Shredding holds bi-monthly events at the hospice located at 99 Sparta Ave, (next to Tri-State Rentals and across from Quick Check). This is the first paper shred fundraiser of the year.
SK Shredding brings his Commercial/Computerized Shred Truck to the hospice parking lot that is centrally located with easy in and out access off of Newton-Sparta Road. Each grocery size bag is only $6.00 and you may also pre-purchase your bags to be filled for only $5.00 each when picked up in advance at the hospice office during regular business hours. The office is open Monday-Friday 8:30-4:30 pm.
This is a fundraising event that benefits the Karen Ann Quinlan Memorial Foundation. The foundation raises money to assure all in need of hospice care receive it no matter their ability to pay and to help build the new Karen Ann Quinlan Home for Hospice expected to open this year.
The Karen Ann Quinlan Memorial Foundation is passionately dedicated to providing Hospice care for the terminally ill and Bereavement for those who have lost loved ones. Serving Northwest NJ and Northeast PA; please call 800 882 1117 to reach any of our services at either office; Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice, 99 Sparta Ave., Newton, NJ and Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice, 104 Bennett Ave., Milford, PA.
Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice is an independently owned hospice program and proud to be the preferred hospice provider for Newton Medical Center and our area Atlantic Health Care System. For hospice programs, events, and more information visit www.karenannquinlanhospice.org.
Schetting named Acting Executive Director
Marlina Schetting, MSW, LCSW, CT
Acting Executive Director
Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice
Marlina Schetting, MSW, LCSW, CT, has been named the acting executive director at Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice.
“Through her many years of dedicated service to the organization, Marlina has demonstrated the skills needed to assume the role of acting executive director,” said Julia Quinlan, co-founder and chairman of the governing board.
Schetting will be the key management leader of Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice, Karen Ann Quinlan Home for Hospice and the Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center. She is responsible for overseeing the administration, programs and strategic plan of the organization. She will report directly to the governing board.
A longtime member of the hospice interdisciplinary team, Schetting has served the agency in several capacities for over 30 years and most recently as community administrator.
Schetting obtained her bachelor of science degree in human development from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and her master’s degree in social work from Marywood University. She holds a certification in thanatology from the Association of Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) and a certification in field instruction from Rutgers University.
Schetting began her tenure with the Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice as a hospice volunteer in 1986. She was instrumental in starting early bereavement programs such as “Camp Connections” Teen Camp and the Children’s Art Bereavement Program. Schetting has worked as an adjunct professor at Rutgers University School of Social Work, where she lectured on death and dying. She continues to supervise student social work interns in the tri-state area as a certified field instructor.
Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice was founded by the Quinlan family in 1980 to provide support to patients and families dealing with a life-limiting illness. This support allows patients to live life on their own terms and face the future with the dignity and comfort that we all deserve.
Share the Love Campaign to help Hospice
From November 15, 2018 to January 2, 2019, Subaru will donate $250 for every new Subaru vehicle purchased or leased at more than 628 participating Subaru retailers nationwide to the customer’s choice of the following national charities: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® (ASPCA®), Make-A-Wish®, Meals on Wheels America® and National Park Foundation.
In addition to the four national charity partners, Subaru retailers across the country have selected 681 local charitable organizations to support during this year’s Subaru Share the Love Event. Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice was selected as the local charity recipient by Subaru World of Newton. Eleven years running, this year’s Subaru Share the Love Event marks the third consecutive year there will be no cap placed on the total donation from Subaru of America to its charitable partners. By the end of this year’s event, the automaker hopes to exceed a grand total of $140 million donated since the Subaru Share the Love Event started in 2008.
“For more than a decade, the Subaru Share the Love Event has contributed to improving the lives of those it touches and worked to fulfill our Love Promise,” said Alan Bethke, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Subaru of America, Inc. “Working with local charitable organizations has allowed us and our retailers to support those in need across the country in meaningful ways.”
