Homeland Hospice is One of Life’s Miracles for Ginny Jones

/in /
test

Ginny Jones and her dog CharlieGinny Jones has been guided by miracles throughout her life. During times of darkness, support has found her and helped her take the next step. For her part, Ginny’s faith in God and humanity ensures her heart is always open to the unexpected grace that blesses us when we need it most. When Ginny’s beloved husband, Art, was in his final days of life, Homeland Hospice was the miracle she needed. Homeland Hospice is a hospice program that serves communities throughout Central Pennsylvania.

Art battled lung cancer for many years and often utilized Homeland’s HomeHealth services to recover at home. When pneumonia set in and a medical cure was no longer possible, his doctor recommended hospice services. For Art and Ginny, choosing Homeland was an easy decision.

“I didn’t know Homeland had a hospice program,” Ginny says. “We were impressed with the support from HomeHealth and immediately said yes to hospice.”

Ginny connected with the Homeland Hospice team on a Friday afternoon and within a few hours a white package was delivered with instructions to refrigerate immediately. A hospital bed arrived a few days later.

Less than 24 hours later, Ginny placed a dire call to Homeland. Art’s health had dramatically declined and he was growing more and more agitated. Her Homeland nurse instructed Ginny to look inside her refrigerator for medication which immediately brought Art comfort and Ginny peace. This solitary act of foresight was an answer to Ginny’s prayers and the start of Art’s peaceful end-of-life journey.

“The medicine is in your refrigerator,” Ginny says, “I will never forget these words. Homeland knew what I needed before I did.”

Over the next few weeks, the Homeland team surrounded Ginny and Art with support to ensure Art’s final days were as comfortable as possible. Art also had a special furry friend named Charlie, a Buchon Frise, who doubles as a therapy dog when visiting hospitals. Charlie sat on a love seat with his head between the bed rails to be as close to Art as possible.

“The morning Art died, Charlie left a dog toy on his bed,” Ginny says. “He knew it was time to say goodbye.”

Art died peacefully four days after his 85th birthday. He and Ginny were married for more than 51 years. In his final year of life, Art found his faith, which gave both of them peace.

During their decades together, Art and Ginny overcame obstacles which helped Ginny find her voice as an advocate for those in need and put her faith into action through ministry work. The couple had two daughters. Sarah was born with a mental health disorder which required her to be placed in a care facility when she was eight years old. Advocating for Sarah and children with similar challenges gave Ginny a voice she didn’t know she had. Ginny spent much of her career working to connect families with resources.

When Sarah entered her adult years and was able to live in her own apartment, she struggled to furnish her space with limited resources. Ginny was inspired and formed New Digs Ministry, Inc., in 2007 to provide gently used furniture and household goods to adults with mental health issues. New Digs has grown over the years to expand its scope of services to assist anyone in need of help when making a fresh start.

As Ginny, a self-described planner, looks toward her next phase in life, she plans to become a hospice volunteer. Charlie will be by her side to provide comfort in a way only a dog can. Ginny wants her peers to know about Homeland Hospice and shares information with her church congregation so others are prepared when facing an end-of-life journey.

“I have been blessed by Homeland,” Ginny says. “I want everyone to know this service is available.”

For more information about services for patients and families, call Homeland Hospice at (717) 221-7890.

Homeland Director of Development Troy Beaver: Finding purpose in relationships

/in /
test

Homeland Director of Development Troy BeaverTroy Beaver was weighing three job offers when his dad’s hospice nurse told him what keeps her going every day.

“It’s knowing that this could be this person’s last day on earth, and maybe I do something that puts a smile on their face,” she told him. “I could be the last positive thing that happens to this person in their lifetime.”

At that moment, Beaver decided to reject those offers – all in corporations like the one he had just left – and heed the voice urging him to find work that made a tangible difference in people’s lives.

Today, Beaver is Homeland’s new director of development, filling the role held by beloved Betty Hungerford after she retired. He is responsible for supporting Homeland’s fiscal health and long-term viability through philanthropic and charitable giving.

When the opportunity came along, he wasn’t sure he was right for the role. He spent months talking to people at Homeland – including Hungerford – “and prayed long and hard about it.”

“Now, since I’ve been here, I’ve been asking myself why I didn’t do this 30 years ago,” he said.

Beaver was born and raised in Chambersburg, PA. At age 19, he entered the U.S. Air Force, utilizing his fluency in Spanish to serve in military intelligence during a time of political turmoil in Central America.

Even before separating from the military after four years, he started working at Citibank in Hagerstown, MD, filling a need for someone to work with Spanish-speaking customers.

That job blossomed into a director in Citibank operations, taking him all over the world including Europe, South America, Central America and India.

After about 30 years, he started wondering if he wanted to continue.

“I had a feeling that there was something different,” he said. “There’s got to be something more.”

Around that time Citibank downsized and eliminated his job, and after meeting with Barry Ramper II, Homeland President and CEO, it was suggested he could be right for Homeland’s development director.

Beaver’s wife reminded him that he had been praying for “something different,” and the answer was right in front of him.

At Homeland, Beaver has discovered people impassioned about their work in ways that are different than the corporate settings in which he previously worked.

“The staff here embraces the fact that this is a person’s home,” he said. “It’s not a care home. It is their home. That’s the big difference.”

Amid the financial pressures facing today’s nonprofits, Beaver is striving to build on Homeland’s base of donors for decades to come.

“Homeland is 158-years strong,” Beaver said. “But we recognize that we need to always be thinking about how we can ensure we are here to care for our community for generations to come.”

While Beaver brings experience using technology to streamline the search for potential donors, he knows that software isn’t what obtains grants and donations. His solemn task is to build relationships. Hungerford, who was Homeland’s development director for 20 years, reminded him that building relationships takes time.

“Building trust is the most important thing,” he said. “And that takes really getting to know people.”

Beaver and his wife, Lisa, have been married for 36 years and have two sons and a granddaughter. In his leisure time, he plays one of his 12 guitars, including a custom-made Jennings that “is the most incredible guitar, with incredible detail.”

With his former Christian rock band, Prodigal, he has recorded two CDs and jokes that he is an “international recording star” because three of those CDs sold outside the U.S.

Beaver looks forward to continuing to get to know Homeland residents and building relationships with donors.

“I’m getting a really big friend base here,” he said. “All I can hope for is that in the time I’ve gotten to know Homeland’s residents and its family of supporters, I’ve been a bright spot for them and made them happy.”