Staff Reports
Call it smooth sailing in uncharted waters.
And call it a huge success at the virtual 34th Annual Our Hospice of South Central Indiana Labor Day Weekend Concert with Yacht Rock Revue Sept. 5.
The event, livestreamed on the Our Hospice Facebook page and YouTube.com channel, raised a record $157,000 plus, according to organizers. The previous record was $124,000 from 2019 and 2017.
The nonprofit Our Hospice, Indiana’s first such organization, cares for patients with life-limiting illnesses and their families.
The event generated 2,000 views and, since some viewers watched with friends or family, an estimated total audience of about 8,000 people, hospice leaders said.
“We are overwhelmed at the support we received and are very grateful for this outstanding response,” said Laura Leonard, president of Our Hospice of South Central Indiana. “With the unusual circumstances this year, we didn’t know what to expect.”
The free concert, normally held at Mill Race Park in downtown Columbus before 6,000 to 8,000 people, had to be held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were very pleased with the quality of the show Yacht Rock Revue brought to the stage,” Leonard said of the ensemble’s show streamed from the Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta, Georgia, where the group is based.
The band includes Columbus native and lead singer Nick Niespodziani and guitarist Peter Olson, both 1996 Columbus East High School graduates.
Leonard extended gratitude to Faurecia and Columbus Regional Health for sponsoring the concert. And she emphasized that fundraising this year was especially important because Our Hospice had launched a new service of palliative care.
“We are humbled by the tremendous support our communities demonstrated, especially with the limitations we had this year,” said Leonard. “We had to do many of our traditional fundraising activities differently and our staff worked very hard to think ‘out of the box’ and create new ways to reach people. Every fundraising event we held, tied to the concert, was a record for us and we are moved by the generosity of all who helped us achieve this unprecedented result. We hope to bring back many of these innovative activities again next year.”
Here’s a rundown of records and general fundraising:
• The American Legion Fish Fry raised a record $8,605 and fried 800 pounds of fish. The fish fry was sponsored by The American Legion Post No. 24, Silgas, 7K Farms, Honoring Veterans of Bartholomew County and Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
• The cookie sale raised a record $3,460 via more than 300 dozen cookies baked by staff and volunteers.
• The Tony London Company designed and distributed concert T-shirts sold for the cause.
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The 2020 Our Hospice of South Central Indiana raffle winners are:
- $10,000 — Kirk Thomas of Columbus
- $500 — Crissy Patrick of Osgood
- $250 Tom Gonter of Marietta, Georgia
- $150 Karen Riney of Columbus
- $100 Leslie Trobaugh of Columbus
The winning bidder of artist Donna Rosenberg’s original artwork entitled, ”Hot Fun in the Summertime” will be announced soon. The online auction ended Thursday.
The funds raised will assist in caring for our patients and families as Our Hospice aims to fulfill its mission: To Make Every Moment Count. In addition to providing additional support for patients and providing charitable care for patients who are uninsured or under-insured, the organization’s greatest needs for funds are to support three very important services:
• The Hospice Center, which serves patient and families needing a high level of care during an acute episode, for caregiver respite, and for families who need time to determine care-giving arrangements. The Hospice Center is not self-sustaining.
• Bereavement Services, a free 13-month grief support service for anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved-one. Bereavement services are not reimbursed.
• Palliative Care, a minimally reimbursed specialty for the ongoing care of patients enduring a chronic or acute condition, while undergoing curative care. Palliative Care is reimbursed at a rate of about 17 percent of Our Hospice’s cost.
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