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SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2016
Hospice scrapbooking program creates memories for crafters, families
It began as a way to honor
veterans and the service that
they gave to America. It has
grown into a program that cre-
ates a treasured memory for a
family grieving the loss of a
loved one who has been in the
care of PeaceHealth Peace
Harbor Hospice.
“It”
is
the
Hospice
Scrapbooking Project, an
endeavor that has been captur-
ing the memories of hospice
patients through the use of
photographs, historical docu-
ments and other memorabilia.
The program began in 2013
when hospice began an associ-
ation with We Honor Veterans
(WHV), a program of the
National
Hospice
and
Palliative Care Organization
in collaboration with the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs.
“This was a natural program
for us to join,” said hospice
volunteer coordinator Donna
Becker. “We have many veter-
ans who come through our
service and the We Honor
Veterans program is a beauti-
ful way to honor their service
and commitment to our coun-
try.”
That association introduced
Becker to the Scrapbook
Project, which she wanted to
incorporate
into
the
PeaceHealth WHV program.
Not knowing where to turn,
she posted a flyer at Rosie’s
Art Carnival, a local art and
crafts store, (now closed) ask-
ing for volunteers.
Several stepped forward,
including Pauline Orozco,
who became the unofficial
leader of the scrapbook group.
For the first two years, the
group concentrated on creat-
ing scrapbooks for veterans
and their families who wanted
to participate.
“Many people do not really
know what a scrapbook is,”
Orozco said. “When patients
and their families see a com-
pleted one, they not only are
astonished at the creativity
and the work that went into it,
but obviously they see happy
memories preserved forever.”
The small circle of scrap-
booking volunteers meets
every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.
at the Hospice office on
Kingwood Street.
The two hours have become
both a social event and a way
to feel good and give back in a
charitable way.
One or two team members
meet with the family to
explain the program, inter-
view them and collect stories
and photos.
The journey of gathering
the raw material for the scrap-
book is as meaningful to the
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families as the final product.
“It was our opportunity to
celebrate our lives together
since our marriage in 1981,”
the wife of one Hospice
patient explained. “We revisit-
ed our blending of two fami-
lies and adding another son to
the mix; our hobbies and good
times — both serious and silly
with the kids — and then, just
the two of us and our empty
nest adventures.”
Gathering the photos, old
and new, brought laughter and
tears as she revisited photo-
graphs that she had not seen in
years.
“Yes, there was sadness in
anticipating saying goodbye,”
she explained. “But there was
also joy and gratitude in see-
ing that his was a life well-
lived and that he was well-
loved.
“Collecting the photos real-
ly began a healthy grief
process.”
When the scrapbook was
delivered, the emotion was
overwhelming.
“Gratitude, joy, sadness all
came together in a sweet bou-
quet,” she said. “It was beauti-
ful beyond our imagining. It
captured the essence of my
loved one in a way no obituary
or epitaph could ever do. I am
so grateful for this program.”
Margaret Free heard about
the project after Rosie’s Art
Carnival had closed its doors.
“It was a place, initially for
me, to come together with
other crafters,” she explained.
“It’s social, but we learn from
each other and we work on
these books, knowing it will
be so meaningful to some-
one.”
There have been about a
dozen scrapbooks created by
the group since 2013, some
were for veterans and the oth-
ers made after the offer to cre-
ate the memory was accepted
by a patient or family.
The group has also made
small memory boxes that hold
special items that were mean-
ingful to the patient. One fam-
ily received both a scrapbook
and six memory boxes. The
boxes were given to the six
children at Christmas and they
were excited to receive the gift
of the memories those boxes
contained.
Because there are times
when there is no scrapbook
project on the table, the group
has been making cards and
special holiday-themed gifts
that Hospice workers can take
to their clients.
Orozco remembers hearing
about one patient, at an assist-
ed living facility. “His care-
giver was tidying up,” she
said. “When she picked up the
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HEY, KIDS! Color this picture and add yourself doing
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swimming, i shing, paddle boats, sandboards, quads, sand
castles…whatever you like! Bring your picture to “Art in
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park mascot.
h e Friends of Honeyman and Oregon Parks and
Recreation Department will host "Art in the Park" on
Saturday, April 30, from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm. We will be
located at the Bathhouse Heritage Center at Cleawox.
Happy 75th Birthday, Honeyman State Park!
card, the patient said, in a very
stern voice, ‘Don’t move my
card!’ These little gifts mean
so much.”
“Faces light up when these
gifts come through the door,”
Becker said. “The holiday
themed gifts are especially
wonderful for some of our
patients who live in care facil-
ities or foster homes and who
don’t have family close by.
For some, this is the only cel-
ebratory gift they receive.
“It is precious.”
The program is not without
costs however. The group pur-
chases the blank books and the
materials used to create the
special effects and frames
around photos and memorabil-
ia.
“We received some targeted
donations for the scrapbook-
ing project through Light Up
A Life donations,” Becker
said. “But the funds are run-
ning out. We are seeking
donations to help keep the
project going.”
The group is also looking
for more volunteers to help
with the creation of the
books.
Experience is not necessary,
according
to
Sharry
Fitzgerald, another volunteer.
“It is an avenue to get
together with other crafters
and learn from each other,”
she said. “It’s a social event
but I am also using my skills
to accomplish something that
feels good and charitable.”
While the families revel
in the beauty of the books
and the memories of their
loved one, the scrapbookers
come away from each book
with tears and a feeling of
pride.
“Making those scrapbooks
and spending time with the
photos and the notes from the
families about the person, you
feel like you know that per-
son,” Fitzgerald said. “You
feel like you’ve contributed
something to help them in a
time that is very hard.”
Free agreed. “Once a loved
one dies, it’s hard to get over
the grief,” she said. “It takes
time. If we can put memories
together for them, in a book
that they can sit with and
reflect on a beautiful life, it
makes it easier for them. It
just feels good.”
Anyone interested in learn-
ing more about the scrapbook-
ing project can contact
the new Hospice Volunteer
Coordinator,
Christopher
Huntingdon, by email at
CHuntingdon@peace
health.org, or by phone at 541-
997-3418. —Submitted by
Becky Goehring
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