The Bridge Hospice » Media Reports

Watershed Magazine Article on The Bridge Hospice

Madeline — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:25:15 +0000

A DREAM COMES TRUE

by Paul Dalby

Death. There now, we’ve said it. Not ‘Passing Away’, or ‘Going to a better place’. It’s the end of life and we should be able to meet it with grace and dignity. That belief drove three determined women to campaign for a new residential hospice for the dying in the Village of Warkworth. They succeeded against all odds.

Read the rest of the story at Watershed Magazine

Bank Donates to Warkworth’s Bridge Hospice

charlton — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 23:01:26 +0000

Jan 13, 2011
By EMC News

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EMC News – Warkworth Gabriele Hess, Branch Manager for Warkworth/Hastings, RBC Royal Bank of Canada presented a cheque for $3,500 to The Bridge Hospice in Warkworth. Gabriele stated that RBC is passionate about helping our communities.

She acknowledged that The Bridge Hospice is dedicated to building the first residential hospice for Northumberland County and is committed to providing compassionate care to the terminally ill and their families.

Ms Hess thanked Vicki Vannieuwenhuyze and Dianne Mechetuk in particular, for all the time and energy they have given to this great cause.

Dr. Bob Henderson (Chair of the Board of The Bridge Hospice) and Martin Hare (treasurer) gratefully accepted the cheque. It is through the enthusiastic support of the corporate community, as well as individuals that The Bridge Hospice has been able to raise over $300,000 to build a residential hospice for the people of Trent Hills and Northumberland County.

The Bridge Hospice purchased an acre of land on Old Hastings Road, in Warkworth, and is now working with an architect on plans for a three-bedroom residential hospice. Construction is expected to start in the spring of 2011. The hospice will be open in the fall of 2011 for patients.

Wind in the Willows at Warkworth

charlton — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:56:36 +0000

Dec 2, 2010
By Ray Yurkowski, EMC

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Actor Tom McCamus will be reading The Wind in the Willows at the Warkworth Town Hall, a benefit event in support of The Bridge Hospice.

EMC Lifestyles – Warkworth – Beverly Roy, who has a penchant for presenting fund-raising events extraordinaire, is bringing award-winning Canadian film and theatre actor Tom McCamus to the Town Hall Centre for the Arts for a reading of the children’s literary classic, The Wind in the Willows.

“What better way to bring people of all ages together for enjoyment and a good cause,” says Roy.

“The Wind in the Willows is an amazing story and Tom McCamus has the ability to bring it to life in a venue that will catch the imagination of all ages.

“The idea of having someone read a story that will bring joy and warm thoughts to the audience is a powerful way to add to the community spirit at this festive time of year.”

The hall will be decorated in the theme of the book and McCamus will be on stage in a festive holiday motif promises Roy. Refreshments will be available at the end of the reading.

The event is in support of the first residential hospice in Northumberland County, to be built next year at the corner of Old Hastings Road and County Road 25. The Bridge Hospice will serve the residents of the entire area free of charge. As well, the hospice will be co-operating with the local health care providers to ensure a seamless transition between services. The focus will be on the patient and family and about making a difficult time as comfortable as possible for everyone.

The Wind in the Willows reading will be held on December 18 at 7 p.m. Tickets, adults $10, kids $5, are available at the Eclectic Mix in Warkworth or by calling Bev Roy at 705-924-9232.

Running for a cause

charlton — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 18:28:50 +0000

W8-Bridge Hospice Run set for Oct. 16
By Sue Dickens, Community Press

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Warkworth — Whether you are a novice or professional, young or “young at heart,” the countdown has begun to sign up for the sixth annual W8-Bridge Hospice Run.

Founder of the race Bryce Miller, a local pharmacist and a runner himself, said the event is a “good opportunity to help the bridge hospice and get to the other side of the coin — rather than being a participant, I thought I would organize the fundraising run.”

Miller, who has run in number of marathons, including in Dallas, Montreal and Ottawa, also has a personal reason for organizing and participating in the event. The event is in memory of his mother who died the age of 59 from lung cancer.

Originally set up as a fundraiser for the Warkworth Service Club, the race eventually became a fundraiser for the Bridge Hospice which will provide a residential hospice serving Trent Hills and the surrounding area.

Fitness is an important part of the event, said Brenda Partridge, a member of the Warkworth Service Club who is assisting with the organization of the event.

