AMOREM to offer volunteer training in October

For individuals who have been looking for an opportunity to make a difference and believe they have the compassionate spirit needed to be a companion for someone’s hospice journey, AMOREM may be the right fit.

Adults who are interested in becoming hospice volunteers can attend one of three two-day training sessions that will be offered next month — including Oct. 13 and 15 at AMOREM’s Valdese campus (1721 Enon Road) and Oct. 20 and 22 at its Hudson campus (526 Pine Mountain Road) — with the training lasting from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Training will also be held at the Boone campus (137 Moonstruck Lane) Oct. 27 and 29.

An array of topics will be covered to help prepare attendees to become successful volunteers. Participants will learn about the strong community history and commitment of AMOREM; the physical, spiritual, and psychosocial issues hospice patients face; and much more from AMOREM’s staff of end-of-life care experts.

There is currently a need for volunteers to provide companionship to patients in the patients’ homes or long-term care facilities. Other specific needs include volunteers who can provide transportation for patients to medical appointments and shopping excursions, veterans who can visit patients who are fellow veterans, and individuals who can assist in AMOREM’s Thrift & Gifts store in Valdese.

Attendance is required at each session and meals will be provided. Online volunteer training is also available.

For more information or to register for the October adult volunteer training opportunity, call 828-754-0101 or email Cyndi Akins at cakins@amoremsupport.org.

OCTOBER GOOD GRIEF MEALS

AMOREM will hold its monthly Good Grief Meals — which provide an informal time of food and fellowship and are open to anyone who is experiencing grief and loss — during the first week of October.

Mi Carreta Mexican Grill in Lenoir (1146 Hickory Blvd.), Abele’s Family Restaurant in Morganton (2115 S. Sterling St.), and Cracker Barrel in Boone (1601 Blowing Rock Blvd.) will be the locations for the upcoming Good Grief Meals. All three meals will start at 3 p.m., with Mi Carreta hosting on Oct. 1, Abele’s on Oct. 2, and Cracker Barrel on Oct. 7, and those who attend are expected to pay their own costs.

The meals are sponsored through Ashewood Grief and Counseling Services, AMOREM’s grief support program, and they are just one of the ways that AMOREM helps individuals of all ages and families cope with the loss of their loved ones.

To RSVP, email Kimberly Setzer at ksetzer@amoremsupport.org, Nichole Annas at nannas@amoremsupport.org, or Katie Pekman at kpekman@amoremsupport.org. For more information about October’s Good Grief Meals or other grief support services, call 828-754-0101 or visit amoremsupport.org.

— JM