Announcements Updated: 01/29/2008

To Help Victims of Hurricane Katrina

To Help Animal Disaster Victims

Helping Another in Grief

The Case of Terry Schiavo

Grief Healing Discussion Groups

Give the Gift of Volunteering

How to Find Grief Support in Your Own Community

Animal Hospice Program

Pet Grief Support Helpline

Pet Loss Support Group

Holistic Expressions Newsletter

Space Shuttle

September 11

To Help Victims of Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina blazed a trail of devastation
throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
Across the Gulf Coast, Katrina engulfed thousands of homes
and decimated the landscape in what could become
the most destructive storm in U.S. history.
Learn more about hurricane relief efforts and preparedness at

Network for Good

USA Freedom Corps

Catholic Charities USA

InterAction's Guide to Appropriate Giving

~~

To Help Animal Disaster Victims
 
Dozens of animal agencies mobilized
to extend services to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. 
Below is a list of the agencies which were at the center of relief efforts. 
Each had a role to play, and worked in harmony with the others. 
Their websites offer a wealth of information
on the latest news and current situation. 
They also accept needed donations.

Noah's Wish

Best Friends Animal Society

United Animal Nations

Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association

Houston SPCA

Arizona Humane Society

1-800-Save-A-Pet.com

Animal Rescue New Orleans

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Helping Another in Grief
© 2007 by Marty Tousley, APRN, BC, FT

Aimed at those who find it difficult to “be there”
for someone who is anticipating or coping with the death of a loved one,
this booklet explains what is normal in grief,
and offers concrete suggestions for helping another throughout the grief experience –
not only before the death has happened, but immediately following, and over time. 
Included are common myths and misconceptions about grief,
as well as words of comfort, words to avoid, and a helpful list of “Don’ts.”

For further information or to request a copy,
please contact Hospice of the Valley's Bereavement Office,
telephone 602.530.6970, e-mail info@hov.org .

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The issues surrounding the Terry Schiavo case
have brought hospice care into the public spotlight,
and may have raised many questions in your own mind.
For example, is this case typical of hospice care,
and typical of end-of-life dilemmas?
Hospice Foundation of America has devoted 23 years
to understanding and helping to shape
the moral / ethical / clinical issues
in helping people to die well.
To focus attention on these issues,
to clarify the role that hospice has played in the Schiavo case,
and to foster greater understanding
among consumers and health care professionals,
HFA has developed and organized
a variety of useful Web-based information.
To find links to the many resources available, click here.

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You are most welcome  to join our Grief Healing Discussion Groups,  sponsored by Hospice of the Valley. 

To better address your individual needs, this program enables you to participate in forums that are separate and distinct from one another, according to your specific type of loss ~ the loss of a spouse, a child, a parent, or a cherished pet, for example.

Moderated by professional grief counselors, our Grief Healing Discussion Groups are privately administered to ensure the highest level of quality, safety and security for our participants.  Membership is free, but will require that you register with a user name and secret password of your own choosing.

You are cordially invited to join us!  Simply click on the link above, then click on "Register" next to the "Welcome Guest" greeting at the top of the page, and follow the instructions there.  (After you register, remember to bookmark the location as one of your favorite places!) 

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You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late . . .
the love of our neighbor in all its fullness simply means being able to say to him,
'What are you going through?'
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

What causes or issues are important to you?  What skills do you have that you could offer to others?  Is there something you've always wanted to learn how to do?  Giving of yourself as a volunteer enables you to pursue personal interests, polish old skills and learn new ones, and make a positive difference in your community. 

