Pathways Hospice Foundation’s One from the Heart Awards Breakfast Celebrates Hospice & Bereavement Pioneer, Community Leader, and Hospice Nurse

Wells Fargo Leads Sponsors at 20^th Annual Breakfast

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--San Francisco-based Wells Fargo, a well-known supporter of Bay Area non-profits and community efforts, will be the Diamond Sponsor of Pathways Hospice Foundation’s signature awards breakfast, coming up on October 7^th. Now in its 20^th year, the One from the Heart Awards Breakfast, which attracts more than 600 community leaders, medical professionals, and philanthropists, is also being supported by returning Lead Underwriters, El Camino Hospital and Sequoia Hospital/CHW, with additional underwriting from the John and Marcia Goldman Foundation.

Honoring individuals who have made significant contributions to hospice care, philanthropy, and volunteerism, the breakfast has become a Bay Area must-attend event. The 2010 awardees are internationally recognized hospice and bereavement pioneer, the late Elisabeth Kűbler-Ross, along with community leader Roy Lave, and hospice nurse Gerry L. Cummings, R.N. The awards presentation will be the highlight of the 20^th Annual One from the Heart Awards Breakfast, to be held at the Crowne Plaza Cabaña Hotel in Palo Alto. Emmy and Peabody Award winner Rita Williams of KTVU Channel 2 is returning for her 11^th year as host of the event.

Professional photographer, author, and son of Dr. Elisabeth Kűbler-Ross, guest speaker Ken Ross will share the poignant lessons he learned about hospice and what is really important in life as he traveled the globe with his famous mother. Ken’s stories about his mother’s groundbreaking work and outrageous sense of humor will be supplemented by unpublished photographs from family albums.

During the breakfast, the 2010 John W. Gardner Visionary Award will be presented posthumously to Dr. Elisabeth Kübler–Ross. An innovator in hospice and bereavement care, Dr. Kübler–Ross advocated a more compassionate approach to dying, including hospice care that provides support to allow people to die at home. Named one of the 20th century’s 100 most important thinkers by Time magazine, Dr. Kübler–Ross taught courses on death and dying to over 125,000 people. Her famous book, On Death and Dying (1969), first outlined the five stages of grief and is still a standard text in psychology and health care. The John W. Gardner Visionary Award was created to recognize the work of those who strengthen regional or national commitment to healthcare or philanthropy.

The 2010 Frances C. Arrillaga Humanitarian Award, celebrating volunteerism and regional philanthropy, will be presented to Roy Lave. A committed educator, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and active community leader, Lave is well known as the volunteer Executive Director of the Los Altos Community Foundation. For many decades and in many roles—including those of elected official, consulting firm CEO, Stanford professor, and non–profit board member—Roy has been dedicated to the improvement of the community we share.

The 2010 One from the Heart Award will be presented to Gerry L. Cummings, R.N. A nurse for more than 50 years, Cummings is a beloved source of knowledge, support, and advice for hospice families and patients. An oncology nurse before joining Pathways 17 years ago, Gerry played a critical role in developing and strengthening the Pathways Dream Team, the medical professionals who make sure patients and families get help at all hours of the day and night. For many families, the Dream Team is the lifeline that gives them the confidence to care for their loved ones at home, and the calming voice they hear when they call is that of Gerry Cummings. The One from the Heart Award is presented each year to honor enduring contributions to hospice patients and families.

Since its inception 20 years ago, One from the Heart has raised more than $3.2 million to support hospice and home health care for tens of thousands of Bay Area families.

In addition to Diamond Sponsor Wells Fargo and Lead Underwriters El Camino Hospital, Sequoia Hospital/CHW, and the John and Marcia Goldman Foundation, the breakfast will receive Champion-Level support from Carstarphen Family Foundation, Inc. and Palo Alto Medical Foundation. Other sponsors include Althouse-Deaton Management & Leasing, Inc., Barney & Barney, LLP, Bernardin Family McDonald’s, California Home Medical Equipment, Cashin Company Realtors, Dignity Providers, Corporation, Jack L. and Norma J. Melchor Gift Fund, Mission West Properties, Morgan Stanley & Co, Inc., Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Palo Alto Commons, Private Bank of the Peninsula, Rambus Inc., Stanford Hospital & Clinics, Tarlton Properties, Inc., Washington Hospital Healthcare System, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Foundation. Media sponsors are Los Altos Town Crier, Palo Alto Weekly and Palo Alto Online. Kepler’s Books and Magazines will host the book-signing after the Breakfast. Tiffany & Co. generously provides engraved gifts for the awardees.

For more information about Pathways Hospice Foundation’s One from the Heart Awards Breakfast, call Holly Smith at 408.773.4109 or 408.730.1200. E-mail [e-mail] or visit www.pathwayshealth.org/foundation. Further details about this year’s awardees can be found at http://www.pathwayshealth.org/foundation/news-and-events/ofth-awards-awardees.html

About Pathways Hospice Foundation

Pathways Hospice Foundation is devoted to developing philanthropic support for Pathways Home Health and Hospice, which serves over 5,000 families annually in five Bay Area counties. Among the services that donors make possible are 24/7 access to a specialized team of care providers, family bereavement counseling and support, integrative therapies, caregiver support, comfort care, and funding for under- and uninsured patients. For more information about Pathways Hospice Foundation, call 408.730.1200.