“The trails are amazing,” said Partridge. “Fitness is important and we are providing an opportunity for kids and adults alike to train and get in shape,” she added.

The 13-km race winds through village streets before heading out of town to eventually join the Millennium Trail.

“Last year we added a five-km race because a lot of people can’t do the longer one,” said Miller.

New this year is a one-km race for children.

“If we can get the kids to get into the race, running could become part of their lifestyle,” said Miller.

For the second year in a row, Cait Lynch, owner and trainer of Customfit Vitality, will enter the race along with approximately 50 clients in her program.

“The run is an excellent cause and I am interested in supporting local events,” she said.

Last year, she and about 35 women from her program participated in the fundraiser.

“We cater to everyone from couch potatoes to experienced runners,” she said, adding taking part in a fundraising event such as the W8-Bridge Hospice Run, gives them a chance to compete and be part of their community.

The sixth annual W8-Bridge Hospice Run will be held Oct. 16 starting at the Warkworth Arena. Registration is at 8 a.m. with the new one-km Race for Kids at 9 a.m.

There is a video online about the race which readers can view at: www.warkworth.ca

For more information, call 705-924-1414 or register online at: www.thebridgehospice.com

A stylish affair

charlton — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 19:05:21 +0000

Fashion show raises funds for Bridge Hospice
By Megan Abraham, Community Press

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Warkworth — Models strutted down the runway for a good cause last Saturday.

Girls Night Out Fashion Show organizer Bev Roy says she was “blown out of the water” by the enthusiastic 135-person audience that came out for a night of fine fashion at the Warkworth Town Hall Centre for the Arts.

“I expected 60 to 80 people, but the tickets just started to fly. The place was packed. I was thrilled,” she said.

Ten local volunteers — seven women and three men — modelled fashions from Carol Pare’s Brighton clothing store, Dragonfly, to raise money for Bridge Hospice, Roy said.

Models took to the catwalk wearing formal gowns, swimwear, casual and a style Roy coined “funky-casual” during the event.

“The models were fabulous, they devoted a lot of time,” she said. “They were just excellent.”

As a member of a committee for hospice, Roy said, she’s periodically challenged to come up with entertaining fundraisers.

“I was in Carol’s store one day and I said, ‘you should really have a fashion show,’” Roy recalled, adding the idea evolved from there.

Although this was Roy’s first show, she said she feels the event was a complete success, raising about $1,800 for Hospice.

“The crowd was so involved, the response was over the top,” she said. “At the end they gave it a standing ovation. It made my day.”

Roy even found the time, and the gumption, to take a walk down the runway herself.

“It was so much fun,” she said. “I had the time of my life.”

The Bridge Hospice closes in on their fund-raising goal

charlton — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:11:37 +0000

Chair of the Board of Directors Dr. Bob Henderson takes a practice swing at the first-ever Bridge Hospice golf tournament held last weekend at Pine Ridge Golf Course. Photo Ray Yurkowski EMC

by Ray Yurkowski, EMC News

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The Bridge Hospice fund-raising committee held their first-ever golf tournament last weekend to come a little closer to building the first residential hospice in Northumberland County.

“For a first year tournament, it went extremely well,” said treasurer Martin Hare. The fund raiser attracted 58 golfers as well as an additional 28 dinner guests after the day on the links. The three-bedroom residential hospice is now about $56,500 away from realizing the start of construction on April 1, 2011.

“We hope to have it open by September of next year,” said fund-raising chair, Dr. Bob Stephens.

But the Bridge Hospice fund-raising team isn’t done yet. They have two more events coming up in the next couple of months. The first, a fashion show, is slated for September 18 at the Town Hall in Warkworth. Advertised as a “girls night out,” organizer Bev Roy says it’s an event you don’t want to miss.

“We’re calling it ‘Girls Night Out’ but you can bring your man,” she said with a laugh. “It’s going to be an amazing show. We’re using local young girls for models, I’m having a professional runway built and there’s going to be lots of lights and music.”

Cocktail hour starts at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at Eclectic Mix in Warkworth, Dragonfly in Brighton or by calling Roy at 705-924-9232.

The sixth annual W8-Bridge Hospice Run will be held on October 16. The 13-kilometre run covers a challenging mix of gravel, paved roads and winding woodland trails starting at 9 a.m. at the Warkworth Arena.

There will be three courses available at the event. New this year is the one-kilometre run for kids ages ten and under as well as the usual five-kilometre and 13-kilometre runs for older age groups.

