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| News & Events |
| October 10, 2006
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| PELLEGRINO AND MURPHY HELP BUILD HOSPICE HOUSE |
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 Niagara Hospice has announced that WKBW-TV personalities Linda Pellegrino, host of AM Buffalo and PM Buffalo, and 7 Sports Director and radio voice of the Buffalo Bills, John Murphy will serve as Honorary Co-chairs of the “Wings of Serenity” fundraising campaign to build Niagara Hospice House. “The quiet phase of the campaign got off to an incredibly fast start thanks in large part to several key donors, our board members and our wonderful volunteers and staff,” said Anthony Battaglia, Director of Development for Niagara Hospice. “We are happy to count Linda and John among our supporters during the public phase of the campaign as we ask the community to help build Niagara Hospice House - and be part of a legacy for years to come.”
 “Both Linda and John have a respected history with Niagara Hospice and a sincere interest in our work, making them the perfect Chairs for this campaign,” stated Hospice Director of Marketing and Public Relations, Patricia Degan. Linda Pellegrino served as Niagara Hospice spokesperson in 2003 and has continued to support Niagara Hospice through many segments on Channel 7’s AM Buffalo to promote hospice programs such as Camp Hope, the Super Teen Volunteer program, and several fundraisers. She also starred in a performance of “Love Letters” with Steve Tasker of the Buffalo Bills in 2003 to benefit Niagara Hospice. Linda’s mother was a 15-year hospice volunteer in Rockland County, New York and at the local hospice in New Jersey where she now lives. “I’m happy to carry on the tradition my mother started by advocating for hospice care and the need for a Hospice House in Niagara County,” said Pellegrino.
John Murphy is very familiar with Niagara Hospice having served on the Niagara Hospice board of directors Advisory Committee in the early years. He is a Niagara County native of Lockport and has served as a spokesperson for the hospices of Western New York. “It’s a privilege to be part of something so needed that will benefit so many,” stated Murphy. “Niagara Hospice House will provide a service that Niagara County has been lacking for years – a home-like residence specifically designed for the terminally ill,” he said. Degan said specific measures are being taken to ensure a home-like, rather than an institutional setting. “One of the projects we are currently working on is obtaining professional quality photographs of various sites throughout Niagara County. These will be used to decorate patient rooms, bringing Niagara County inside and providing a temporary distraction as families recognize places they have gone or grew up in,” said Degan.
Niagara Hospice House will be Niagara County’s only residential hospice house, providing hospice services to patients and their families who are not able to receive home hospice care. The residence is being built on property already owned by Niagara Hospice at its campus in Lockport, New York. The cost of building the facility will be paid for through the “Wings of Serenity” fundraising campaign.
The new facility will be 24,000 square feet and will cost about $4.5 million to build. It will contain two wings. The “Hope Residence” wing will hold eight suites specifically designed for patients who need residential hospice care. The “Sunset Haven” wing will have ten suites designed for patients needing short-term medical monitoring and symptom management, but don’t require hospitalization.
 “We’ve been dreaming of this facility since we founded Niagara Hospice in the 1980’s. We know it’s needed and we know the business model will allow us to operate it in a financially secure manner,” said Patricia Evans, board member and one of the organization’s founders. “Our patients and their families have been asking for this service and now we know we can make this dream a reality.”
The “Wings of Serenity” fundraising campaign has already raised over $2 million toward the construction cost and its $3 million fundraising goal. Gifts have included over $100,000 from Hospice board members, $220,000 from the employees of The Hospice and Palliative Care Group, Inc. and a $200,000 gift from a local anonymous couple. Other significant contributions were made by the Grigg Lewis Foundation, the John R. Oishei Foundation, the Joy Family Foundation, M and T Bank, Sevenson Environmental Services, Cornerstone Community Federal Credit Union and the East Hill Foundation. The fundraising campaign is expected to be completed in mid 2007.
Hospice President and CEO, John Lomeo said: “We were able to begin construction before raising the full $3 million due to low interest financing from several sources. As a result, we are asking foundations, organizations, staff, volunteers and the community to make pledges to the campaign that will be paid over 5 years. The enthusiastic support we have received thus far is heartwarming, to say the least.”
Hospice leaders are now seeking community support in helping to build Niagara Hospice House. Since 2004, the cost of materials, fuel and other resources has risen, making the need for community support more important than ever.
Since serving its first patient in 1988, Niagara Hospice has served over 7,000 individuals as well as their immediate and extended families. Naming opportunities at Niagara Hospice House are still available for individuals who would like to honor or memorialize someone important to them. Contact Director of Development Anthony Battaglia at (716) 439-4417 to learn more. |
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