For Jim Waters, the process is simple: he sells tickets at the Bowling Green VFW, people buy them, and 25
percent of the proceeds go to Bridge Hospice.
He has never met any of the people who have benefitted from the money through the programs Gift of Dreams
foundation, but he likes the organization.
"I know the money goes right to the people," Waters, a trustee at the VFW, said
Since 2003, the money he is referring to amounts to more than $128,000, which breaks down to about $1,000
a month, at least lately. That makes VFW Paul C. Ladd Post 1148 a "Platinum Legacy" donor,
said Katie Stygles, the Bridge Hospice volunteer coordinator.
"Without their funding, the amazing end-of-life wishes that we granted would not be possible,"
Stygles said.
That money has paid for weddings and receptions, Thanksgiving dinners for dying patients and their
families, trips, special gifts and has even paid bills for families in need.
"We once had a young child in the home, the dad was in Hospice," Stygles said. "Obviously
they knew they weren’t going to be able to go to Disneyworld in the future. So we sent them on a mini
vacation (to a water park) and provided them with a camera. That’s a lasting memory that child will
have."
Although the Gift of Dream is funded with other donors as well – most private – the VFW money has been an
integral part of making these trips possible, Stygles said.
She described a Hospice patient and her husband who had been married for 49 years, but expressed sadness
that she would not be there for their 50th wedding anniversary. The Gift of Dreams program paid for a
bouquet of 49 roses to help the couple celebrate their anniversary.
These gifts are for special occasions and special need, Stygles said, as resources are limited.
"When we have some kind of need or wish that comes to us, it has to be ruled out that someone else
might be able to help," she said. "We are the last ditch effort."
Some gifts in the Gift of Dreams program are standard fare. The program provides an annual Thanksgiving
dinner for patients and families, for example, that families can pick up or eat in.
All hospice patients receive H.O.P.E, the Hospice bear, when they are admitted, as well as birthday and
anniversary bouquets, courtesy of Gift of Dreams.
But then there are the special wishes that only Gift of Dreams can fulfill. A patient who wanted to marry
his girlfriend received a small wedding and reception from Gift of Dreams, and the program’s volunteers
provided a cake, minister, photographer, decorations and a guest book.
The money has also provided travel tickets for distant family members to come say their goodbyes, and
occasionally helps with more practical, every-day problems. But that is rare.
"We might help out if someone has received a shut-off notice, for example," Stygles said.
"But this is not a never-ending pool of money."
Stygles said the VFW originally chose the charity because many of the veterans that have been members of
the VFW have used the Bridge Hospice services.
For Waters, it’s a safe bet that the money will go to good use.
"I know it will go to families who need it," Waters said. "It’s a good program, and its
local. That’s what I like about it."