Fundraiser planned for Kitty Askins expansion
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on November 30, 2010 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/MICHAEL BETTS
From left Martie Saylors, Jenny Whitfield and Martha Bryan leave messages in honor of their friend Kitty Askins, for whom Kitty Askins Hospice Center was named.
The latest fundraiser for the addition to Kitty Askins Hospice Center is also a way to memorialize family and friends who spent time there.
The "Fund-A-Foot" campaign is part of the public phase of raising money for the expansion, which will double the number of patient beds to 24 and add a chapel and kitchen.
Construction began on Nov. 2 on the project, which was originally launched in 2006, and produced the first-ever capital campaign in Home Health and Hospice, or 3HC's, 28-year history.
Goal for the expansion was to raise $4 million. To date, more than $3.1 million has been pledged.
The "Fund-A-Foot" idea was originally used by a hospice center in another area, said Kitty Sauls, one of the project's organizers.
"They had a ceremony and invited all the people who donated a foot before the carpeting is laid down on the foundation," she explained. "They can write something down in memory of a friend or loved one."
Mary Beth Parrish, director of community development at Kitty Askins, said a special ceremony is planned for those who have had someone at the facility, on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 5, from 1 to 4 p.m.
"The purpose is to write a message on the bare cement before we install the carpeting," she said. "The personal message will be permanently on the floor and we will have a recognition on the wall as well that says 'in memory of' or 'in honor of' the person."
A book containing all the names of the Fund-A-Foot donors will remain on display in the SECU House at Kitty Askins, and each sponsor will be presented with a certificate of sponsorship.
The public is invited to attend the celebration, and businesses, individuals or groups can purchase a square foot up for $194 each until the day of the event, Ms. Parrish said.
"We hope to sell $400,000 worth," Mrs. Sauls said.
For more information on the campaign, contact Ms. Parrish at 735-1387, Ext. 1023 or e-mail [email protected].