The number of entries is growing each year. Last year, The Bridge Hospice Run attracted up to 80 participants including some of the top 13-kilometre runners in eastern Ontario. Registration can be completed online at as well as at the arena on the day of the race.

Palliative care is at an important crossroads in Canada. The field has grown in importance and public support since the introduction of programs at hospitals in Winnipeg and Montreal more than three decades ago.

The Bridge Hospice will serve the residents of the entire area free of charge and will provide a serene, home-like setting says a media release. As well, the hospice will be co-operating with the local health care providers to ensure a seamless transition between services. The focus will be on the patient and family and about making a difficult time as comfortable as possible for everyone.

The Bridge Hospice is a registered charity and tax receipts are available. If you want to volunteer or make a donation call 705-924-9222 or visit online for more information.

OMB hearing on rezoning for hospice set for May 25

charlton — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:24:50 +0000

By John Campbell, Community Press
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Warkworth – The Bridge Hospice is just $88,000 – and an Ontario Municipal Board hearing – away from realizing its dream of building Northumberland County’s first residential hospice.

More attention was paid at the hospice’s annual general meeting last Sunday to the organization’s hugely successful fundraising efforts than the fly in the ointment represented by the OMB hearing.

With good reason: It’s “been a remarkable year for Bridge Hospice,” outgoing chair Dr. Cheryl Gibson said. “At last year’s annual meeting we had $40,000 and a dream … We now have over $200,000, and we hope to start building this year.”

The one-acre site is “a perfect spot” on Old Hastings Road that’s been rezoned but which is now the subject of an appeal by a neighbour, Don Dudley. The hearing is scheduled for May 25, Gibson told the gathering of close to 40 people at the Town Hall Centre for the Arts.

Among those present was Dudley who spoke to The Community Press afterward.

“The appeal is based on water pressure,” he said. “For the record I am not against the hospice.”

Dudley explained he was looking to develop five building lots in the same area as the proposed hospice is located but had been told by the municipality that there is an “inadequate supply” of water to serve his lots and that Old Hastings Road “was subject to negative pressure” which poses “a real threat of contamination.”

If that’s the case, “then there shouldn’t be any development,” including construction of the hospice, Dudley said.

He’s been in discussions with Trent Hills director of planning Jim Peters to try to resolve the matter. He said the municipality plans to build a pumping station that will address the issue of water pressure “for health and safety reasons” and to supply a major subdivision that’s been planned nearby in the village.

Dudley said he told Peters that “as soon as that was resolved (and) there was adequate supply for (him) as well as anybody else,” then he would have “no objections” to the rezoning.

Dudley said he has been given “the go-ahead to develop two lots … with the understanding that this new pumping station is going in.

“I’m hoping that we don’t have to continue with the appeal,” he said. “I want confirmation from the municipality that our lots are going to be treated the same way as the hospice, that’s all I’m asking for. We started in 2007 the process of getting our property developed and I think we’ve been reasonable in waiting.”

While the municipality has been working on a solution that would remove the need for the OMB hearing, Bridge Hospice has been busy raising the funding required to build and operate a 1.500-square-foot hospice with three bedrooms: $300,000 for construction, $50,000 for furnishings and equipment, and $50,000 for startup costs, including wages for staff.

With Warkworth Community Foundation having committed $50,000 to the project ,$88,000 remains to be raised, said Dr. Bob Stephens, chair of the fundraising committee.

Stephens said Bridge Hospice will need to come up with a plan prior to construction to show the foundation the hospice will be “run efficiently and in the black,” whether or not government funding is provided for its operations

Warkworth Black and White Ball to benefit Bridge Hospice

charlton — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:28:16 +0000

BY MOYA DILLON, THE INDEPENDENT
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WARKWORTH — Guests can have a great time while supporting a local cause at this year’s Black and White Ball.

The annual Warkworth event is celebrating its fifth successful year in the community. Although funds raised from the gala normally go to the Warkworth Town Hall Centre for the Arts, this year all proceeds will be donated to The Bridge Hospice.

“I think it’s an amazing cause,” said organizer Bev Roy. “Because they’re planning to build the hospice this year, I thought we’d support them.”

Ms. Roy recalls the day she initially proposed the idea of holding a fundraising ball in Warkworth.

