Lions Donate $5,000 to Hospice, Challenge Community to Help

Posted for Medstar St. Mary’s Hospital
Pax Leader III

Leonardtown Lions David Guyther (left) and George Kirby (King Lion) present a $5,000 donation to Kathryn Franzen, Director of the St Mary’s County Hospice.

This month the Leonardtown Lions Club donated $5,000 to Hospice of St. Mary’s County. The question posed here – is it enough?

What can $5,000 really buy in today’s world? We already know the purpose of our Hospice: It offers physical, psychological, & spiritual care to those in end-stage illness, and bereavement support to the family and to the community. Now let’s see what the Hospice can do with these funds from the Lions Club:

• First, maybe they could apply it to the $135K that their Hospice House gave in free or reduced room and board charges during the last half of 2012. After all, Hospice feels that if a patient needs to be at the house, they can be there regardless of their ability to pay.
• Secondly, they could use the funds to make up for losses when insurance reimbursement only covers a small portion of a patient’s total medication, equipment and required staff costs.
• Or maybe put some of the donation toward bereavement counseling which is offered free of charge to any in the community who are struggling with grief.
• Then perhaps apply some of the $5,000 toward their Sunrise Camp – a two-and-a-half-day grief support camp for children ages 6-12, who have lost a loved one through death. Last year they had 19 kids at camp with no charge whatsoever to the families.

The list of Hospice needs go on-and-on.

No, $5,000 is not nearly enough, but it does help, and our Lions Club is so fortunate to be able to give. We only wish we could do more. And maybe we can if our Crab Festival is successful in June. But for now, hopefully, other organizations in our County will also step up and support the Hospice financially. The Hospice needs their help – many citizens of our County, who find themselves as a patient in a Hospice bed, need their help. Our thanks to the Hospice for being there and caring – please support them!