Jitterbug Ball to benefit care, bereavement and wellness support at Hospice King Aurora

October 8, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

“Energy” was the watchword as women from Aurora and King converged on Aurora last week to put the finishing touches on the Jitterbug Ball, the biennial fundraiser for Hospice King Aurora.

People have fun at the event, all for a good cause, but as organizers count down to the October 24 event, the 2014 Jitterbug Ball is shaping up to be the biggest one in over a decade.

“I think a lot of this has to do with the fact people realise that all of the services and supports we provide are free of charge to people and that we receive very little funding from the government,” says Heidi Bonner, Executive Director of Hospice King Aurora of the upward swing in support. “We really do rely on this major fundraiser, so there is always a big push. I think the community recognizes the wonderful supports that we provide.”

This year’s Jitterbug Ball will take place at Vaughan’s Hazelton Manor and will feature dinner, a live band in Side 3 – a returning favourite – and live and silent auctions. Proceeds from the $175 a head ball will benefit Hospice’s care and bereavement support programs.

“Hospice King Aurora has been in our community for over 30 years,” says Donna Warde, one of the 20-strong committee spearheading the festivities. “We provide all kinds of services. We have a visiting volunteer program where people go to homes of people who are dealing with a chronic or life-threatening illness. We have alternative therapies and healing programs, we have support services, as well as bereavement support for children, teenagers, and adults. More than 75 per cent of our fundraising comes from our own efforts and, of that, the Jitterbug Ball is by far our largest contributor.

“I became a visiting volunteer myself 12 years ago and took the training and loved the organization. I really loved making a difference in helping people in the community in so many different ways.”

At the end of the day, the Visiting Volunteer Program is the only one of their services that receives direct government funding, explains Ms. Bonner, but there is so much more to Hospice services than that, and these needs have become particularly apparent as the face of illness – and the needs that come with it – evolve.

“With the strides and the great treatment methods has really helped people overcome cancer, so we needed to find ways to support people that were not only end-of-life, but also battling cancer, in the middle of treatment, or finishing up treatment,” says Ms. Bonner.

“That is when we started the Wellness programs, focusing on keeping people healthy and supporting them in a different way.”

Wellness and bereavement supports are two areas that will particularly benefit from the Jitterbug Ball, she adds. Programs focusing on wellness, particularly free of charge, are particularly needed but increasingly rare in the community, she adds.

“We’re very fortunate to be able to offer them and have very wonderful people that are supporting us to be able to offer them,” she says, noting advocacy work is well underway from various agencies for increased funding. “There are a lot of holes in hospice palliative care like the wellness and bereavement sides, and even in social work. It is very difficult for people to get social work help.

“We’re beginning to focus on caregiver support and a portion of our funding does go to support caregivers, but that is relatively new in terms of getting funding for it. It seems to be a provincial focus on helping caregivers care for themselves so they can care for the loved ones. We’re actually looking into having some support programs and workshops and [providing] opportunities for caregivers to get together and support each other. Caregivers don’t usually take time for themselves and it is something we are always encouraging our clients’ families – to have some time and relax. That is why we have the volunteers that can go in and provide some caregiver relief.”

Every time the Jitterbug Ball rolls around, Ms. Bonner says she always looks forward to the energy in the room. People have fun at the event and invariably the room is full of “very excited and generous people.” Having joined Hospice seven years ago, first doing community outreach, she is now executive director of the organization.

Taking the helm this spring, she says her focus was to continue to provide “excellent support” to the community while putting particular focus on the caregiver and wellness programs, and continuing the legacy of those who laid the foundation of the organization.

“We are one of the first community hospices in Ontario and we have been in business for 31 years because of the fabulous volunteers that we have,” she says. “They are what make it all possible. There are only three of us [on staff] and the hands-on group support comes from them.”

Hospice King Aurora supported 380 people across both communities last year.