ANN ARBOR – Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, one group of volunteers is helping raise funds for a local nonprofit by making handmade ornaments.
For 25 years, volunteers with Arbor Hospice have created handmade Hearts of Remembrance ornaments during the holiday season as part of the nonprofit’s signature fundraising campaign, which raises $50,000 annually for the center. The funds go toward supporting patient care, pediatric hospice, grief support and complementary therapies. Arbor Hospice serves the greater Washtenaw area.
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Two hearts are created each season -- one that honors loved ones who have passed away and another to represent veterans. The hearts come with a ribbon and tag so that they can be personalized.
This year, 15 women have been hard at work since the beginning of the year to create 300 hearts.
“Arbor Hospice and the Arbor Hospice Foundation are so grateful and proud of this team of extraordinary women who’ve continued to work on these Hearts of Remembrance gifts during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Judy Vindici, director of philanthropy for Arbor Hospice said in a statement.
“This year has been incredibly hard for so many of us – especially to those families who have lost a loved one. These hearts give them the chance to not only remember their relative or friend who has passed away, but also provide an opportunity to enhance the care that patients and families will receive from Arbor Hospice in the future.”
According to a news release, some of the volunteers have had family members cared for by the Arbor Hospice team.
Want to purchase a heart? Arbor Hospice recommends making a $25, tax-deductible gift for the first heart and $20 for each additional heart ordered together.
For more information about the program and to purchase a heart, click here.
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