Garden of Hope dedicated at TCHC
Garden of Hope dedicated at TCHC
Donate Life flag to fly over the garden
To honor local organ, eye and tissue donor families and recipients, a Donate Life flag raising ceremony and Garden of Hope dedication were held on Tuesday, April 3, at Tri-County Health Care. More than 60 donor families, transplant recipients, Tri-County employees and members of the public gathered for the presentation and flag raising.
Susan Gunderson, CEO of LifeSource, addressed attendees by commending the work that’s been done at Tri-County and highlighting the promise of hope and healing that the Garden of Hope gives to local communities. Tri-County Health Care partners with LifeSource to support local families at the end of life and offer the opportunity of organ and tissue donation.
Michael Berneck of the Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation spoke about the Lions eye bank and a new planned Lions Eye Institute at the University of Minnesota campus. Kim Aagard, CFO, stressed the important impact the Garden of Hope has on families affected by organ donation. James Swenson, who penned the garden’s centerpiece poem, shared his journey of receiving a heart transplant.
At the conclusion of the program, the Darren and Kandi Kelderman family raised the Donate Life flag. It will fly over the Garden of Hope as part of Flags Across America, a national initiative designed to honor and celebrate the hundreds of thousands of donors and recipients.
“Our committee was honored to work on this project,” said Lois Miller, organ/tissue donation project lead. “We are delighted with how the garden came to life and with our dedication service. The unexpected snow covering the garden did not dampen spirits, and our speakers did a wonderful job. Our desire with this project is to honor those who have offered hope and life by organ and tissue donation. We also hope to inspire others to consider donation.”
ABOUT TRI-COUNTY HEALTH CARE
Tri-County Health Care is a private, not-for-profit health care system located in Wadena, Minnesota. It offers care services such as minimally invasive surgery, cancer care, diagnostic imaging, obstetrics and rehabilitation. Tri-County operates a 25-bed hospital and medical clinic in Wadena, as well as six satellite clinics and three physical therapy clinics across Todd, Wadena and Otter Tail counties. Satellite clinic locations include Henning, Bertha, Ottertail, Sebeka, Verndale and Baxter. Visit TCHC.org.
