Be a Home Hospice North Lanark Hero!

Be a Home Hospice North Lanark Hero! - theHumm June 2024

By Wendy O’Keefe

Wondering what happened to the Home Hospice North Lanark (HHNL) Spring Auction this year? Short of volunteers, and knowing that our local businesses get asked for a lot, we decided not to do it this year. But we still need to raise at least the $20,000 that the Auction brought in last year.

We’re experiencing phenomenal growth — at the end of our last fiscal year, we had served 108 clients, and are tracking higher this year. Most people will benefit from services such as ours someday. That’s just a fact. Perhaps we’ve helped a family member or friend.

Why are we launching our HHNL Hero Program now? We have found an office! Stay tuned for more information — we’ll now be able to hold meetings, support groups and training in our own space. Thanks to the generosity of our community, we have a budget for rent. But in the absence of sustainable government funding it would be wonderful to have a more solid footing, and you can provide that with planned monthly giving.

The population of our catchment area is just over 42,000 people. We serve Almonte, Carleton Place, Appleton, Clayton, Beckwith, Blakeney, Pakenham and surrounding areas.

If only 20 people or teams commit to becoming an HHNL Hero at $100 a month, it would cover our rent, insurance, electronic health records system, and mileage for our Program coordinators. And another 20 would cover everything listed above, plus 25% of a Program Coordinator’s salary.

Is $100 a month too much for you? Gather some friends or family members and pool your commitment — become an HHNL Hero Team! For example, you and three friends could commit to $25 a month.

One-time donations, while greatly appreciated, can vary greatly in amount and frequency, whereas monthly contributions offer a steady and consistent source of income. This stability will enable us to budget more effectively and allocate resources where they are needed most for things such as new programs.

To become a Home Hospice North Lanark Hero, visit canadahelps.org/en/dn/16913 and click on “donate monthly.” There is an option to write a private message on the form. Please indicate that you are one of our HHNL Heroes. You will receive an annual tax receipt.

Or you can set up an automatic e-transfer to treasurer@hhnl.ca . If you choose this option, please also send an email telling us you’re an HHNL Hero and include your address, so we can send you an annual tax receipt.

For more information, please contact Jan Watson, Chair, at 791–7167 or chair@hhnl.ca .

Our goal is to find at least 20 Home Hospice Heroes or Hero Teams by the end of June. We invite you to learn more about our organization at hhnl.ca .

Cheryl Babineau — An Artist Takes Flight - theHumm June 2024

By Sally Hansen

Art… and Soul

Seven years ago while on holiday in Mexico with her artist husband Richard Gill, Burnstown gallery owner and entrepreneur Cheryl Babineau decided to try her hand at painting bird portraits. She borrowed Richard’s acrylic paints and painted her favourite subject — a pelican in flight.

It was an epiphany, and an artist took flight. Babineau’s portraits of birds reflect her enduring beguilement with them. At her gallery website at

Be a Home Hospice North Lanark Hero! - theHumm June 2024