Q. How did you decide to start volunteering with Hearts for Hospice? A. I shopped at the retail store for years; I always told the volunteers I was going to volunteer at the store when I retired. I am very passionate about hospice; I was a hospice nurse in Montana for 5 years and many family members have been on hospice. Q. What is your favorite part of volunteering with H4H? A. As a hospice volunteer I am still using my nursing skills and I enjoy connecting with customers. I know I am helping my neighbors. Volunteering also means I am a part of a team, I have met new people in my community. Q. If applicable, what is one of your favorite items that you've purchased? A. It is hard for me to name only one thing, I purchased a piece of furniture from the store that I especially love and use everyday. Q. What would you say to someone who is considering volunteering with us? A. Well I have encouraged others to volunteer (including my husband.) I would say it is an opportunity for social interaction, to meet new folks and belong to a group of volunteers that can move mountains. Q. What's a typical shift like at the shop? A. I am not sure if there is a typical day at the shop. Some days are busy and others are slower, however I always find things to do - dusting racks, tending to the flowers in the front of the shop, sweeping the sidewalk, bugging Vicki about something at the warehouse! Q. Have you had any particularly meaningful interactions with customers? A. I have had many meaningful interactions with customers, so often the change in someone's health seems sudden and at times unexpected. Families feel unprepared and need to talk to someone.  One of Cindy's treasured purchases from the shop!
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 At Hearts for Hospice, we have some very clever customers! Recently, a dear customer came in for one of her usual shopping trips. She noticed a maple magazine rack, and had a brilliant idea. What if she turned it into a cradle for her granddaughter's baby dolls?? With the help of her partner, they took what was once a magazine rack, and turned it into a darling playroom accessory that will be passed down for years to come! If you're looking for a DIY adventure, stop by Hearts for Hospice! Our inventory of unique, high-quality items is ever-changing, and you never know what inspiration you might stumble upon!     We are pleased to announce that Hearts for Hospice has established a scholarship program for students pursuing a course of study relating to our mission. Our mission is to support services and programs for:
Eligible majors include, but are not limited to: medicine, nursing, gerontology, psychology, social work, and counseling. Applications opened May 1, 2022, and are open to Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors, and Postgraduate students. For the 2022-2023 academic year, scholarship awards will be limited to students from only these five schools: Bushnell University, Lane Community College, Linn-Benton Community College, Umpqua Community College, and University of Oregon. ● Awards: Two scholarships @ $3000 ● Deadline: May 31, 2022 ● For eligibility information, procedures and the application, please visit our website!  We’ve all watched in horror at the situation in Ukraine, wishing there was something we could do to help. Well, the incredible Hearts for Hospice warehouse team, led by Gerry Roe, Paul Phillips & Michelle Harvey, found a tangible way to help. Over the years, H4H has donated medical items that we are unable to sell or items that are in abundance, including boxes of wound care, ostomy supplies, pressure relief cushions and much more. Even before the war in Ukraine began, H4H had been donating medical supplies to Ukraine, through the Nazarene Ministry out of Salem (this is just one of Gerry’s many medical community connections!) Through yet another connection, Gerry heard that the Springfield Ukrainian Church was gathering medical supplies, so she reached out to the church. They connected Gerry with Iryna, who was coordinating medical supplies and equipment through Medical Team International and Doctors Without Borders out of Portland. Iryna shared the immediate needs and told Gerry she could send a truck to collect any medical items H4H had to donate. Within a week, the H4H team had sorted a significant amount medical supplies into 11 boxes, ready to be loaded into the truck.
A semi-truck was sent to the warehouse to pick up the items collected. Our warehouse team worked with the Ukrainian driver to organize and load, then got a chance to rest and chat over some water and snacks. The driver expressed his gratitude for everything, knowing how much it would help his country. After his stop at our warehouse, he was headed to Eugene to pick up another donation before heading back to Portland. He shared that the smaller items will be taken by individuals traveling to Ukraine to help, while the larger items will be sent by cargo ship. (They had hoped to send more by cargo plane, but the cost was too high.)
While this endeavor reaches outside of our usual mission, our warehouse team is a passionate, resourceful group who saw an opportunity to help, and took it. We are so thankful for the dedicated volunteers who spend their time with us each week and connect us to opportunities like this.
