Oh Christmas Tree...Give Back Girls at Hospice Lights of Love.
Hello supportive readers! This may be a bit familiar. For the second year in a row, the Give Back Girls have helped decorate for the Connecticut Hospice Lights of Love fundraising event.
As our readers know, GBG Sue volunteers on a regular basis at the front desk of Connecticut Hospice. Sue is the first person that family and friends see upon arrival to the facility and the last after visiting their loved ones. She has found that this is a fulfilling way of giving back to her community. Sue organized the Give Back Girls to lend a hand for the Lights of love event.
We have some great news to share in this blog. We had the pleasure of welcoming three new women to join us with their first volunteer event! Welcome, Colleen, Joelle, and Sunshine! Our new friends joined us along with GBGs, Arlene, Michelle, Angie, and Sue. With seven give back girls, the task at hand went quickly. Many hands make light work!
The task was to decorate the main tree on the gazebo near the water. Last year, the strong winds blew the tree over and all of the decorations went out to sea. So if you are boating and find a blue or silver ornament, think of a hospice patient that has passed on and send up a private hello. With the help of Rick, a facility staffer, the tree was anchored in place. No floating decor this year! GBG Sue shopped to replace the beautifully coordinated decorations including a new star for the tree top.
Christmas music played from a cell phone as we donned the banister of the gazebo with pre-lit evergreens. The girls joined in singing carols from time to time and worked together to string lights on the tree and place blue and silver ornaments along with starfish embellishments.
Time for the star! Imagine a thick very tall branch at the top of the tree. Too thick to bend over and too thin to keep the star from wobbling. Arlene climbed the ladder and strapped the star down good; however it was slightly pointing left of center. With the help of several GBGs providing direction, Arlene righted the star where everyone was pleased.
Within a few minutes, GBG Sue appeared with her daughter, Amanda. Sue was looking at the tree and as her gaze lifted to the star, she began to speak. The remainder of the crew quickly screamed out, “Don’t touch that star!!”
What we did agree to was to send Amanda up the ladder to literally trim the top of the tree. She strategically added branches to balance the treetop and then the star looked just perfect.
While we were enjoying ourselves with a task that is uplifting and happy, we hoped the tree would lift the spirits of the hospice residents and their guests. As we walked back to the building, we noticed a woman on the top floor smiling and clapping. Outward acknowledgment of the joy that a simple give back can provide. The girls were thankful for the opportunity to do good for a wonderful cause.
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