Don Campbell presented the check to Hospice of Southern Maine on Jan. 23. Hospice of Southern Maine
Scarborough resident Don Campbell presented a check of $11,521 to Hospice of Southern Maine on Jan. 23. The check was the result of proceeds of a holiday concert the Don Campbell band performed on Dec. 18. The free concert was family-oriented and gathered donations for the hospice, including the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough. 100 percent of the proceeds went to the benefit the hospice.
“My mom received care from Hospice of Southern Maine at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House at a critical point when my siblings and I could no longer provide the comfort and clinical treatment she needed,” said Don Campbell. “They touched our lives in an unforgettable way. I’ve also learned what the power of music can do, to help to connect us all.”
The Hospice of Southern Maine and Gosnell Memorial Hospice House is a nonprofit organization that provides comfort, compassion, and care through end of life, according to their website.
“I happen to live in the same neighborhood where the Gosnell Hospice House is,” said Campbell. “I’m probably a couple of blocks away, and often times I’ll see some of the clinicians, especially in the warm weather, coming out to get some air or even family members of patients. I see them walking around the block once in a while, and I know what they’re doing. I know that they’re probably just getting some fresh air and taking a break. And I know that the people at the Gosnell house took such great care of my mom when my mom passed away almost exactly a year ago.”
“They couldn’t have treated my mom with more dignity, and me and my two siblings, my brother and sister. They were just very kind, generous, and helping us out in a very difficult time. And this is what they do at Gosnell of Southern Maine Hospice, this is what they do every single day. And it’s just such a privilege to be able to give back to them through our Christmas concert.”
The concert was at the Scarborough High School Auditorium, and it was a full house. Two corporate sponsors helped with the event: The Downs in Scarborough and Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution. Campbell plans to hold the event again next year.
“Don is very kind and generous to express his gratitude in this way,” said Daryl Cady, CEO of Hospice of Southern Maine. “As a nonprofit, we rely on community support to care for everyone who needs us. Music makes us feel good and connects us with others, and that is a gift all of us can use, now more than ever. We are incredibly grateful to Don, Kristen, and the band for providing this fun and uplifting concert.”
The Hospice of Southern Maine takes care of nearly 2,000 patients each year at patient’s homes, in their current care facility, and at the Gosnell Memorial House.
“I’m so proud to be associated with that wonderful group of people,” Campbell said.
The employees at Gosnell prioritize care and empathy, as described by Heidi Farber, director of Development and Marketing at Hospice of Southern Maine.
“When the funeral home arrived after his mom died, his siblings and he were there at Gosnell and the family escorted her out, but also all of the employees at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House who weren’t tending to patients also followed his family out,” Farber said. “And that’s something that we always do. So even though it was a freezing cold night, our staff goes out to just sort of hold the families in that space as they’re saying their last goodbyes.”
“So one thing I’m especially proud of at Gosnell is many places people come in the front door. but they go out the back door when they die,” she said. “At Gosnell, our families, our patients, come in the front door, and they go out the front door. There is just a lot of dignity and respect that we offer people even after they die.”
The Don Campbell band also did a concert last August on the water called “Flotilla to Fight Cancer”, where they raised $52,658 dollars. The funds raised at that event went to the Maine Cancer Foundation.
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