Q. How did you decide to start volunteering with Hearts for Hospice? A. I decided to volunteer for H4H after the first time I visited the shop. I love second-handing and since the shop is so clean and presentable, l knew this would be a worthy place to volunteer. Q. What is your favorite part of volunteering with H4H? A. My favorite part with volunteering for H4H is what it stands for, along with the other volunteers and the sense of community it brings. I knew l was volunteering with like-minded individuals. Q. What would you say to someone who is considering volunteering with us? A. For someone interested in volunteering here, l would tell them that it is fun to work at the resale shop! And that we sign up for whichever shifts that we can do, so it is not like pay work with pressure. Q. What's a typical shift like at the shop? A. A typical shift includes playing interior decorator, cashiering (which for senior citizens can improve cognitive skills), finding new items the next week on your next shift, and meeting interesting people who come in to shop. Of course the discount volunteers get is a plus as well. Q. Tell us about some of the most meaningful interactions you've had with customers. A. The customers shopping for medical equipment are especially meaningful as they often have looked for certain medical items that they need, in kind of a hurry, and we have a good chance of having it either in the shop or warehouse and at a fraction of the cost! Q. What is one of your favorite items that you've purchased at the shop? A. I have many things l would call "treasures" that l've bought there, but l guess an original painting that was framed professionally that l bought for under 20 dollars has to be my favorite score.  Carol's favorite purchase from the Hearts for Hospice shop! Volunteer with us!
If you're interested in joining this fabulous team of volunteers, we are always accepting applications! Email ashley@heartsforhospiceoregon.org to learn of existing opportunities, or fill out an online application to get started!  Hearts for Hospice awards grants to non-profit organizations in the greater Eugene-Springfield area that align with our mission: to support hospice, palliative care and related services, grief support programs and end-of-life education.
Grant applications are received in November, and funded in February. We are pleased to announce that as of February 2022, Hearts for Hospice has given $392,197 in grants to local hospice organizations since our inception in 2011. By shopping at Hearts for Hospice, YOU have an important hand in funding grants year after year. Thank you! 2022 Grant Recipients:
As I was tinkering around my house over the holidays, I had a fun realization - I have a LOT of treasures from Hearts for Hospice. And most of these treasures are quite functional and used on a regular basis. (Curious? See photo gallery below!) This realization made me want to shout from my rooftop - if you're not shopping at Hearts for Hospice, why in the world not?? In case you need convincing, here are 4 reasons why you should visit Hearts for Hospice on your next shopping trip: 1. You're shopping for a good cause. Our operating costs are low, which means that the majority of our profits go directly to support local hospice organizations. All of our items (clothing, housewares, furniture, jewelry, medical equipment) are donated to us, and we are staffed by a team of dedicated volunteers. 2. The items are unique. When you buy something from Hearts for Hospice, it's unlikely you'll see the same item at your friend's house. Because our items are donated, its not often that we get two of the same item. Seriously - tell me how many of your friends are also going to have an oval-shaped painting of two owls? (see gallery below.) 3. Every item has a story. I love the idea that every item I buy has already lived a life with someone else. How many dinners have these candlesticks seen? How many celebratory cakes have been displayed in this cake stand? I feel like I'm carrying on a piece of history with each item. 4. Bargain prices. Items are priced to sell, and discounts are frequent. Whether you're just in the mood to shop, or you're searching for something in particular, there's a good chance that Hearts for Hospice has something for you! Our shop is powered by friendly volunteers who are always happy to help! Hearts for Hospice 444 Main St, Springfield OR Open Wed-Sat, 10am-4pm 541-505-9232  Do you have an unused van that is just taking up space? We'd be happy to take it off of your hands and put it to good use in our community! Here's why...
If you've ever been in the alley behind the Hearts for Hospice shop, you may have noticed an old, tan van sitting there. While it is old and unsightly, this van is actually one of our most treasured assets! Before COVID-19, we used the van as a storage unit, holding donations until we could sort them and put them out for sale in the shop. Now, in our "new normal", we are setting all donations in our warehouse to "air out" for 72 hours before bringing them back to the shop to be put out for sale. This requires us to move donations from the shop to the warehouse and back multiple times per week. While tedious, this system was working fine... until the old tan van's battery quit working! After a check-up from a trusted local mechanic, we realized additional repairs were necessary and we were looking at a laundry list of needed repairs to keep this thing running safely. So, like we mentioned previously, we are in need of a new van. We don't need anything special, it doesn't even have to be tan :) We just have one requirement: we need a van that is reliable. If you have a vehicle that might be the right one for the job, we'd love to chat with you! Please email ashley@heartsforhospiceoregon.org or call 541-505-9232. **UPDATE! We are the proud owners of a beautiful new van! A generous couple from the community heard of our need, and funded the purchase of a new-to-us minivan. We sure do love this community! |
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