A show of support for palliative care

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Published on Friday, February 9, 2018

Submitted Photo
Left to right: Leah Hamm, Gladstone Palliative Care Coordinator, Mary-Ellen Clark, Neepawa Palliative Care Coordinator and Glenda Finkewich, Human Resource/Health & Safety Manager, Neepawa-Gladstone Co-op.

Eoin Devereux
Neepawa Banner & Press

The employees of the Neepawa-Gladstone Co-op understand the importance of having strong, well maintained palliative care programs available in rural Manitoba. That’s why they’re doing everything they can to support a pair of local initiatives. On Friday, Feb. 2, Neepawa-Gladstone Co-op conducted a cheque presentation for $2,089 to the palliative care units in Neepawa and Gladstone. The money will be divided equally in each community.  Neepawa Palliative Care Coordinator Mary-Ellen Clark and Gladstone Palliative Care Coordinator Leah Hamm accepted the donations.

Neepawa-Gladstone Co-op human resource/health and safety manager, Glenda Finkewich stated that co-op employees selected a payroll deduction of  one dollar per pay period to be donated to a charity of their choice. 

“It’s a great initiative by employees to give back to the community which coincides with the goals of the Neepawa-Gladstone Co-op.  It is a positive program for each community,” stated Finkewich. “This is our second year running the program and we are proud to support this effort”. 

Neepawa Palliative Care Coordinator Mary-Ellen Clark noted that the  Neepawa and Gladstone programs receive no government funding, so all financial assistance that is offered is very important. 

“[The support] is very much appreciated. The employees are very generous in doing this and we are more than grateful for a donation of this size,” Clark said. “This money does stay local in Gladstone and Neepawa and, on top of that, we are not government funded. We’re not funded by the regional health authorities, so we have to do fundraising in order to be able to sustain our programs.”

Leah Hamm, the Gladstone Palliative Care Coordinator, echoed those sentiments and added this type of support is absolutely invaluable.

“We are a type of program that rely on donations. We don’t receive any funding from government. It’s all from fundraising and donations. So this is great.” Hamm said.

Palliative care involves the use of trained volunteers offering emotional support, comfort, and practical assistance to individuals and families living with a life-threatening or terminal illness, to improve their quality of life.