11/03/2026
Today we are excited to introduce our first Hospeace House Spotlight. Join us in celebrating Michelle.
𝑵𝒂𝒎𝒆: Michelle
𝑽𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒓 𝑹𝒐𝒍𝒆: Comfort Care Volunteer
𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉?
About 8 months. I volunteer every Wednesday, approximately 16–20 hours per month, with additional hours supporting fund raising events.
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒂 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒕 𝑯𝒐𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝑯𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆?
My dad was not only my father but also a dear friend. Bringing him home for hospice care was a profound gift. I’m forever grateful for that time spent with him, my mom, and our family. Those are memories I’ll always cherish.
I’d been wanting to volunteer in a meaningful way, but hospice care wasn’t something I’d considered until my experience with my dad. That experience led me to Hospeace House.
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆?
Presence. We begin as strangers, sharing a brief window in one another’s lives, each experiencing that time from a very different place. Yet within that space, a meaningful connection can unfold, sometimes without words. To be welcomed into such a deeply personal passage is both an honor and an expression of trust.
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈?
Being present with residents and their loved ones has deepened my understanding of how complex and deeply personal the edge of goodbye can be. There may be fear, sorrow, regret, laughter, gratitude, and celebration, sometimes all within the same experience.
Volunteering has given me a greater appreciation for my own life and the ordinary moments of living. It
reminds me of the importance of expressing what matters while we can.
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒖𝒔?
Hospice volunteering isn’t always easy. I choose to be present for both the difficult and tender moments, recognizing that even the simplest acts of care can be meaningful.
Whether preparing a meal, baking and tending to the everyday needs of the house, or sitting quietly with someone,
there are many ways to offer comfort.
Hospeace House is a place where compassion, gentleness, and dignity are reflected in the care provided
by the staff and volunteers. During my first visit, I sensed the reverence of this sacred space.
𝑰𝒏 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖?
I’m grateful for the opportunity to offer my time in service to others through end-of-life care.
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔?
Volunteering has helped me become a better listener. So often we’re formulating a response rather than
truly hearing another person. Through my encounters with residents and their loved ones, I’ve learned the importance of listening with intention. Sometimes the most caring thing I can offer is simply my full attention.
𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒏𝒆𝒘𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝒘𝒆𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂: Yes.
