Kelsi Leah Young Respite Care Fund Marks 10-Year Anniversary with Tom Coughlin
Milestone celebration March 8 welcomes Jacksonville Jaguars executive vice president
JACKSONVILLE— On the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Kelsi Leah Young Respite Care Fund, Community Hospice & Palliative Care will host a milestone evening celebration with Tom Coughlin, executive vice president of football operations for the Jacksonville Jaguars, to recognize the impact the fund has had on the more than 360 Community PedsCare® families who have used respite care. The 10th Annual Kelsi Young Gift of Care Celebration will be Thursday, March 8 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Congregation Ahavath Chesed, 8727 San Jose Blvd. in Jacksonville.
For families with children enrolled in the pediatric palliative and hospice care program of Community Hospice & Palliative Care, the fund has offered the gift of rest, known as respite care, since 2007. Families who receive respite care can run errands, attend out-of-town events or otherwise take a break from sometimes around-the-clock caregiving duties.
The upscale barbecue-themed dinner will showcase the value of respite care made possible by the fund, established by the Young family. Their daughter, Kelsi, a former Community PedsCare patient who died in 2005, was the inspiration for the fund’s creation. The event also will encourage continued support to ensure the service remains available to families in need. Along with remarks from Coughlin, Dan Hicken, sports anchor at Action News Jax, will emcee the program.
To Leslie Young, co-founder of the fund and Kelsi’s mom, helping provide this precious gift has been her family’s way to give back and honor the memory of her daughter. "Losing Kelsi was a very difficult time for us, but we didn't realize it was also the start of a new journey,” Young said. “The enthusiasm and support of our community over the past 10 years has exceeded our goals and expectations. We should all be so proud of how we've been able to assist so many families in our community."
Admission is $75 per person, with sponsorships beginning at $500 and whole-table sponsorships at $1,000 and up. For more information about the Kelsi Young Gift of Care Celebration or to learn how you can support it, call (904) 886-3883 or visit Kelsi.CommunityHospice.com.
About Community Hospice & Palliative Care
Established in 1979, Community Hospice & Palliative Care is an innovative national leader in palliative and hospice care, as well as providing programs and services to meet the diverse needs of the communities it serves. During its 38-year history, Community Hospice & Palliative Care has served nearly 200,000 adults and children in Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties, and recently expanded its service area to include 11 counties in north-central Florida. Through the support of more than 900 employees and 1,000 volunteers, the organization helps approximately 1,600 patients per day to live better with advanced illness – at home, in long-term care and assisted living facilities, in hospitals and at its eight inpatient care centers. The organization is committed to improving the quality of life for patients and their families and to be the compassionate guide for end-of-life care in our communities. No one is ever denied care due to an inability to pay. To learn more about the support and services of Community Hospice & Palliative Care, visit CommunityHospice.com.
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