Deaconess VNA Plus hosted its fourth "Giving Thanks Gala" on Friday,

Pat O'Daniel is presented with the Lydia Metz Family Caregiving Award by Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke at the recent Gala.

November 21 at the Evansville Country Club. The annual event was created to express appreciation to critical partners in our mission of compassionate care; and also to raise funds to help support that mission.   

 

This year, the honorees in each category were: 

• The Dr. Edwin Walker Award for Medical Community Partnership, to Dr. Douglas Hatler, one of our Hospice medical directors, for his dedication to this special type of care.
• The James R. Duncan Award for Loyal Dedicated Support and Outreach, to Freida and John Henneberger, in recognition of Freida's loyal Board membership and community outreach efforts; and for both of their financial support.
• The Lydia Metz Award for Family Caregiving, to D. Patrick O'Daniel, who helped care for his wife, Deaconess VNA Plus Hospice patient, Rosemary O'Daniel.

As a not-for-profit agency, the need for our services exceeds our resources every year. To learn more about how you can help us provide more care to more people in our communities, please call the Development Department at 812-425-3561 or 800-326-4862 or visit the Donations page of our website.  

Deaconess VNA Plus client, Dorothy Stone is looking forward to having her son, Richard, his brothers and additional family members in her home for the holidays.

Dorothy Stone loves the Ohio River.

An Evansville native, she spent six of her early childhood years living on First Street in close proximity to the river; and in 1994, she chose her current home on Riverside Drive for the amazing river view it provides. It is a home she is not ready to give up...and thanks to services from Deaconess VNA Plus, she feels secure in her decision to stay. "I like having someone here, especially at night," she says, adding, "It's more settling to know I'm not alone."

Although Mrs. Stone has a sister plus nieces and nephews who live in Evansville and frequently visit, all four of her sons live out of town. Her son, Richard, notes, "It has given us peace of mind to know that our mother is being taken care of. We've been impressed with the Agency's ability to provide good people and to help us fill in the gaps in Mom's care." Mrs. Stone is looking forward to welcoming her children, spouses, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to her home for the holidays where they can all enjoy the view...and simply enjoy being together.

We count among our blessings this holiday season the employees of Uniseal, who raised more than $4,000 worth of gifts for our Hospice program!

Uniseal employee, Carol Grant, was so impressed by the care Deaconess VNA Plus provided to her mother (and particularly by Hospice nurse, Laura Spoon), she decided to organize a variety of fund-raisers, including a "bucket challenge" completed by the company's president, Brandon Willis. Carol also conducted a drive for staple items to fill the kitchen pantry in the John and Betty Charlier Hospice Center; several boxes and bags were delivered by the Uniseal staff when they visited the Evansville Deaconess VNA Plus office recently.

We thank all of the employees who contributed to this effort, and especially to Carol for her generosity of spirit!

 

Gloria Horton, Deaconess VNA Plus Executive Director

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