The trees on Mission Hill outside Foyer Lacombe Hospice will once again be lit this Christmas season.
On Nov. 17, the St. Albert Sturgeon Hospice Association (SASHA) will officially light the trees for the third annual Lighting the Way fundraising event.
“Anyone who drives past Mission Hill will see those lights lit up. This is a reminder that not only is it an important time to honour people throughout the holiday season, but it is also a very beautiful reminder that we do live in a caring and compassionate community,” said Marcie Mazurenko, executive director of SASHA.
The event will take place at 6 p.m. at the Foyer Lacombe Hospice. Mazurenko said there will be a short program and they are hoping to get live entertainment such as people singing Christmas music.
"We've added additional light this year so new trees will be lit up and some of those will be very evident," she said
The event will be live-streamed for those who cannot make it in person.
The Lighting the Way event is sponsored by the business community, Mazurenko said, and the lights on the trees are sponsored by community members, local businesses, and organizations. Whole trees are available to be sponsored within a grove of 20 trees on the east side of the hospice, but individual bulbs are also available for $10.
“Every bulb sale counts,” she said.
People can also make contributions to SASHA in memory of someone, in honour of someone, or just to support the community as a whole. SASHA is hoping to raise $25,000.
The funds go toward supporting Foyer Lacombe, and to programs supporting people who have received a life-limiting illness diagnosis and their caregivers.
In the past, SASHA has supported patient comfort in Foyer Lacombe by renovating the tub room to be more like a spa, adding Broda chairs so people can be more comfortable and move around more easily in the hospice, and recently purchasing smart TVs for each room.
SASHA has programs like the Compassionate Care Volunteer Program. Volunteers spend time with families and offer compassionate care for clients, respite care for caregivers, or volunteers act as a resource to help individuals and families navigate end-of-life issues.
“We do some very high-level training of our volunteers and screening of our volunteers to make sure that they're a good match and a good fit for that program, and then they do spend time with families at any point in that journey, so it's a very, very powerful program,” said Mazurenko.
SASHA also gives out compassion bags for families.
“That was a project that came about during COVID-19 when we weren't able to get into the homes and be with our families,” she said.
The bags are filled with comfort items like handmade quilts, neck pillows, snacks, and personal items.
SASHA also offers hospice teas and Connect Cafes.
“(The cafés are) to educate our community on some of these end-of-life topics. It might be about end-of-life planning, or it might be about dementia care, or it might be about, you know, the importance of wills,” she said.
Lighting the Way was created by a board member to act as a fundraiser for SASHA programs and to have community impact.
“We realize that the holiday season can be very difficult for families who are facing this end-of-life journey or are on their end-of-life journey. The idea behind Lighting the Way was to bring some of that joy to not only to the residents of Foyer Lacombe and their families, but also to the entire community,” she said.
The trees surrounding Foyer Lacombe Hospice will be lit from Nov. 17, 2022 to Jan. 19, 2023.
Information on Lighting the Way and donations to the campaign can be made at canadahelps.org.