“Everyone said a ball here wouldn’t work, that no one would go,” she recalls. “When someone tells me I can’t do something, that’s just a challenge for me. Since then the event has been wildly successful every year.”

The Black and White Ball raised about $4,000 in 2009, and has contributed more than $10,000 to the Town Hall over the past five years.

“Every year I’m amazed at the results,” Ms. Roy said. “I can’t believe it’s been such a success. And every year it grows, so this year I’m hoping we’ll be able to raise a significant amount.”

The Black and White Ball is Saturday, May 29 at 7 p.m. at the Warkworth Town Hall Centre for the Arts. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased at Eclectic Mix in Warkworth, the Trent Hills Chamber of Commerce in Campbellford or by phoning Ms. Roy at 705-924-9232.

Bridge Hospice group aims to start construction

charlton — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 13:02:09 +0000

Goal only has $88,000 left to raise

BY MOYA DILLON, THE INDEPENDENT
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WARKWORTH — The board of the planned Bridge Hospice in Warkworth celebrated a successful year of fundraising that has them just $88,000 short of their goal.

“A year ago we had $40,000 and a dream,” said board chairwoman, Dr. Cheryl Gibson at the hospice group’s Annual General Meeting, held on Sunday, April 25 at the Warkworth Town Hall Centre for the Arts.

“Now we’re over $200,000 and hope to start building. This has been a remarkable year for The Bridge Hospice.”

The volunteer initiative wants to raise $350,000 to build a residential hospice in Warkworth. So far the group has succeeded in collecting $138,500 and has also received pledges totalling more than $60,000, bringing the fundraising total to $205,581.

“It’s been a great, great year,” said treasurer Martin Hare, citing donations from Warkworth residents, fundraising activities and donations from estates as vital to the campaign.

Moving forward, the group is focusing on beginning construction on the hospice this year. To do that, fundraising chair Dr. Bob Stephens says an additional $88,000 needs to be raised in 2010. That would take the group to its goal and also meet the requirements placed on a $50,000 pledge from the Warkworth Foundation which promised $25,000 in a direct gift and an additional $25,000 if The Bridge Hospice group can raise an equivalent amount in community donations and meet their $250,000 construction pool goal.

In order to begin construction, Dr. Stephens explained, the group needs to raise the additional $88,000 and decide on a plan to meet operating costs.

“We need to decide how we can ensure constituents that we have a plan,” Dr. Stephens said. “We need a working plan to run the hospice effectively and efficiently and in the black.”

He also mentioned several upcoming fundraising events for The Bridge, including the Warkworth Black and White Ball on Saturday, May 29, a golf tournament to be held in August and the annual Run for the Bridge Hospice, held in October.

For more information on The Bridge Hospice or to donate, visit www.thebridgehospice.com.

Bridge Hospice hosts friend-raiser reception

charlton — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:42:05 +0000

Northumberland Today – 26 Mar 2010
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The Warkworth Town Hall Centre for the Arts was filled to capacity on Saturday evening, March 20 for an elegant wine and cheese reception hosted by The Bridge Hospice. The hall was transformed by Bev Roy and her decorating crew into an upscale night club for the unveiling of the plans for a residential hospice to be built in Warkworth later this year.

Background music for the evening was provided by jazz vocalist Chelsey Bennett of Campbellford, accompanied by Rob Phillips.

Bridge Hospice chair Dr. Cheryl Gibson welcomed the guests to a “friend-raiser” to celebrate the hard-working group’s progress toward the goal of a freestanding residential hospice for Northumberland County. The hospice will offer those in the last stages of life and their families a homey and comfortable place to live and die with dignity, all supported by caring professionals and volunteers. Gibson introduced the three nurses, Pauline Faull, Lynda Pecora, and Rosaleen Dunne, whose vision provided the inspiration for the formation of The Bridge Hospice.

A brief video followed, explaining the benefits of a hospice to a caregiver and her gratitude for the support of a hospice and its staff in her loved one’s final days.

Bridge Hospice fundraising chair Dr. Bob Stephens, then reported that the committee has received over $200,000 of the $350,000 goal. He introduced Aureen Richardson, a major donor and thanked her again for her generosity. The Warkworth Community Foundation, another major donor, has allocated $25,000 to the Hospice plus another $25,000 in matching funds. Stephens challenged the guests to help the committee achieve the Foundation’s terms.

More information on The Bridge Hospice and a pledge form is available online at www.thebridgehospice.comor by calling 705-924-9222.