WEEK OF DECEMBER 5, 2024
VOLUME 22 | ISSUE 52
FREE
Program at Parker hospital provides companionship to those at the end of life
‘Christmas for Kids’ underway for holidays Elbert County Coalition for Outreach has trees with wishes around area BY NICKY QUINBY SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
The volunteers of the program are called “compassionate companions.” They do not provide medical care, but they assist with comfort care measures — they sit beside the patient, hold their hands, play soothing music or read to the patients. For as many circumstances there are that lead a person to be hospitalized, there are also as many reasons why a patient is alone.
Every winter, for over a decade, the Elbert County Coalition for Outreach “Christmas For Kids” program has provided gifts for families who might need a little extra support during the holiday season. This year’s program kicked off at the Kiowa Craft Fair on Nov. 16. ECCO Christmas trees decorated with gift tags are spread out around the county. Each tag includes clothing sizes and gift ideas for individual children. ECCO makes a positive impact in the Elbert County community 365 days a year, not only during the holiday season. Erica Johnson has been at the helm of the program for seven years and knows how important the program is for area families. Instructions on the trees read: “Pick a tag or two, purchase the items listed on the tag, and bring the items back to this location unwrapped. Remember the items listed on the tag are what the child has asked for. Please bring items back no later than Dec. 6th. THANK YOU FOR HELPING THE CHILDREN OF ELBERT COUNTY HAVE A GREAT CHRISTMAS!” In 2023, ECCO had 96 total applications, put up 10 trees throughout the county and helped 235 kids. Applications to receive gifts and food boxes are due Dec. 6. This year, that’s also the date gifts are due back at an ECCO tree location and they’ll be distributed on Dec. 14. Debbie Ullom, with Your Lifetime Properties based in Kiowa, helps distribute the toys alongside the ECCO Board. She calls herself “one of Santa’s helpers.” “This program is an opportunity for us to give back. For many families, it is a tradition to pick tags off the trees. My kids loved buying presents for another child. Now my grandkids all go pick tags for kids of all ages. It helps our families realize our blessings,” Ullom shared. Christmas for Kids is truly a community effort; several entities and individuals volunteer their time to make it a success. The American Legion Post 82 works with ECCO to make the food boxes. Last year, the Elizabeth and Kiowa fire protection districts helped the Legion load and unload the boxes. According to its website, ECCO was
SEE COMPANIONS, P6
SEE ECCO, P6
Katherine Wiley, right, speaks with one of the chaplains at AdventHealth Parker. Wiley was a volunteer in the hospital’s emergency department COURTESY OF KATHERINE WILEY before becoming the volunteer coordinator for the new No One Dies Alone program.
The new program seeks additional ‘compassionate companions’ BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Katherine Wiley, a volunteer at AdventHealth Parker, was in the hospital’s emergency department when she
saw first-hand how being alongside a stranger during their final moments of life can have a profound impact on those around them. Wiley sat with an elderly woman who was dying with no one around. The patient’s sons were trying to get to the hospital from Colorado Springs but didn’t make it in time. “When they got there, I told them that I had been with their mom so she was not alone and they were very
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grateful,” said Wiley. Wiley shared this story with the CEO of the hospital, Michael Goebel, at the annual volunteer luncheon last year, and the following week, the No One Dies Alone program was being set up. “We can provide companionship to patients in the dying process who are truly alone,” said Wiley. “In doing so, (it) provides a gift of respect and dignity to another human being at the end of life.”
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