“You help a child, you help the world.”
All bereavement services of the Community Hospice are provided to the community without charge. Community Hospice receives no reimbursements from Medicare, Medicaid, or third party payers for these services. All costs are paid with contributed income derived through the efforts of the Community Hospice Foundation.
The Community Hospice Foundation provides fund-raising and community development support for many Community Hospice programs and capital needs. The Foundation employs a small professional staff and is led by a volunteer board of directors and development committee. Funds are raised by encouraging bequests and memorial gifts, implementing general direct mail and newsletter appeals, securing grants from corporations and foundations, and organizing special fund-raising events.
Currently, the foundation raises approximately $2.5 million per year. Our goal is to increase annual fundraising revenue to $5 million over the next five years due to the following impacts upon our services:
* Changes in health care funding
Health care reform will likely have a significant adverse financial impact on hospice. One estimate projects that as the cuts build year after year, in 2016 alone Community Hospice will receive $4.5 million less in Medicare reimbursement.
Community Hospice has established an endowment which helps support revenue shortfalls, special programs, and capital projects. It is important to preserve this endowment in the new health care environment to ensure that hospice will be able to provide core services, especially as the community’s use of those services continues to increase every year.
* Fewer alternatives available in the community
Changes and cuts in government funding continue to have a significant adverse financial impact on community crisis response services. In many cases, the pediatric bereavement service provided by Community Hospice is the only available help for kids and teens who are grieving the loss of a parent.
* An increasing need for our services
Research continues to indicate that pediatric bereavement services also help create a safer and more constructive environment for youth in general. As school administrators and community groups experience first hand the positive impact of counseling, crisis intervention, and grief education; the demand for these services continues to increase.
* Expansion and sustainability of our programs
Because of the quality of our services, Community Hospice has been successful in attracting outside funding for our programs. Camp Erin, for example, has been an unqualified success. However, in order for it to continue, Community Hospice will require ongoing financial support.
The goal of Community Hospice is to raise $500,000 through the Kids Campaign to support our pediatric bereavement services. This amount will help sustain current programs, and will provide support to continue new initiatives and enhance services.
The Community Hospice Kids Campaign was launched in October 2011. Our goal is to secure all gifts and pledges for the Kids Campaign by December 31, 2012.
Please click here to make a safe, secure on-line donation.
Click here for a special on-line form for staff.
To make a donation by phone, please call (518) 285-8166.
To make a donation by mail, make checks payable to The Community Hospice Kids Campaign and send to: The Community Hospice Foundation, 295 Valley View Blvd., Rensselaer, NY 12144.