Subaru of America, Inc. marked it’s 50th Anniversary in the United States in 2017. Subaru World of Newton is located on 84 Hampton House Rd, Newton, NJ 07860
“We are so thankful for the continued support of Subaru World of Newton,” said Julia Quinlan. “There are so many families in the communities we serve that will benefit from this generosity.”
The Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice is a not-for-profit organization which provide a full continuum of high quality medical, emotional and spiritual services to individuals requiring hospice, family members and the community.
Winner claims Half for Hospice prize
Brian Williamson (l) and his wife Suzanne are presented a check for $9,097.50 from Cecelia Clayton,Executive Director, (c) Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice
Brian’s Williamson, a martial arts instructor with Hudson Valley HaganaH, was alerted that his lucky ticket #731 was drawn on December 31st and he would start of 2019 with a prize of $9,097.50 from the year-long 50/50 presented by the Friends of Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice.
“It felt like a blessing from Dad,” stated Suzanne Williamson, Brian’s wife. Suzanne is a special education teacher in Hamburg. Suzanne’s father, Mr. James Zylstra was a patient at the award-winning Home for Hospice two years ago.
The Williamson’s, who reside in Milford, PA are both retired from the New Jersey Army National Guard shared their warm sentiment about the care extended to Susan’s father and their family during his days at the Home for Hospice.
They have no specific plans on how to spend the money, but are grateful to have won.
Friends of Hospice present check for $35,000
The Friends of Hospice presented a check for $35,000 to the Karen Ann Quinlan Memorial Foundation on December 14th. The Friends of Hospice is a volunteer group that hold fundraisers throughout the year to raise money for Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice – a not-for-profit organization. The money is used help patients and families who are experiencing financial hardships while coping with a life-limiting illness.
The signature Friends fundraisers include: Half for Hospice, a progressive 50/50 raffle, the Wine and Cheese Festival and High Tea for Hospice which will be held on Thursday, February 27, 2019.
The Friends are always looking for new members and membership is open to anyone in the community. They meet on the second Monday of each month at 4 p.m. at the Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice administration building located on 99 Sparta Avenue in Newton. For more information on how you can get involved please contact Jennifer Smith, special events coordinator, at 973-383-0115 ext. 106.
Milford Town Council to issue Proclamation to 100 year old resident
Stephanie Neugebauer who will turn 100 on December 24 will be issued a Proclamation from the Milford Town Council.
On December 17 at 7 p.m. the Milford Township Council will issue a proclamation to Stephanie Neugebauer.
The Proclamation will include some of the highlights of Stephanie’s life as listed below.
Stefanie Neugebauer, a resident of Milford, PA and a former resident of Yorkville, in Manhattan will be 100 years old on December 24, 2018.
She was born in the Austrian mountain village of Laas, in Styria, orphaned at age 7 with her twin sister Mitzi and brother Erich. Raised by her grandmother.
She grew up on a farm with the nearest one room school house several miles away.
At the age of 14 she left home to find work in the next big town in order to support her family.
She travelled to Vienna at 16 to work as a housekeeper for an accomplished young fashion designer, who also taught her how to cook Viennese style.
She eventually travelled to the Stuttgart area in Germany, where she worked during the day and continued her studies, taking accounting and stenography courses at night.
She then took a job with the German Railway. For most of her life she could decipher train schedules in her sleep. She was posted to various towns and met some very good people with whom she is still in touch with today. They are friendships that have lasted over 80 years and encompass several generations. Many of these friends have come to the numerous family reunions she and her husband Franz organized over the years in Austria.
After the war, she came to the city of Villach in Carinthia, where she met Franz Neugebauer. They eventually married in 1950 and began a life together. She also welcomed with open arms Franz’s daughter Heidi, who was as much a daughter to her as Ingrid and Doris.
She encouraged Franz to travel to New York in 1956, “for a few years” to see the city and earn some money with which to build a better home in Austria.
They both travelled to Hamburg to board a ship to New York City, which is where the second part of their life’s journey began, entering New York harbor and seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time.
After a few months in New York, Steffi became pregnant to her first daughter Doris, followed by Ingrid, two years later. Plans of returning to Austria were put on hold. Steffi and Frank concentrated all their energies on raising their daughters, working hard and saving to buy a small place in the country, which eventually became the little bungalow at Lake Quinn. Steffi had a tremendous garden and beautiful flowers and many fruit trees that she lovingly cared for.
Both Steffi and Franz invested in real estate in Brooklyn and Queens. Steffi took over all of the property management, often working weekends.
Over the years many trips to Germany and Austria were made to visit with relatives and friends, America had become their new home.
The girls (Doris and Ingrid) finished college and moved into their own places, Steffi convinced Frank to start travelling again. They toured extensively – North and South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the South Pacific and took in countless cultural sights and events which Frank captured on film. They make up cherished memories of a lifetime.
Steffi was not able to continue her skiing, hiking and mountain climbing in NYC, she was able to garden for a good part of the year. She loved swimming at the lake and taking the rowboat out to pick blueberries across the lake, picking for hours at a time. Even at 99, she continued to swim. A passion she never let go of. Of late, she enjoys walking with our family dog Kasey. Everyone in the neighborhood knows and recognizes her. Many leave a chair in their driveway so she can rest if she gets tired on her way home.
Steffi is admired for her love of life, her commitment to family and friends, her generosity and kindness to others and her overwhelming spirit to enjoy every moment that life gives us. Despite a very poor upbringing, she always believed and proved to all of us “that even a poor farm girl can make something of herself.”
The council meeting is open to the public and anyone wishing to attend the reading on the Proclamation is welcome.
Lights of Life to illuminate holiday season
Louis Ruggiero, President of Iliff-Ruggiero Funeral Home; Julia Quinlan, Co-Founder and President of Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice; and Domenick Ruggiero, Manager of Iliff-Ruggiero Funeral Home gather at a former Lights of Life Tree Lighting Memorial Service at Sussex County Community College to embrace area families with this thoughtful holiday tradition. Iliff-Ruggiero Funeral Home has been the Event Sponsor of the Lights of Life Tree Lightings and Memorial Services for over a decade and continues to lead Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice with the presentation of this community outreach to area families. “Lights of Life is a thoughtful, comforting service at which participants can honor and remember their loved ones,” stated Louis Ruggiero.
At the conclusion of each of the Lights of Life presentation, a memorial tree will be lit to commemorate the shining place our loved ones have held in our hearts and minds. Warren County’s Lights of Life Memorial Tree will be featured on the grounds of the Wayne Dumont, Jr. Administration Building. Pike County’s Lights of Life Memorial Tree will glow at the Memorial Park, located on the corner of Catharine and 5th Street in Milford; and Sussex County’s Lights of Life campaign will illuminate several trees in the Newton Town Square. The thousands of white lights and decorative stars represent donations sent to Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice in memory of a family member or friend.
“The memorial service and tree lightings provide a meaningful way for people to come together and share the emotions commonly experienced throughout the holidays. Lights of Life is a thoughtful, comforting service at which participants can honor and remember their loved ones,” stated Louis Ruggiero, President of Iliff-Ruggiero Funeral Home. Iliff-Ruggiero Funeral Home has been the Event Sponsor of the Lights of Life Tree Lighting and Memorials for over a decade and continues to assist Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice with the presentation of this community outreach to area families.
For a $100.00 gift, participants are invited to remember a loved one this holiday season and will also receive a commemorative Lenox ornament chosen to highlight the 2018 event. With a $20.00 donation, donors will have their loved one’s name remembered. With each donation, participants are able to send an acknowledgement with a memorial keepsake to a designated recipient. To remember a loved one this holiday season, please visit www.karenannquinlanhospice.org/lights or call 973-383-0115 for assistance.
Sparta Dental Designs to Host Dental Day for Hospice to Benefit Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice
Dental Day 1993 – Julia Quinlan, Co-Founder and President of Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice and Dr. Edward Tirpack share a moment at the first Dental Day for Hospice hosted in 1993. This year’s Dental Day for Hospice is scheduled for Monday, November 5 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Sparta Dental Designs at 16 Lafayette Road in Sparta. To secure an appointment, please call Sparta Dental Designs at 973-729-2113. More information about Sparta Dental Designs can be found at www.SpartaDentalDesigns.com.
