Mark Your Calendar

Evening of Comedy

Covenant Hospice invites you to join us at the 18th Annual Evening of Comedy:  Roaring 20s at the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front on Friday, August 24, 2012 from 6 - 10 p.m.  This year's event will include entertainment by comedian Keith Alberstadt, a gourmet dinner, and live and silent auctions. WEAR TV-3 news anchor Sue Straughn will return to emcee the event, and Brent Lane of Cat Country 98.7 will serve as live auctioneer.  Dress is business, cocktail or 1920s attire. Visit www.eventsatcovenant.org/eveningofcomedy for more information.

Denim and Diamonds

Mark your calendar for the best bling and blue jean event in Gulf County! Covenant Hospice will host the 2nd Annual Denim and Diamonds on Friday, September 14, 2012 from 6 - 9 p.m. at the Centennial Building.  Dinner will be provided by Paul Gants BBQ and Tarpon Docks Seafood.  You won't want to miss the fabulous items in the silent and live auctions or the chance to win a beautiful diamond necklace provided by David Scott Fine Jewelry.  Get your tickets now for only $25 by contacting the Philanthropy Department at 850-785-3040 or by emailing Nanisa.Anderson@covenanthospice.org

Worthwhile Work  A Letter of Thanks

Our family would like to thank the Covenant Hospice staff for their loving kindess, caring for the ill and family members who are dealing with the entire process of losing a loved one.  We would especially like to thank the nursing staff, who helped my two daughters and I administer peace and comfort to my husband in the final moments of his life.  We could not have understood the process without the Covenant Hospice Patient and Family Handbook and the nursing staff's insight.

Even though I am heart broken at the loss of the love of my life, I can hold strongly by what I now know about living life to the fullest.  Thank you for your knowledge and heartfelt caring.

Love to you all,

Ellen K.

Making a Difference: Donor Spotlight

Choosing the perfect venue is crucial to the success of any fundraiser.  In 2008, the Mobile branch was looking for a unique venue to accommodate the logistical needs for a rubber turtle race.  Thankfully, the Mobile branch found a jewel in the delta for their Turtle Derby event.  When Hank Burch, the manager of 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center heard the word "turtle" he was all in!  Since that time, 5 Rivers has graciously sponsored the event, donating their entire facility and countless hours of staff time to ensure the race goes off without a hitch.

The beautiful 5 Rivers facility is located in Spanish Fort, AL near the port city of Mobile. Here, the Mobile-Tensaw Delta meets the historic Mobile Bay in a beautiful blending of waterways.  It's the gateway to Alabama's largest National Natural Landmark and the second largest river delta in America.  Five Rivers features outdoor recreation opportunities and fosters responsible land stewardship and conservation education in Alabama. The Turtle Derby is a perfect fit given that the state reptile for Alabama is the red-bellied turtle, and 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center has been at the forefront of protecting this endangered species.

The Turtle Derby on the Delta has created a wonderful opportunity for Covenant Hospice and 5 Rivers to partner together and generate awareness about the mission of both organizations.  The Turtle Derby and its success would not be possible without the generous support of the 5 Rivers staff and their amazing facility.  We are so grateful for their partnership which has enabled us to take a unique fundraising idea and make it a reality!

Event Success:
Garden Gala

The 7th Annual Garden Gala was a blooming success!  The event raised more than $60,000 net revenue to support Covenant Hospice's unfunded and non-reimbursed programs in Calhoun, Jackson, Washington and Holmes County area.

On June 9, approximately 320 guests came to enjoy an evening filled with art, tastings, exhibits, live music by Moonlighter's, and a delicious dinner.  The featured garden art for 2012 was custom constructed Adirondack rocking chairs, benches, swings, & terra cotta flower pots.  Each was transformed into one-of-kind pieces of art by local artists. 

"Garden Gala is truly an enchanting event, which has grown to be the signature fundraising event for Covenant Hospice in this area," said Jennifer Griffin, Development Manager.  "We are so appreciative for all of the community support--sponsorships, donations, artists, ticket purchases, and volunteers.  Their support allows us to fulfill our mission to provide the compassion, comprehensive care regardless of ability to pay."

Mark your calendar for June 1, 2013 for the 8th year of this spectacular event! For more information contact us at 850-482-8520 or email  jennifer.griffin@covenanthospice.org

Event Success:  Cox Cablethon

To mark the 40th Anniversary of the Cox Cablethon, we celebrated the mission of Covenant Hospice for 40 days and raised more than $30,000!  This year's event featured a new exciting format, including a televised program hosted by Sue Straughn (WEAR-TV) and Diamond Dan (105.5 The Wolf), 40 days of online auctions, a premiere party at Helen Back and a prize drawing for an 8-day Caribbean cruise for two!

The 30-minute television show, produced and aired by Cox, highlighted a few of the special programs Covenant Hospice provides to patients and families we serve.  Throughout the program, viewers were given the opportunity to text in their $10 donation to support programs such as Children's Support Services, Chaplain Services, the We Honor Veterans program and our Indigent Patient Care program, which allows anyone to receive our hospice services - regardless of ability to pay.

The premiere party on April 14 kicked off 40 days of online auctions, making items available to Covenant supporters all over the nation, and the world. The four 10-day auctions featured 100 items such as vacation getaways, art, spa days and golf outings and raised more than $6,700.

Congratulations to Robert Yoder of Crestview, who won the Caribbean cruise prize drawing, graciously donated by Grand Crowne Travel of Branson, MO.  And of course, many thanks to Cox for their long-standing commitment to supporting Covenant Hospice.

Event Success:  Life's A Dance

The 4th Annual Life's A Dance was the best show yet according to the buzz from the 900+ attendees who enjoyed seeing this season's DWTS champion, Peta Murgatroyd, as well as Tony Dovolani, Karina Smirnoff, Maks Chmerkovskiy, Val Chmerkovskiy, Tristan MacManus and Kym Johnson on stage.  The event raised more than $34,000 for our patients and programs at Covenant Hospice and we are grateful for the support from all of our sponsors, dancers and guests.  This year brought a new fundraising element to the event by challenging local celebrity dancers to a "People's Choice Award" contest with the dancer who raised the most money being the winner.  Jay Bradshaw, Covenant Hospice supporter and owner of Coastal Moving & Storage, took home the title raising $3,455.  All of the dancers brought in a total of $7,800 making a huge impact in raising funds!  Additionally, the event garnered lots of media coverage from all local outlets with media sponsorships totaling $26,500 with added coverage totals pending.  This event continues to be successful in raising funds for our patients and programs in the Escarosa service areas.