Heartland Hospice in Moose Jaw has plenty going on this December and is currently hosting a 50/50 raffle that ends this Thursday.

The ‘Giving Tuesday 50/50’ will be live online until noon on Thursday, December 7th. The winner will get 50 per cent of ticket sales. You can click here for tickets.  

The draw will take place at the Grant Hall Hotel on Thursday at 7:15 p.m., and they will broadcast the draw on their Facebook page.  

Heartland Hospice was formed back in 2014, after Arlene Kolosky saw that hospice care was needed in Moose Jaw during her own end of life journey. A hospice environment serves to provide care for terminally ill patients and seeks to give them comfort and support during their final days.  

Heartland Hospice currently has one hospice bed available and has undertaken a number of initiatives to raise funds and expand their space and offerings. 

“The first room was opened in 2019, but, as you might imagine, one room for a community that’s serving 50,000 people - it's definitely not enough, and it’s definitely always full and always in need,” said Sara Bryan, vice chair with Heartland Hospice.  

“We’ve been working to create a hospice wing that will have three rooms, a family room, a sacred space, and we’ve been working on the Serenity Garden already outside of it.” 

They’re working to raise $1 million in capital funding for the creation of a hospice wing at Pioneer Lodge, and the current tender phase is set to be done this year.  

They’ve had some major donations in the last couple of months, with one of those being $25,000 from Medavie Health Services West, which will go towards the family room in the future hospice wing.  

They’ve also announced that the Serenity Garden, which is typically maintained during the summer to provide a calm and contemplative space for hospice patients and Pioneer Lodge residents, has been decorated for their Christmas ‘Light Up the Lodge’ initiative.  

The Moose Jaw Co-op donated a Rotary Club of Moose Jaw Christmas tree, and Canadian Tire provided lawn ornaments and lights, which will be up for all of December. 

“Our hope, really, is that the Christmas lights and decorations bring a little sparkle to everyone in the Lodge, but also that when residents look outside, they know that the community is thinking of them with love.” 

If you’d like to donate to the Serenity Garden, or to the Heartland Hospice generally, you can visit their website. 

Upcoming fundraising events for the organization include their ‘Spurs and Stilettos’ cabaret fundraiser, which will feature a live country band and a supper, their Mad Greek Rib Night fundraiser. They will have updates on their Facebook page.  

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