Dear Friends,
Today I write to you from my heart and ask for your urgently needed support. Due to mounting medical costs and severe unexpected cutbacks, our nursing aides’ salaries hang in the balance.
All told, our 2015 cost for home health care assistants soared to more than $35,000 over budget. It’s a crippling shortfall! And without your support I anticipate an even steeper deficit in 2016!
But what can I do? For our beloved Brothers entering their final days, three weeks of hospice care can cost $7,000. Critically ill Brothers require round-the-clock home care, at nearly $350 per 24-hour period and often for days on end.
It’s not only for dire situations that we rely on our aides! In so many ways, they hold my elderly Brothers’ health and wellness in their hands – helping the less agile and frail Brothers in all our retirement facilities make it through each day and night with dignity and grace.
With your generous support, in whatever amount you can afford, I hope to raise enough to cover our home health care aides’ annual salaries. Even a small gift will make a big difference!
Can I count on your support – so my elderly and disabled Brothers will continue receiving the warm, compassionate home care they deserve?
Truth be told, “assistant” or “aide” does not begin to cover the roles these angels of mercy play in my Brothers’ lives.
These caring, compassionate people – on duty day and night – soothe the harsh anxieties my Brothers sometimes feel as they face medical treatments and surgical procedures. They help the Brothers with those “little” tasks we take for granted, like getting dressed, bathing, or buttoning up pajamas. And they’re always nearby, ready with a calming squeeze on the shoulder to smooth a Brother’s furrowed, worried brow.
There is another reason we count on our health care aides – although it’s an alarming thought that is difficult to discuss. Who would call 9-1-1 if a Brother suddenly fell ill and needed life-saving medical attention? Without our night aides, many of my elderly Brothers are left helpless in an emergency.
I pray that you understand how important our aides are. And while there is so much in life we cannot change, we do have the power to change this predicament! Together, if we pool our resources, we will raise the funds needed to keep the Marist Brothers’ aides.
Ah! Pool our resources. It’s an interesting concept that proves how much your support means – whether you send $25 or $225! Consider this. The nickel tucked in with my letter buys almost nothing today. But…when you add that 5¢ to many more nickels – as I’ll add your support to the gifts from many more Marist Brothers’ friends – you can see how the total grows. If we pool our resources, we will have the funds for our beloved home health care providers.
As we approach Easter, renewing our commitment to our risen Lord Jesus Christ, I have faith that you will help us! As a heartfelt token of my appreciation for your support, I’m enclosing a special Lenten prayer card. Can’t you just imagine the lily’s heavenly scent?
When your gift arrives, you can be sure that the Brothers and I will want to thank God for your kindness. So please, take a moment to complete the enclosed prayer intention slip and send it along with your donation. The Brothers and I will include your prayer intentions during a special Easter Mass that will be offered in honor of you and your loved ones.
In closing, I want to thank you so very much for your continued friendship. I want to especially wish you a glorious Easter. May your spirit rejoice as you celebrate the miracle of renewed life, faith, and love for Our Lord Jesus Christ.
God bless you for your kind generosity,
Br. Hugh P. Turley, F.M.S.
Director of Development
