On May 25, Coastal Family Hospice Volunteers and MaineHealth Care at Home (formerly Kno-Wal-Lin) honored their active volunteers at a luncheon at the Craignair Inn in Spruce Head. Forty-five CFHV volunteers and board members enjoyed lunch-with-a-view and heard a special presentation by Kandyce Powell, Executive Director of the Maine Hospice Council.

Prior to Powell's address, CFHV Board Chair Kathy Deupree introduced Donna DeBlois, CEO of MaineHealth Care at Home; Heidi McCaffery, Director of Hospice; and Betsy Boynton, Sussman House Director, expressing appreciation for their support and cooperation. She introduced new CFHV administrative assistant Sarah Rogers and then Holly Lakey, the new CFHV Program Director, who introduced the guest speaker.

Enthusiastic and dedicated are only two of many adjectives that describe Kandyce Powell, who has headed the Augusta-based Maine Hospice Council since 1992. Acknowledging the geographical challenges that beset the delivery of hospice care in Maine, particularly in the most rural areas, Powell enthusiastically supports collaborative efforts—partnering with other health-care agencies to "make things happen." She described hospice programs for veterans at Togus (where "vets listen to vets"), as well as a groundbreaking program she introduced in 2000 at the Maine State Prison, where prisoners undergo 150 hours of hospice training and have become model caregivers for their fellow inmates.

Powell concluded her talk by congratulating the volunteers present for devoting their time, energy, love, and passion to helping others at the end of their lives.

Coastal Family Hospice, founded in 1979, works with MaineHealth Care at Home to provide trained volunteer support for its hospice patients and their families in Knox and Lincoln counties.