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In This Issue:

Silver Linings Gala
We are delighted that the 2017  Silver Linings Gala raised more than $250,000 to support our services!
 
Councilmember Criag Rice captivated the guests in his role as emcee and auctioneer.  
Click here to see more gala photos! 

Thank you to all of our gala sponsors and a special shout out to our Silver Platter Sponsors :
- Lois K. and Conrad V. Aschenbach
- The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation
- Miller and Long Co., Inc.
- The Dick and Jody Vilardo Foundation
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Gala Program 
Click here to view our gala program with donor lists and tributes to our honorees. Thank you our Silver Spoon Sponsor the Fernandez Foundation who was not listed in the program.  
Community Education
Seasons of Caring Community Education Workshop: 
Understanding and Responding to Dementia-Related Behavior
Wednesday, October 11, 2017 from 7 to 8:30 pm | 6:30 pm check-in and refreshments
Hospice Caring, Inc., 518 South Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 20877 (directions)

Behavior is a powerful form of communication and is one of the primary ways for people with dementia to communicate their needs and feelings as the ability to use language is lost. 

Join Lindsey Vajpeyi, Programs & Services Manager for the Alzheimer's Association's National Capital Area Chapter and Penny Gladhill, Director of the Volunteer Helping Hands program at Hospice Caring, for this free workshop to learn to decode behavioral messages, identify common behavior triggers, and learn strategies to help intervene with some of the most common behavioral challenges of Alzheimer's disease. 
 
Registration is required. For more information contact Catherine Stahl, Director of Communications and Education at 301-990-7927 or catherines@hospicecaring.org
 
Adult Bereavement Support
Daytime Adult Support Groups in Chevy Chase & Silver Spring 
Hospice Caring recently assumed the leadership for three widowed persons' support groups, formerly run by the Widowed Persons Service of Montgomery County.  We opened a satellite office in Holiday Park Senior Center in Silver Spring to coordinate the administration and registration for these groups.  Press release.
 
T he support groups (listed below) are available free of charge to anyone who has experienced the death of a spouse or partner. Pre-registration is required for all groups.  To register, contact Anne Baker at 301-990-0854 or anneb@hospicecaring.org.
  • Holiday Park Senior Center in Silver Spring - Thursdays, 2-3:30 pm
  • Jane E. Lawton Community Center in Chevy Chase - Thursdays, 2-3:30 pm
  • Margaret Schweinhaut Senior Center in Silver Spring - Mondays, 1-2:30 pm
 
Additional Adult Bereavement Support Opportunities
 
Spousal/Partner Loss Under Age 50 - Group Now Forming
Hospice Caring's Under 50 Spousal/Partner Loss grief support group, facilitated by trained volunteers, allows participants to meet others who are also grieving, share their stories, and learn from one another. Provided at no charge. Dates, time and location TBD. Pre-registration is required. To register contact Anne Baker at 301-990-0854 or anneb@hospicecaring.org.  
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Support Group - Grieving the Death of a Service Member           
Fourth Tuesday of each month, 7- 8:30 pm (Next Meeting - October 24, 2017)   
Hospice Caring, Inc., 518 South Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD (directions) 
Hospice Caring, along with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), holds a free monthly support group for all those grieving the loss of a loved one who served in the Armed Forces, regardless of circumstance of death or relationship to the deceased. The group meets the fourth Tuesday of every month and participants are asked to bring a favorite picture or memento to share.  Please RSVP to Audri Beugelsdijk by email at audri@taps.org.  
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When Caregiving Ends...What's Next? A Weekend, Overnight Retreat
We look forward to hosting our first retreat for family/friend primary caregivers whose loved one has died within the past 2 years. October 27 -29, 2017 in Potomac.  This free program is currently full. For more information or to be added to the waitlist, contact Anne Baker at 301-990-0854 or 
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Save the Date: Tree of Love & Candle Luminary Celebration 
Saturday, December 2, 2017
Make the world a bit brighter this holiday season as we honor and remember those who have touched our lives. Hold the date for our traditional lighting of the tree, instrumental music, responsive readings, and reading of the names. Stay tuned for more information about this annual event.    
 
Children's Bereavement Services

Family Nights: Grief Support for the Whole Family
Pre Thanksgiving Session
Thursday, November 16, 2017 from 5:30 - 8 pm
Hospice Caring, Inc.,  518 South Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 
 
Join us for this free workshop to make Holiday art as a family! You'll hav e the opportunity to express your grief and honor your loved one while bringing your family closer together. This program is free of charge and dinner is included.   Family Nights Flyer. 
 
Appropriate for families with children ages 5-18. Space is limited. Registration required. Contact Haily Gonski at 301-869-4673 or
hailyg@hospicecaring.org
to register and learn more.   
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A seperate family night will be held in Spanish on Thursday, November 9, 2017  
from 6:15 - 8:30 pm at Arcola Elementary School in Silver Spring. (Spanish Flyer )  
For more information, or to sign-up, please contact Mabilia at mabiliar@HospiceCaring.org.   
  Save the date for Camp Erin© Montgomery County
Friday, May 11 - Sunday, May 13, 2018   
This free, weekend-long experience for Children and teens, ages 6-17, who are grieving the death of someone close to them, combines traditional, fun camp activities with grief education and emotional support. 2016-2017 Camp Video.
 
