There were plenty of smiling faces when severalboard members from the Desert Valley Hospice Society officially cut the ribbon last Thursday afternoon to officially open its new Supportive Care Centre on Jonagold Place in Osoyoos. On hand for the special occasion were (from left) board member Ted Cronmiller, Ann Howard from BC Housing, Trudy Demorest, the founding president of DVHS and a honorary life member, current president Janet Shaw and Colleen Misner, constituency assistant for local MLA Linda Larson, who was unable to attend. (Keith Lacey photo)
It took more than a decade to become a reality, but the Desert Valley Hospice Society (DVHS) finally has a place to call home and there are an awful lot of people in Oliver and Osoyoos who are happy about it.
Three months after announcing it had reached an agreement with BC Housing to operate a new facility in an abandoned building on Jonagold Place, the impressive new facility was officially opened last Thursday afternoon as part of a lavish ceremony that attracted several dozen supporters.
The DVHS has been providing end-of-life care and counselling to residents of Osoyoos and Oliver for many years without having a permanent facility to call home.
That has all changed with the opening of the new DVHS Supportive Care Centre.
While it will still take at least a couple of years before the board of directors can even think about applying for funding to provide beds to clients, the opening of the Supportive Care Centre provides a major milestone for the organization, said DVHS board president Linda Shaw.
“This is truly a very special day for the hospice society … were are trembling with excitement,” said Shaw.
The dream of having a permanent residence that can now offer programming and counselling services, training space for volunteers and eventually long-term beds would never have become reality without the tremendous support of the provincial government through BC Housing, said Shaw.
“I have to thank BC Housing for allowing us to be able to use this beautiful facility,” said Shaw.
When the building was purchased this past summer, it had been vacant for more than seven years, but it’s incredible what some sweat equity, a lot of paint and volunteer assistance to fix the building’s infrastructure can do in a short period of time, said Shaw.
Management from BC Housing has made it very clear they want the Oliver, Osoyoos and Similkameen Valley area to offer end-of-life services that are comparable to anywhere in the province, said Shaw.
“We are so grateful that you want us to succeed,” she said.
Being able to train volunteers, provide counselling services and allowing the board to hold regular meetings out of the same building is something many thought would not be possible only a couple of years ago, said Shaw.
“Having this place has given us a real shot in the arm,” she said.
The vast majority of success of DVHS over the past decade lies directly at the feet and hands of the dozens of volunteers, many who showed up at last week’s grand opening, said Shaw.
“If it wasn’t for our incredible volunteers, we simply would not exist,” she said.
There has also been tremendous leadership and support shown by community leaders at various levels of government, including local MLA Linda Larson, Osoyoos Mayor Stu Wells and Oliver Mayor Ron Hovanes, said Shaw.
Management with Interior Health has also worked closely with the DVHS board over the past several months, said Shaw.
Ann Howard, a manager with BC Housing, said it has been incredible how much has been accomplished between her agency and the DVHS board in the past calendar year.
“We talked a lot about this facility and how it had sat there for so long and how we all shared a desire to do something good here,” she said. “It took some time, but it happened.
“We’re so pleased that our involvement in this project has resulted in this facility being realized and knowing it will really do some good things for the community.”
Wells said Shaw deserves the most credit of all for being a tireless worker and fearless leader when it comes to providing end-of-life services in this region and making the DVHS board strong enough to push for this new facility.
“This is a well oiled machine … one that is being driven by Janet Shaw,” said Wells. “When there is a community project being led by Janet Shaw, you know it’s going to be a success.”
Hovanes said the hard work and dedication by committed volunteers in Oliver and Osoyoos has been inspirational over the years and they remain the biggest reason the DVHS enjoys the success it has and the board has been able to secure a permanent home.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
From left: Trudy Demorest, founding president of Desert Valley Hospice Society, Janet Shaw, president, and Lois Brummet, volunteer coordinator, do the ceremonial cake cutting at the official opening of the Supportive Care Centre in Osoyoos. (Keith Lacey photo)
