Harbor Hospice is much more than a place.

They are devoted to giving each family a gift when they need it most… quality of life for their patients when they are facing life’s greatest challenge.

For over 40 years, Harbor Hospice has been serving the greater Muskegon area with so much compassion and love as they focus on patient’s emotional and physical well-being.

Most of us have a loved one who has had the thoughtful and heartfelt care of Hospice.

Dame Cicily Saunders, founder of the first modern hospice summed up the mission of hospice:

“You matter because of who you are. You matter to the last moment of your life, and we will do all we can, not only to help you die peacefully, but also to live until you die.”

Here are a few things you might not know about our local Harbor Hospice.

• Camp Courage, funded by Harbor Hospice, gives children that have lost a loved one, the opportunity to attend an amazing two-night camp! While at camp, the kids have all kinds of fun activities sprinkled in with master social workers that provide emotional support. For 21 years, this camp has been making a difference to up to 40 campers each summer.
• The Cooking for One program gives 12 participants the opportunity to work with Chef Char to learn to cook for one. Participants have two nights of cooking instruction and learn to better manage their lives after suffering the loss of a loved one.
• Hospice provides 13 months of bereavement to those individuals that have lost a loved one. They receive quarterly phone calls, opportunities for group meetings, and mailings. It is important to Hospice to provide support for caregivers and family managing the loss of a loved one.

All three of these programs are funded by local fundraising efforts. If you would like to support these programs what can you do?

Buy a ticket to one of their fundraising events, give a donation, like Harbor Hospice on Facebook, learn about being a corporate sponsor or sign up for their newsletter.

Make sure you go to www.harborhospicemi.org to learn more about their services. There are many myths around what Harbor Hospice does, when actually they provide many services that most of us are not aware of.

This was written by the staff at Love in Action and submitted for our Hometown Highlights feature. This story shows the power of connection and the importance of Love in Action’s mission.

It was 2 a.m. in the middle of a dark church parking lot. Light shone on a couple of women lounging in lawn chairs and chitchatting. A concerned police officer walked up to them and asked, “What are you ladies up to?”

“Just enjoying the evening, officer,” one joyfully replied.

What had begun a few months before as casual conversation with others waiting in line for a food truck had developed into friendships. Deb (name changed to protect the client) and her new friends started meeting earlier to wait together. They shared vulnerabilities in their situations and connected over history, loss and hardship. While grieving the loss of her son, Deb found a safe place with friends. These friends walked alongside her during good times and hard times. They even came together over the holidays.

“For the first time in a long time, I felt safe and not judged,” Deb recalled.

One of her friends at the food truck suggested Deb join Financial Fitness, a Love in Action program designed to empower participants with skills to work toward financial stability. With the support she received in class, Deb was able to pay off her son’s funeral expense; she made the goal to become debt-free; and she now has money in savings.

She began to thrive because she had tangible resources partnered with emotional support and practical solutions.

Deb’s story reflects the beautiful power of connection. It shows what happens when we find those people who make us feel safe and not judged. We begin to experience community that opens doors and provides support.

Love in Action combines the generous donations of our community to provide for local neighbors who face challenging situations. Love in  action provided 316,000 meals, over 10,000 nights of shelter and hundreds of health care offerings to our neighbors in need. What’s more, as a community, we cultivate the opportunity to safely share the vulnerability of our situations, connect, and build friendships. We nurture a culture of us.