We are pleased to announce that the 9th annual Women Swimmin' for Hospicare will take place on Saturday, August 18, 2012 at the Ithaca Yacht Club.

 

To ensure that the event remains safe and fun for all, there will be no "rain date" for the swim. This is because we rely on the help of more than 200 volunteers and many other important support services and are unable to ensure full participation of all the volunteers and services vital to the safety of the event on two consecutive days.

 

Registration for swimmers and boaters will open in early May. Stay tuned for more details. If you'd like to be added to our e-mail list to receive updates, please contact us at info@womenswimmin.org.

 

Women Swimmin' is a community swim (not a race!) across Cayuga Lake for women ages 18 and over. Together we raise funds which will go directly to support patient and family services here in Tompkins County. Thank you so much for your support!

 

Thank you so much for your interest in Women Swimmin' for Hospicare!

Save the Date!

Founder and Director of the International Harp Therapy Program (and accredited Music Therapist) Christina Tourin will be visiting Ithaca on Friday, March 30.

Christina will be hosted by Hospicare and is a visiting guest as part of Cornell University's Robinson Appel Humanitarian Award. This grant was written by longtime Hospicare volunteer and Cornell graduate Eric Woods. We are delighted to be able to use it to bring Christina to Ithaca. We are working on a program that will include presentations on the field of harp therapy and music at the bedside in general, Q & A, and an evening concert with an informal talk afterwards.

The International Harp Therapy Program web site (www.harprealm.com) has this to say about music and bedside playing:

"For centuries, the beneficial relationship between music and healing has been well established. We now have substantial documentation of the responsiveness to and appreciation of music by peoples of all ages and cultures. Music played on the harp has several unique healing properties. The resonance from the strings, including the range of pitch and tonal color, set up an important relationship between the sound and the recipient. Historically, the harp has been a symbol of relief and comfort."

Please save the date!  Details will be available soon. For further information, contact Jayne Demakos, Hospicare Music Coordinator, at jdemakos@hospicare.org.

Writer, historian, and former Hospicare board member Carol Kammen is the playwright behind Peaches and Bird, an original work with staged readings scheduled for Sunday, March 4th, and Tuesday, March 6th, at 7:30 PM at the Kitchen Theatre.

Directing the production is Sue Perlgut, also known for her documentary Beets and Beans: Living and Dying with Hospice.

There will be talkbacks after the performances, featuring Hospicare staff and those involved with the play. Representing Hospicare will be Dale Johnson, Executive Director; Pauline Cameron, Director of Patient Services; and Donna George, Manager of Bereavement Services.

Peaches and Bird is a moving piece about women's friendship, its loss, end-of-life care, and laughter and joy. It is supported in part by a grant from the Legacy Foundation.

Tickets are $15 and can be obtained in a variety of ways: through The Ticket Center (171 The Commons, 607-273-4497), at the door, and online at www.KitchenTheatre.org/sink.htm.

We would like to extend heartfelt gratitude to Russell Nalley, Jr., and to all the local establishments that hosted donation containers in support of his new annual fundraising event, "Nancy's Quest."

In December of 2010, Russell lost his fiancee, Nancy Wright, to endometrial cancer -- a form of cancer which has received relatively little research attention. In her memory, Russell founded Nancy's Quest, which takes place throughout August, Nancy's birth month.

Nancy was co-owner of Americana Vineyards and well known in the local wine industry, so a number of wineries and related vendors volunteered to collect donations. The total was divided evenly into gifts to Hospicare, the Cancer Resource Center, and the American Cancer Society, each in the amount of $435.

We are grateful for this gesture of goodwill, and wish to join Russell in thanking the establishments that helped make Nancy's Quest a success, in its first of what is hoped will be many years:

Long Point Winery, Americana Vineyards, Bellwether Hard Cider, Cayuga Lake Creamery, Lucas Vineyards, Hosmer Winery, Montezuma Winery, Swedish Hill Vineyard, Cobblestone Farm Winery and Vineyard, Knapp Winery, Goose Watch Winery, Buttonwood Grove Winery, Cayuga Ridge Estate Winery, Thirsty Owl Wine Company, Sheldrake Point Vineyard, Six Mile Creek Vineyard, and King Ferry Winery.

From February through May, at 3 PM on the first Sunday of each month, Buffalo Street Books will be hosting a reading group focusing on grief memoirs.

Each session will feature a current bestselling work that deals with grief and loss from a different angle:

• February 5th - History of a Suicide by Jill Bialosky
• March 4th - [sic]: A Memoir by Joshua Cody
• April 1st - Blue Nights by Joan Didion
• May 6th - Two Kisses for Maddy by Matt Logelin

Please visit the Buffalo Street Books web site (www.buffalostreetbooks.com/) for more information.

Hospicare staff and volunteers recently attended a screening of Wit at the Nina K. Miller Hospicare Center. Shirley Weeks, a volunteer, shared her thoughts on the film in the following review:

The first hint of an enjoyable evening was the smell of freshly popped corn that greeted Hospicare volunteers and staff as we gathered to view the movie Wit, by director Mike Nichols, starring Emma Thompson ("Vivian" in the movie). The second hint was a variety of popcorn toppings and other finger food on the table with tea, soda and water to quench the thirst.

No one was bashful as we visited together while we got our "bowls" of popcorn, some crackers and/or cookies and took our seats in front of the movie screen. Lights dimmed, conversation halted and everyone waited for the first lines of the opening scenes.

Read the whole story as a PDF here.

February dates include:

• Mindfulness Practice - Wednesdays; 7:30-9:00 PM
• Women Singin' - February 7; 5:30-7:00 PM  
• Evening Bereavement Support Group - February 1 & 15; 5:30-7:00 PM
• Continuing Bonds Support Group - February 7 & 21; 5:30-7:00 PM
• Registration Deadline for "Grief 101: For Grievers" - February 10; 4:30 PM (event occurs February 16) 
• Tuesday Lunch Group - February 14; 12:00 PM
• Wednesday Breakfast Group - February 22; 8:30 AM