Local residents plan benefit for VNA Care

Worcester area residents and business leaders are organizing Celebration of Caring in support of VNA Care’s home health and end-of-life services and to honor the 25th anniversary of the Rose Monahan Hospice Home. The benefit will be held Wednesday, Sept. 28, at 5:30 p.m. at the Worcester Country Club, 2 Rice St., Worcester.

As a nonprofit visiting nurse association, VNA Care has provided home- and community-based health care to local residents for 130 years. The nonprofit established the first hospice residence for the terminally ill in Central Massachusetts, the Rose Monahan Hospice Home, in 1997 to provide end-of-life care in homelike surroundings. Celebration of Caring will provide critical charitable support that allows VNA Care patients to live life to the fullest through high-level home health and hospice services that include comprehensive and compassionate medical care and support in patients’ homes and at the Rose Monahan Hospice Home in Worcester.

VNA Care’s Worcester Area Community Cabinet, volunteers dedicated to raising awareness of and support for the agency’s nonprofit mission of caring, are organizing the Sept. 28 benefit. Liisa Holm, senior vice president of Marsh McLennan Agency in Worcester, serves as chair of the cabinet. Members include Janet Birbara, Linda Haddad, Robin Spaulding, and Mary Whalen, all of Worcester; Cheryl Milas of VNA Care in Worcester; Annette Caudill of Marsh McLennan Agency in Worcester; Mary Surette of Shrewsbury; and Linda Maykel of Dudley.

The festive evening will include delectable hors d’oeuvres and delicious desserts. Presenting Sponsors are Marsh McLennan Agency, Mutual of America, and UMass Memorial.

Karen Webber, director of fund development for VNA Care, said, “We are incredibly thankful to have such a dedicated group of volunteers. Their efforts are making a difference in the lives of individuals and families when they need our visiting nurses most.”

VNA Care is able to provide its numerous nursing and patient care services through the support of individual and corporate supporters. For information on sponsorship opportunities that include event tickets and special recognition, contact Karen Webber at 508-658-7700. Purchase event tickets ($75 per person) or make a donation at http://www.vnacare.org/worcester.