SPARTA/October 16, 2018 – The month of November is National Hospice Month. Since 1993 Dr. Edward Tirpack has been hosting Dental Day for Hospice with the Friends of Hospice. This annual event celebrates the amazing work of the Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice. This year, Dr. Tirpack and Dr. Gilbert Tapia along with their highly-skilled dental team will be once again host Dental Day for Hospice. They will be donating the proceeds from dental procedures provided on Monday, November 5, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m to the Friends of Hospice. Sparta Dental Designs is located at 16 Lafayette Road in Sparta. During this event donations will be accepted; raffle tickets will be available for purchase and the Friends of Hospice volunteers will be in the Sparta Dental Designs living room to answer your questions about hospice. There will also be give-aways and light refreshments served. Thank you to longtime event sponsor Preston Hay from Benco Dental Company for the continued support of Dental Day for Hospice.
Dr. and Mrs. Tirpack have been longtime champions of the hospice mission serving as board members, committee chairs and volunteers committed to raising funds and awareness for hospice care. “Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice is a not-for-profit organization and they will treat any patient regardless of their ability to pay,” said Dr. Tirpack, “That’s what inspires me. I hope to make the community aware of their outstanding hospice care and what services are in place to support patients and their family members.” Celebrating their dedication to Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice, Sparta Dental Designs was the first recipient of the Heart of Hospice Award in 2012.
“The commitment to Dental Day for Hospice from the doctors and the Sparta Dental Designs team is truly appreciated and has helped many patients and family members throughout Sussex and Warren Counties in New Jersey and Pike County, Pennsylvania from the revenue it has generated since its inception in 1993,” stated Lisa O’Hara, President of Friends of Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice. To secure an appointment for Dental Day for Hospice, please call Sparta Dental Designs at 973-729-2113. More information about Sparta Dental Designs can be found atwww.SpartaDentalDesigns.com or like them on Facebook.
Hospice Volunteer training set for November
MILFORD, PA – October 10, 2018. Volunteer training classes for those who are interested in the hospice philosophy of care, who wish to explore the elements of End of Life Care and Bereavement, six classes will be held at the Church of Saint Patrick, 111 East High Street, Milford, PA from 10:00 a.m. to noon on November 1,7,9,12,14 and 16.
Trained Hospice professionals will teach the various sessions on these topics including: Patient Care, Cancer Concepts, Pain Control and Nutritional Concerns, Family System, Aging, Listening and Communication Skills, Spirituality, Ethics, Death, Dying and Bereavement. Upon completion of the course, participants are Certified Hospice Volunteers and have the option of working in their communities and establishing their own schedules with allowable services they are willing to provide for the organization.
Hospice Volunteers are an integral part of an extended support system assisting the Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice professional team in caring for terminally-ill patients and their families. They offer companionship and emotional support or provide respite for family caregivers. “There is a definitive need and primary request from caregivers for volunteers to provide assistance during the day,” notes Sue Dougherty, Volunteer Coordinator. “Morning and afternoon assistance avail the caregiver the opportunity to run errands, make appointments and simply refuel with a couple of hours to themselves. Ultimately, our purpose is to encourage quality of life in the home for the entire family while providing palliative care for the patient,” concludes Dougherty. For additional details or to register for this training opportunity, please contact Sue Dougherty at Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice at 973-383-0115 or [email protected].You can register online for this training at www.KarenAnnQuinlanHospice.org/Train.
The Karen Ann Quinlan Memorial Foundation is passionately dedicated to providing Hospice care for the terminally ill and bereavement counseling for those who have lost loved ones. Serving Sussex and Warren Counties in NJ and Northeast, PA; please call 800-882-1117 to reach any of our services at either office; Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice, 99 Sparta Ave., Newton, NJ and Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice, 104 Bennett Ave., Milford, PA. Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice is an independently owned hospice program and proud to be the preferred hospice provider for Newton Medical Center and area Atlantic Health Care System. The award-winning Home for Hospice is located in Fredon, NJ. The Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center is located at 5 Plains Rd. in Augusta with satellite offices in Pike and Warren Counties. For hospice programs, events, and more information visit www.karenannquinlanhospice.org or Facebook.com/KarenAnnQuinlanHospice.org.