Learn more about volunteering, find your local volunteer center and choose the interest area you want to explore at the

Points of Light Foundation's Volunteer Center National Network

See also the links to local volunteer opportunities on the

AARP Community Service: Home Page

Other useful information on volunteering:

Network for Good

Ten Tips on Volunteering Wisely

Online Volunteering Service

VolunteerJobs.Org

Volunteer Match: Where Volunteering Begins

Giving Time: Making A Difference in Your Community (book by Len Gutman)

Healthcare Volunteer: Global Portal for Healthcare Volunteers

Phoenix, Arizona Volunteer Center

Arizona Humane Society Volunteer Opportunities

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How To Find Grief Support in Your Own Community

• Call your telephone operator or public library and ask for the numbers for your local mental health association or your local suicide prevention center. Either agency will have good grief referral lists. You need not be suicidal to get a grief referral from a suicide prevention center.
   

• Use the Yellow Pages and call hospitals and hospices near you. Ask to speak with the Bereavement Coordinator, Social Worker, or Chaplain's Office to get a local grief referral. Many hospitals and hospices provide individual and family grief support to clients for up to one year following a death, and offer bereavement support groups to the general public at no cost. 
   

• The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization maintains a database of hospices for each state in the United States.  To search for a hospice in your own community, click on Find a Hospice Program.
   

• If you are mourning the death of a child, check the national office of the Compassionate Friends to see if there is a support group near you.

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Treating a Pet Like a Family Member -
Right to the Very End
[from Last Acts Partnership E-Newsletter, June 2004]

It is far from uncommon for people to consider their pets beloved members of their families. And when these pets fall severely ill, owners want them to have the best care they can find during their final days. In that spirit, Colorado State University has started the nation's first student-run pet hospice care program in Fort Collins, CO. Kira, a 9-year-old black Lab mix with lung cancer, was the first patient. The program offers families a chance to bring their pets home and gives them a chance to say good-bye to their much-loved companions. The program is run through a veterinary teaching hospital, which also has a nationally renowned Animal Cancer Center, and specializes in providing emotional support to grieving pet owners. It hopefully will serve as a model that can be reproduced in other communities.

If you are interested in starting an animal hospice program in your own community or just want to brainstorm and share ideas and suggestions, you are encouraged to contact Rita Reynolds (animal lover, animal communicator and author of the beautiful book, Blessing the Bridge: What Animals Teach Us about Death, Dying and Beyond). 

The hospice process and the gifts Rita offers when an animal companion is obviously moving into the dying process are described in her article, Animal Hospice.  For updates and new information regarding animal hospice and after-death communication with animals, go to Rita's Web site, Blessing the Bridge or e-mail her at lajoieco1@aol.com.

See also Bittersweet Animal Hospice & Grief Recovery, the Nikki Hospice Foundation for Pets, and Angel's Gate, a residential, non-profit  hospice care and rehabilitation center for animals "where special needs animals come to live out their days in peace, dignity and love." 

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Support Group for Grieving Animal Lovers

meets on the first Saturday of every month
from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.
in Conference Room 1
at
Hospice of the Valley
1510 East Flower Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85014

Purpose
The Pet Loss Support Group offers a safe,
confidential, structured place
where animal lovers bound by the experience of loss
can come together on a regular basis
to share their stories,
get their concerns and feelings validated,
learn more about normal grief and the mourning process,
express and work through their feelings,
and reflect on the meaning of it all.
Unlike what happens in individual telephone,
email or chat room counseling,
participants in the support group
have the opportunity to grow
by giving help as well as receiving it.

Directions
Nearest cross streets for Hospice of the Valley's central office
are Osborn Road and 16th Street.
Take 16th Street two blocks south of Osborn Road.
Turn west onto Flower Street.
Hospice of the Valley is a free-standing,
clearly marked building on the north side of Flower Street.
Turn into the driveway, and feel free to park anywhere in the lot.
The entrance is on the north side of the building,
off the parking lot.
A sign at the reception desk will direct you
to Conference Room 1.

For further information, please contact Hospice of the Valley's
Bereavement Office, 602-530-6970

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Holistic Expressions Newsletter:

Bringing the Self to Healing, One Lesson at a Time

Starshine

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