The Fox Valley Hands of Hope Garden Party has been around for quite a while.
Kathy Melone with Fox Valley Hands of Hope estimated it to be “at least 20 years.”
This year, the Garden Party, which will include a luncheon, fashion show and raffle, is expected to draw 800 people and has a committee of about 40 volunteers helping with its planning. It is set for May 20 at the Q Center in St. Charles.
The event is essential to Fox Valley Hands of Hope, according to its executive director, Greg Weider, because it raises about one-third of the organization’s operating budget.
Receiving no state or federal funding, Fox Valley Hands of Hope’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for people who are experiencing grief or life-threatening illnesses.
“Last year, we served about 1,700 people,” Weider said.
Founded in 1981 as Fox Valley Hospice, the organization has gone through a couple of name changes. A little less than a year ago, it took on the name Fox Valley Hands of Hope to highlight other services offered by the organization in addition to its hospice services.
“Sometimes with hospice, people think it is just about folks who are dying, but our organization is about caring for family members after a death, providing free medical equipment loans, community education, as well as hospice services,” he added. “We have really grown especially in the area of youth bereavement through our partnerships with schools. Our ability to help kids deal with their grief or loss allows the schools to focus on academics.”
All of the services are offered free of charge, he added.
Fox Valley Hands of Hope utilizes about 250 volunteers who have completed between 15 and 40 hours of training to provide “hope to those experiencing loss of life or life-threatening illnesses,” Weider said.
Naperville resident John Uhrich began volunteering because he “wanted to do the most important volunteer work that he could possibility do.”
“To me, hospice work seemed the most important,” he said.
Retiring about five years ago, Uhrich is a former school social worker, however most of the trained volunteers do not have a background in social work.
Volunteers come from a variety of professions including teachers, police officers, and those working in business, he said.
“Some people volunteer because they also have dealt with similar grief, others have an interest in serving others,” he said.
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Uhrich meets weekly with a man in his 80s who lost his wife last summer as part of Hands of Hope’s bereavement program. He also meets with a terminally ill man who resides in a nursing home.
For some men who have suffered great losses, Uhrich said, it is difficult for them to connect with many people with whom they can share their feelings.
Meeting more than once a week, the goal is to assist them to reach a sense of peace which many hospice patients reach if given the opportunity, he added.
“The goal is for the person to review their life and be supported in their journey a little bit. We talk about their lives and their families. We are not counselors, we are supportive listeners,” Uhrich said. “In our meetings, our goal is to listen, provide emotional support and encourage them to share their feelings.”
If You Go
Who: Fox Valley Hands of Hope
What: Garden Party fundraiser
When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 20
Where: Q Center, St. Charles
How much: Tickets are $68 and may be purchased online with a credit card, by phone at 630-232-2233 or at Fox Valley Hands of Hope’s facilities in Geneva.