Five time Emmy Award Winner, Alan Zweibel will speak at “Love, Gilda,” screening at SCCC
On Friday, November 16, Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice and Sussex County Community College will present an exclusive screening of LOVE, GILDA, at 6:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center. In honor of his sister Francine Feder and family friend Cathy Hogstrom Stiller, five time Emmy award winner, Executive Producer of LOVE, GILDA, Alan Zweibel and his wife Robin, also an Executive Producer on the film, will hold a question and answer session after the screening.
In her own words, comedienne Gilda Radner reflects on her life and career. Weaving together her recently discovered audiotapes, interviews with friends (Chevy Chase, Lorne Michaels, Laraine Newman, Paul Shaffer and Martin Short), rare home movies and diaries read by modern-day comedians inspired by Gilda (Bill Hader, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and Cecily Strong), LOVE, GILDA opens up a unique window into the honest and whimsical world of a beloved performer whose greatest role was sharing her story.
Gilda Radner puts a smile on the faces of people who remember watching her as one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live, where she created and portrayed such now-classic comic characters as Roseanne Roseannadanna, Emily Litella and Lisa Loopner. She quickly rose to meteoric fame in television, movies and on Broadway, and was declared ‘one of America’s sweethearts.’ LOVE, GILDA, directed by Lisa D’Apolito, is a true autobiography, told in Gilda’s words and in her own voice. Working with the Radner Estate, D’Apolito unearthed a collection of diaries and personal audio and videotapes documenting her childhood, her comedy career, her relationships and ultimately, her struggle with cancer.
Alan Zweibel
Alan Zweibel, executive producer of LOVE, GILDA, will be at the screening and will hold a question and answer session following the movie.
An original “Saturday Night Live” writer, Zweibel has won multiple Emmy, Writers Guild of America, and TV Critics awards for his work in television, which also includes “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” (which he co-created and produced) “The Late Show With David Letterman and “Curb Your Enthusiasm”.
A frequent guest on all of the late night talk shows, Alan’s theatrical contributions include his collaboration with Billy Crystal on the Tony Award winning play “700 Sundays”, Martin Short’s Broadway hit “Fame Becomes Me”, and six off-Broadway plays including “Bunny Bunny – Gilda Radner: A Sort of Romantic Comedy” which he adapted from his best-selling book.
All told, Alan has written eleven books including the 2006 Thurber Prize winning novel “The Other Shulman”, the popular children’s book “Our Tree Named Steve”, the novel “Lunatics” that he co-wrote with Dave Barry, and most recently a parody of the Haggadah titled “For This We Left Egypt?” which he wrote with Dave Barry and Adam Mansbach.
Alan’s humor has also appeared in such diverse publications as The New Yorker, Esquire, The Atlantic Monthly, the New York Times Op-Ed page, The Huffington Post and MAD Magazine. He has also penned a best selling e-book titled “From My Bottom Drawer.
The co-writer of the screenplays for the films “Dragnet”, “North”, and “The Story of Us”, Alan has received an honorary PhD. from the State University of New York and because of the diversity of his body of work, in 2010 the Writers Guild of America, East gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Alan is currently preparing “Bunny Bunny” for a return to the New York stage, is writing a cultural memoir titled “Laugh Lines – 40 Years Trying To Make Funny People Funnier” for Abrams Books and is adapting his novel “The Other Shulman” as a TV series for Sony.
In addition to the talk shows, Alan’s also appeared in episodes of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Law & Order”, and can currently be seen in the documentary “The Last Laugh” about humor and the Holocaust; Judd Apatow’s “Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling,” on HBO, as well as “Gilbert” about the life of Gilbert Gottfried. Most recently, he executive produced a documentary titled “Love, Gilda” that premiered this spring at the Tribeca Film Festival and this season is appearing in four episodes of CNN’s “History of Comedy.”
Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice outperforms national average at medicare.gov/hospicecompare
Hospice is a program of care and support for people who are terminally ill. The focus of hospice is on comfort and quality of life rather than on cure. Hospice is most often provided where you live. Sometimes the hospice team will determine that you need short-term inpatient or respite care services.
When choosing a quality hospice it’s important to know how they compare to national averages. Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice exceeds national averages in reported categories as shown in the graphics below. This information can also be found on medicare.gov/hospicecompare. The Medicare website allows you to compare hospice programs in your geographical location. Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice also outperforms other hospice programs in our geographical area.
Suggested questions to ask when choosing a hospice
Click here for a printable guide to use when choosing a hospice. Consider what’s important to you and think about the questions listed in the guide. This is not a complete list, but a way to start the conversation about the care you desire.
Celebrate Life 5K Walk on Sat., 9/29
Click here to register! Registration fees will increase on day of walk.
On September 29, 2018, Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice will host the third annual “Celebrate Life 5k Walk.” The walk, which is being held at the New Jersey State Fairgrounds in Augusta, will start at 10:00 a.m. Pre-registration starts at 9:00 a.m. and opening ceremonies at 9:45. The walk is a way to help those dealing with a loss celebrate the life and memory of loved ones who have passed.
Dealing with the loss of a loved one is an emotional process that each person handles differently. The Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center offers support to members of the community who are going through the grieving process. The proceeds from the walk will benefit the Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Centers located on 5 Plains Road in Augusta. The Center also has satellite offices located on 214 Washington Street in Hackettstown and The United Methodist Church on 206 E Ann Street in Milford, PA.
Participating in some type of memorial celebration can be a way to help cope with the loss of a loved one. Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice hosts several memorial events throughout the year including a Butterfly Release and Tree Lighting Ceremony. The Celebrate Life 5K was started several years ago as a way to bring families together in a celebratory atmosphere. During the opening ceremonies we present musical performances, inspiring speeches and well as an invigorating warm up. We also hold a symbolic lighting ceremony with each participant receiving an illuminated star light in remembrance of the person they are walking in celebration of.
Last year a special memorial wall was introduced to the event sponsored by BIGGS Kids. Participants are encouraged to bring a photo of their loved one to be displayed on the wall. Each year the photo tribute will grow as more photos are added at each event.
Those interested in participating in the walk can register online at KarenAnnQuinlanHospice.org/Walk. The cost is $25 for adults and $15 for participants 13 and under. Those interested are encouraged to register early as same day registration fees increase by $5 respectively. Vendor applications are also being accepted for $25. Registrations will also be accepted at the “Celebrate Life 5K” walk kick-off party, sponsored by Newton Medical Center, which will be held on Friday, September 28 in the Romano Conference Center located on the Newton Medical Center campus at 5 p.m. Everyone in the community is invited to attend the kick-off to learn more about the services offered at the Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center as well as register for the walk, grab a healthy snack and get their walk t-shirt.
The Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center provides grief support and counseling for hospice families and the community. No one is ever refused counseling services based on their ability to pay. The staff works to bring comfort and understanding to help families through difficult times. Individual counseling and ongoing support groups are offered. Support groups include: anticipatory grief support, school bereavement support, memorial services, grief lecture series, children’s bereavement art program and pet loss support.
Registrants are encouraged to form a team to raise funds. There will be prizes awarded to individuals and teams who raise the most money. Individuals who raise $100 or more will get a memorial marker with their loved one’s name displayed along the walk route. All money raised will stay in the community and benefit the Bereavement Center.
Food and refreshments will be provided the day of the walk and there will also be a vendor fair with a wide variety of items on display.
Please call 973-383-0115 ext. 131 for more information on how you can get involved. If you are unable to walk we always have need for volunteers to help out on the day of the event. On September 29, we will all walk together so that no one has to walk alone.
