‘Frost and Flare Gala’ to raise funds for new hospice
There is a huge need for palliative and hospice care here in Lethbridge. That is according to staff from the Guided Journeys Foundation. They are trying to raise money to be able to construct a new hospice for our region. Kinga Zentner, the president and founder of the organization, says they are hosting a gala on November 26 to raise additional funds for the potential facility. She says the hospice would not only serve Lethbridge, but all across the province.
“And our hospice isn’t just going to serve Lethbridge, it’s going to serve southern Alberta down. So to the B.C. border, all the way to the Sweetgrass. Our nearest hospice is Okotoks. We do have ten palliative beds available at St. Mike’s, but they are not a free standing hospice. So in southern Alberta there is no hospice at all. So it is a huge need, especially if we look at our population, for 300,000 in southern Alberta to have ten beds, it’s a scary, scary statistic and number to work with.”
Zentner says they have also been working with government officials to try to find land for the potential hospice here in Lethbridge.