Alliant Energy Foundation supports Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice

Thousand dollar grant to help in boosting the number of hospice volunteers

Volunteers are critical to the success of the Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice to supplement the delivery of a wide variety of services for those with a terminal illness and their loved ones. Those that give of their time help out with patient care, administrative support, special events, bereavement and many other areas in the day-to-day operation of the organization.

With the aging population and advances in medical technology, the demand for palliative care – services to terminally ill patients with longer than six months to live – and hospice services in the Sheboygan County area and nationally, continues to grow. The Hospice Care Team currently has a very active group of volunteers but needs more to complement the services provided by team professionals and to meet licensing requirements and manage costs. Thanks to a $1,000 grant from the Alliant Energy Foundation, the Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice will have dollars to jumpstart a campaign to recruit more volunteers to ensure the group’s future success.

“We are pleased to support the Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice, a wonderful organization that provides a critical service to the Sheboygan County area,” said Marthea Fox, Alliant Energy Foundation Executive Director. “Hospice services are very important to a community and they can only be provided if you have a strong core group of volunteers.”

The Alliant Energy Foundation grant will be used for additional resources for volunteer recruitment, training, retention and recognition. The Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice has set the goal increasing its volunteer base to 100, with 50 of those individuals being trained specifically for patient care. The Hospice currently has a core group of about 65 volunteers.

“We appreciate the grant from the Alliant Energy Foundation for volunteer recruitment and all the continuing financial and other support the Hospice Team receives on a regular basis,” said Nichol Slabe, Hospice Administrator and CEO. “Our facility, as well as the services we provide would not be possible if not for the community support our organization receives including the strong network of volunteers.”

Anyone interested in volunteering for the Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice can call 920-467-1800 or 1-866-467-2011 or drop in at W2850 State Hwy 28 in Sheboygan Falls.