Dakota Dunes CDC contribution brings support
- NC Raine | December 26, 2019
An important development has been made in hospice and end-of-life care in Saskatoon after a significant donation from the Dakota Dunes Community Development Corporation (DDCDC).
A cheque for $100,000 from the DDCDC was presented on Wednesday to St. Paul’s Hospital (SPH) Foundation’s Close to Home Campaign. The contribution from the DDCDC will support Saskatoon’s first free-standing hospice.
“We’re happy to be part of the great work that St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation is doing in the hospice life-care,” said Mark Arcand, Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) Chief.
“For us, it’s a great opportunity to be part of that and contribute to a very special need. Bringing families together and making sure that we make a difference in people’s lives,” he said.
The DDCDC is a local non-profit grant agency, established by the STC, that provides support in ten different categories, all with a strong community focus. The organization said that share the belief that people facing end-of-life care, and their families, require appropriate facilities.
“Having a place where you can actually come in, feel welcome, and have a room that is sensitive to the needs of our First Nations people – our board thought it was very important to support this,” said Shirley Greyeyes, DDCDC Director.
Greyeyes relayed her own personal experiences with hospice at SPH, and how important it was for her and her family to feel welcome.
“The Close to Home Campaign is something very close to my heart because I took care of my parents when they were ill and we really didn’t have enough places to go,” she said. “We ended up at St. Paul’s Hospital. The care that they provided to us was really well done and comforting in a time of great sorrow.”
The $20 million Close to Home campaign supports the growth of Saskatchewan’s end-of-life care community. This latest contribution from DDCDC is part of the long-standing connection in health and healing since 2011.
“It is our mission that everyone who walks in our hospital is supported, heard, and safe as they face their own personal challenges,” said Lecina Hicke, CEO of St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation.
Hicke said that the DDCDC contribution will help support programs, including healing arts, music therapy, and spiritual and bereavement care.
“This commitment acknowledges that an individual who is in a crisis in health is more than their illness. At the same time, asserts that medicine is more than a prescription we fill,” said Hicke.