Caris Healthcare’s not-for-profit foundation has a new name: Your Life, Our Mission Hospice Foundation. We changed the name to reinforce the Caris Healthcare mission and to avoid confusion with another foundation with a similar name based in Texas. The company, of course, will continue to operate under the name Caris Healthcare and the foundation now will be operated under its new name.

Your Life, Our Mission Hospice Foundation will continue our work of supporting care for people at the end of life both here at home and abroad. Since our foundation was formed in 2007, our largest project has been partnering with Sister Rose, the founder of Hospice of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa, to provide funding and essential support for their vital work. Hospice of Ethiopia’s work continues even though Sister Rose is now retired. Ephrem Abathun is the new Executive Director of Hospice of Ethiopia and we plan to celebrate our 10 year partnership when Ephrem visits Caris in 2017. Since the partnership formed, the foundation has given more than $150,000 to Hospice of Ethiopia. To learn more, visit https://hospiceethiopia.com.

Hospice of Ethiopia staff with Sister Rose and Ephrem Abathun on the far right at their office in Addis Ababa

Another project that Your Life, Our Mission Hospice Foundation will continue to support is the Candese Walker Memorial Fund. Candese Walker was a Caris registered nurse from 2007 until her untimely death in 2011. Prior to her death, Candese was preparing for certification as a hospice nurse (CHPN). The Foundation has provided scholarships to 74 nurses and 134 hospice aides to enable them to obtain their hospice certification. The foundation will expand on its commitment to nursing education this year by setting up a Candese Walker scholarship that will be awarded to a deserving nursing student who aspires to become a hospice nurse.

Finally, Your Life, Our Mission Hospice Foundation will continue the work of We Honor Veterans. A joint program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the We Honor Veterans program helps us guide veteran patients toward a more peaceful ending. The goal is to pay tribute to our veteran patients’ service and bravery every day. All Caris locations that have been in existence for a year or more have achieved Level Four status, the highest level of achievement in the We Honor Veterans program.

In the spirit of responsible and open governance, we have posted the foundation’s tax return at https://carishealthcare.com/about-us/foundation-work/. We are proud that 100%of the money contributed to the foundation goes to mission support. Caris Healthcare provides all administrative support for the foundation voluntarily and no one affiliated with Caris Healthcare is paid by the foundation.

I want to thank Caris Healthcare employees for their commitment to world class hospice service both here at home and overseas. We look forward to the continued work of the Your Life, Our Mission Hospice Foundation in 2017 and onward.