Hospice and Palliative Care of Kodiak has opened its doors and been providing services to the Kodiak community since April of 2013. We provide a range of free support services to families facing life-threatening illness and loss including; respite care, transportation, errands, and in home tasks. We also have a Spiritual Care team, visitors program, and we will be offering bereavement services to families for 13 months following the death of a loved one.

     Hospice began its formation in 2011 with a group of community members who saw the need to support families caring for end-of-life loved ones at home. This 5 member board received support from a number of community organizations including the Kodiak Senior Center, Kodiak Area Native Association and Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center who donated office space, human resource assistance and a grant to help get the organization started. It took almost two years to complete the paperwork and training needed to begin providing services.    

The program currently has 19 trained volunteers available to serve clients. There are other volunteers who assist with training and special event planning and preparation. The Hospice of Kodiak Board of Directors consists of 9 members. President Kathy Nussbaum, Vice President Jessica Skonberg, Secretary Alan Schmitt, Treasurer Jenny Stevens, Chaplain Elden Simonson, Jacque Jones, Elaine Loomis- Olsen, Kathyrnn Hollis-Buchanan, and Gary Elmore. The Hospice Director and Volunteer Coordinator is Christy Kamai.

Because our services are free of charge, we are required to raise 100% of the funding needed to sustain our program. Our biggest fundraiser is an annual Heart For Hospice Ball which provides local businesses, organizations and individuals a chance to sponsor this popular event. This year's valentine themed evening featured fine dining from the Kodiak Inn, entertainment by the Dan Mac Trio, dancing, a dessert auction, a raffle and door prizes donated by 23 local businesses. Watch for Heart for Hospice Ball 2014 and other fundraisers that benefit this important community organization.

For more information about our services or becoming a volunteer please call Christy Kamai at 481-2450, visit our website at www.hospiceofkodiak.org or email us directly at info@hospiceofkodiak.org. We can also be found on Facebook.

How Businesses Use the Internet & Social Media Marketing

    Here are some interesting statistics on how businesses use the Internet and social media to attract and connect with consumers.

    As you glance at these figures compiled by Digital Sherpa (digitalsherpa.com) you'll see that Kodiak is NOT the norm. But more and more local businesses are getting online.

     A useful tool for helping people understand your business or for you to understand things on the Internet is what's called an "Infographic." A portion of Digital Sherpa's Infographic summary of Internet usage and social media is shown here. That's the source of the information in this article.

You can see the entire interesting and informative Infographicby clicking on this link 

Here are some interesting statistics about businesses.

Here are some common mistakes small businesses make on their websites: