Hospice Northwest is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing compassionate support and resources to clients and their loved ones. Hospice Northwest “helps make every moment matter” by offering comfort, support and a sense of connection to families and clients who are dealing with a life limiting illness or struggling with grief. The Board, staff and volunteers of Hospice Northwest all believe “how we die matters”.
Susan Raynak’s upbringing had a lot to do with where she is today -- a volunteer with Hospice Northwest Services. Too often, families treat the prospect of death as the ultimate taboo, but Raynak’s parents encouraged a healthy perspective on the subject.
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Cherie Kok is in charge of this team of 160 city and regional volunteers who “help make every moment matter.” Consoling grief after death is one approach, but ideally, a volunteer is invited into the life of a dying person in order to help the client and the family prepare.
When Joanne Kembel headed the local United Way, an organization called Via Vitae came seeking financial assistance. “We looked at how efficient they were and the number of people they impacted,” she says. “I was amazed at their volunteer passion.” Little did she know that years later the group would come to play a significant role in her life.