Contact Tammy Schmidt, Director of Camp Erin© Montgomery County, at tammys@hospicecaring.org for more information.   
 
 
Volunteer Helping Hands 
Volunteer Helping Hands Accepting Referrals 
Volunteer Helping Hands , Hospice Caring's patient and family program, offers free, short-term, practical, social and emotional support for people of all ages with a serious illness and no reasonable prospect of a cure.  If you know someone who could benefit from these services, please have them contact Penny Gladhill at 301-990-0852 or pennyg@hospicecaring.org.
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Cancer Caregiver Support Group
3rd Wednesday of each month from 6 - 7 pm  (Next meeting - October 18)
Johns Hopkins Health Care and Surgery Center, 6420 Rockledge Drive, Suite 1200, 1st Floor 
Hospice Caring's Volunteer Helping Hands program, along with Suburban Hospital, offers caregivers a venue to share information,experiences, support, encouragement, and most importantly - HOPE! The meetings are opportunities for caregivers to learn from one another. Free of charge. Registration is required. Please contact Penny Gladhill at penny@hospicecaring.org or 301-990-0852 to register.   
 
Support Hospice Caring 

Annual BOWL-A-THON sponsored by Shulman Rogers!
Saturday, November 4, 2017 from 2:30 - to 5 pm
Bowl America, 
1101 Clopper Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20878 
 

Can't make it? Consider making a pledge to support one of our teams at 
www.hospicecaring.org/bowl-a-thon.html . All proceeds benefit Hospice Caring.
 
 
New Volunteer Training
Tuesday, November 7 - Thursday, November 9 | 8:30 am - 4 pm
Hospice Caring, Inc., 518 South Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 20877
 
Register now for our three-day training to become a Hospice Caring volunteer. Provide companionship and practical support  to patients in need or facilitate adult or children's bereavement groups.  
 
Registration is required. To register, contact Penny Gladhill at pennyg@hospicecaring.org or 301-990-8904.
 
Community Initiatives  
Developing an Integrated Palliative Care System in our County
 
Hospice Caring, Inc. is proud to have been awarded a grant from the Healthcare Initiative Foundation to support our work in partnership with Montgomery County Area Agency on Aging and other stakeholders in the end-of-life services community.  The grant will enable the Montgomery County Coalition for Care at the End of Life to create a community vision for palliative care for those facing serious advanced illness and a plan for its implementation, including at end of life. Click here to learn more. 
Introducing New Staff   

Welcome to our newest staff members: Thanuja, Mabilia & Tammy!

Thanuja Rajapakse , Volunteer Maryland - AmeriCorps Member 
Thanuja is serving as Hospice Caring's Volunteer Maryland Coordinator for 2017-2018. She brings experience as a Certified Nursing Assistant at Montgomery General Hospital and an English Teacher in both Chile and Sri Lanka. Thanuja holds a Bachelors Degree in Marriage and Family Studies from Brigham Young University in Idaho. She is trilingual- fluent in English, Spanish and Sinhala.  
 
Mabilia Rastello,LCSW-C, Bilingual Children's Bereavement Coordinator
Mabilia has a passion for working with children and families.  She has worked with under- served populations in Montgomery County providing case management and counseling services.  She developed a deep understanding of the complexities of grief and loss while working with children and families whose lives have been touched by foster care and adoption. Mabilia completed her undergraduate degree at McDaniel College with a Bachelors in Social Work and Political Science and obtained her Masters in Social Work at the University of Maryland at Baltimore. Mabilia is bilingual - fluent in English and Spanish. 
 
Tammy Schmidt, MA, NCC, Director of Camp Erin Montgomery County 
Tammy brings more than 25 years of experience in the fields of mental health and summer camp programming.  Most recently, she worked as the Director of the Friendly Visitor Program at EveryMind, and prior to that, as a case manager for individuals with chronic and persistent mental illness. Simultaneously, Tammy served on the leadership team at Habonim Dror Camp Moshava, a residential summer camp near Bel Air, Maryland. Tammy holds a BA is in Industrial Psychology from Empire State College and a Masters in Counseling from Vermont College.    
   
 
In Memorium  
 
Remembering Maggi Root  
Hospice Caring lost a dear friend and treasured champion on June 24, 2017. The Boards and Staff of Hospice Caring extend our deepest condolences to Maggi Root's family.
 
Maggi Root was a lifetime resident of the Washington DC area. Mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, cousin, mentor, friend, benefactor, colleague, teacher, acquaintance - no matter what relationship you had with her, she always managed to make you feel like you were special and important.  Maggi loved to garden and helped to build the beautiful gardens outside the Hospice Caring Cottage. She maintained her deep and generous commitment to Hospice Caring by supporting the organization in countless ways for more than a decade. 
 
Maggi's friends have set up a special fund in her memory for Hospice Caring.  If you would like to help carry on Maggi's legacy through a tax deductible donation to Hospice Caring (an agency that was very close to Maggi's heart), please click here to donate or send your check to: Hospice Caring, Inc. 518 South Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 20877. (Please note that your donation is in memory of Maggi Root). Your contribution will support programs that serve Montgomery County residents who are dying and their families, as well as programs for those who are grieving.
 
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