High Country Health Care Hospice Plans Several Fundraisers

By Allison Canter

High Country Health Care Hospice System, a private non-profit community based, home health care

organization, has been in the business of providing home health services to Alleghany, Ashe and Watauga counties for over 30 years. In order to provide good services in the home at a reasonable cost to residents, hospice has several fund raisers each year. For the past five years, the High Country Health Care System, Ashe program, has had a flea market at various locations in Ashe.

The biggest fund-raiser, the annual flea market, will be held at the Old West Jefferson School Gym on Friday, Aug. 28, and Saturday, Aug. 29, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Friday, an early bird preview will be held from 7 to 9 a.m. with a $3 admission charge.

Some of the items offered will be clothing, children's items, houseware, furniture and books. Some new items were donated to High Country Hospice after Mountain Décor in Boone closed this past winter. All proceeds will go to Hospice patient care.

Some of the Hospice services include registered nurses available each day of the year, clinical social workers, certified nursing assistants, spiritual support, volunteer support, bereavement support, medications related to terminal illness, standard medical equipment and other services as needed.

"High Country Hospice is very proud of all our hospice aides and appreciates the caring and compassion shown to our patients. We receive many complimentary notes from Hospice patients who 'could not do without their angels'," said executive director Nancy Metzger.

Hospice volunteer Shelby Roten has been helping with the flea market for many years and said she remembers one year when a lady donated her husband's piggy bank that had been collecting change for years. Whoever could guess the amount closest won the change. The winner donated half of the change back to Hospice.

Other upcoming fund raisers will include the fall ball, which will be held Saturday, Sept. 19, from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock, featuring food, music, dancing, a silent auction and live auctions. High Country Hospice will have a booth at the free Mountain Heritage Festival on Saturday, Sept. 19, on Main Street in Sparta, where they will offer information about Hospice and be selling butterfly ornaments. The butterfly ornaments are made of recycled paper containing wildflower seeds.

"We designed the butterfly shape, which is the Hospice symbol, representing the different stages of life," said Candice Cook, marketer for High Country Hospice. "The Hospice volunteers attach a Hospice tag with a raffia bow to the ornaments with the saying, 'Hang this butterfly on your tree to remember your loved one. Plant it in the spring and watch your memories bloom.'"

Hospice is currently in need of Ensure, unscented lotions and shampoo for their patients, according to Cook.
To find out about upcoming grief support groups in Ashe County, call Jennifer Johnson at (336) 246-6443. For more information about the Alleghany County program, call Mary Lee at (336) 372-8018.

To find more information on upcoming events, Hospice's services and how you can help, click to www.highcountryhospice.org.