To the Editor:
Hospice of the Carolina Foothills celebrates 30 years of service
What does it take for an organization like ours to still be here after 30 years? I’d like to share the perspective I have gained in my 29 years here.
It takes every single person who has ever done a single act of good for the cause.
From those who first had the vision and worked in the 1970s to found our organization, to those who have sustained us through the years, to those who continue our work in 2011.
Each of us is a building block who, in doing our part, has created a steady network of caregivers who respond to people when they need us.
We are nurses, doctors, CNAs, social workers, bereavement counselors, chaplains, board members, administrators, managers, receptionists, support staff and volunteers who hold a shared vision, and who each do our very best in the work to which we have committed ourselves.
Every day, for 30 years our staff, volunteers, and financial supporters have been dedicated to the needs of men, women, and children who live with serious and terminal illness, and to the needs of their families.
We continue today and will into the future that which our local hospice heroes and heroines, many who are still involved as volunteers, started 30 years ago. It is a testament to their dedication and to the worthiness of their cause.
We are one of about 40 hospices serving the Carolina Foothills, but one of only a few that is non-profit.  Being a successful non-profit hospice requires diligence in maintaining a healthy financial bottom line, while also holding fast to our mission to always provide excellent and compassionate care.
Our organizational values guide us: creativity, teamwork, integrity, good stewardship, human dignity and competence.
Hospice of the Carolina Foothills is dedicated to our vision as “the preferred and premier provider of end-of-life care in the Carolina Foothills.”
As we go forward into our fourth decade, we remain focused on our vision and values with each and every person and family we serve in Palliative Care, Hospice Care, at the Hospice House, with our Bereavement Services, and at the Thrift Barn.
We are on the cusp of a new decade with enhanced services, expert staff, inspired board members, and dedicated volunteers who will continue the vision of our founders. And I have no doubt that we will continue to attract volunteers, donors, and supporters who believe in what we do.
People like you, the reader, who has always found a way to add your act of good to our cause. I thank you, and look forward to working with you in the years ahead.
–Jean H. Eckert, CEO