Marking a decade of compassionate end-of-life care, officials with the Chatham-Kent Hospice unveiled a mural on the side of the building recently.
The south-facing mural on the Wellington Street East facility was funded through Councillor Ward Funding from Mayor Darrin Canniff and Coun. Marjorie Crew, and was completed in five days by mural artist Kelsey Van Raay.
Van Raay, who grew up in Chatham-Kent, now calls B.C. home, but was happy to return to her roots to create the mural.
“I got into mural work about four years ago. We talked over some different ideas. We really wanted to make sure the theme was perfect and welcoming,” she said.
The mural features monarch butterflies with a redbud tree in the background. Both hold a special place in the hearts of volunteers and staff at the hospice.
Jessica Smith, executive director of the hospice, said one of their volunteers raises butterflies and brings them to the hospice for patients and family members to release.
“We knew we wanted to incorporate nature. The symbolism of the butterflies is in terms of the sensitive moments of life, as well as transformation,” she said.
Smith added the redbud tree is an ode to one of the trees in the hospice’s courtyard.
“It has absolutely beautiful flowers. It’s something everyone looks at and enjoys,” she said.
By installing the mural on the building’s exterior, Smith said it’s a way to “bring the special connections that happen inside the building outside. It helps to remind us of that connection with nature.”
For the past decade, as the redbud grew in the courtyard, and the butterflies were released each August, the hospice has been helping families with end-of-life care for their loved ones.
“Ten years of hospice,” Smith said. “It’s ten years of families being welcomed through our doors; ten years of comfort, compassion, dignity and connection; ten years of physicians, staff and volunteers showing up every day with open hearts; 10 years of our community coming together generously, and entrusting and supporting us to make sure that no one has to face death, dying, grief and bereavement alone.”
Ground-level fundraising made the hospice a reality a decade ago and it continues to be intrinsic to the operation of the facility. Day-to-day operations remain partially funded by donations, helping to ensure that no family has to pay for the care it receives at hospice.
Currently, the hospice is raising funds to renovate its kitchen, and that campaign has seen more than $184,000 raised toward its $286,000 goal. The project will improve accessibility for volunteers and staff, enhance safety and workflow, and create a more functional and welcoming environment, according to hospice officials.
To learn more about the effort, visit ckhospicekitchen.com.
“Chatham-Kent Hospice has become a part of our community; a place where people can find comfort; where family and friends can be together; and where every person is treated with incredible care and humanity,” Smith said.
