The mission of Hospice of St. Mary's is to provide physical, emotional and spiritual support to terminally ill patients and their families and bereavement care to those families and the community. The Hospice House is near completion but is still in need of financial donations and contributions to complete the project. The facility is located on a peaceful site in Callaway, Maryland and will allow citizens of St. Mary's County to spend their final days in the comfort of an inviting home setting, with twenty four hour care, when such an option does not exist at the patient's residence. A Hospice House offers an important option for people who cannot die at home or who want to receive specialized end-of-life care from trained staff. The Hospice of St. May's Board of Directors hopes that Hospice House will have a positive and enduring impact in St. Mary's County. Your support and dedication will allow us to achieve the goal of caring for our first patients by fall of 2009.

In addition to the great Bluegrass music, there will be lots of other things to do throughout the day of the Bluegrass for Hospice with many vendors including food vendors available to sell food. There will also be 50/50 Raffles, many Door Prizes, and items available for Silent Auctions. All proceeds for this day will go toward the Hospice House of St. Mary's. Please bring a lawn chair. The event is also handicap accessible.

Non-perishable food items will be collected that day to help replenish the food banks in Southern Maryland. Today more Americans are struggling to put food on the table — hit by everything from the mortgage crisis to high gas prices. The food banks in Maryland are running critically short on supplies. Less food is getting donated to the food banks which means they are getting less food back out into the community. So, If you would like to participate, just bring a non-perishable food item of your choice to the show and it will be collected and distributed to the food banks for the Tri-Counties.

Tickets for the Bluegrass for Hospice are $15.00 in advance and $20.00 at the door. For advanced tickets make your tax-deductible contribution payable to Hospice of St. Mary's. Please provide in the memo section of the check, Bluegrass for Hospice and mail along with a self addressed stamped envelope to: P.O. Box 741, California, MD, 20619. The deadline for mailing tickets will be October 10.

If you'd like more information about the October 24 festivities, you can call 301-737-3004. To verify this event, call Jan Barnes, President, Hospice of St. Mary's Board of Directors at 301-737-5147. Or log onto our website at www.BluegrassForHospice.com.

Bluegrass for Hospice is sponsored in part by: Community Bank of Tri-County, PNC Bank, Bell Boys Bus Service, Executive Inn & Suites, W.M. Davis Construction Inc., State Farm-Phil Riehl, Printing Press Inc., Southern Maryland Woman Magazine, Winter's Sheet Metal, and Blue Heron Services.

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