CRVNA seeks hospice volunteers

Concord Regional VNA is seeking hospice volunteers especially massage and reiki volunteers, and veteran volunteers to offer support to hospice patients. The next eight-week training session starts on Friday, Feb. 7, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Concord Regional VNA Hospice House, 240 Pleasant St. in Concord.

Hospice volunteers assist with:

  • Offering caregiver respite
  • Reading to hospice patients
  • Holding a hand and lending a listening ear
  • Running errands for hospice patients
  • Cooking meals at Hospice House
  • Providing pet therapy, music therapy, and therapeutic arts
  • Giving Reiki, Massage, or Therapeutic Touch
  • Assisting staff with office work (e.g. filings, mailings)
  • Facilitating grief support groups

In addition, we are looking to continue growing our We Honor Veterans Program by adding volunteers who connect with veterans receiving hospice care in their homes, facilities, and at Hospice House. There is a specific need for volunteers and Veteran volunteers who can visit patients living in Boscawen, Franklin, Henniker, Hillsborough, Tilton, and Weare.

Veteran volunteers can be veterans, military family members, or someone interested in assisting veterans at end of life.

Please call 224-4093 or (800) 924-8620, ext. 2826 or email lisa.challender@crvna.org by Wednesday, January 22 to learn more about volunteer opportunities.

Andrew Morse

Music in the Sanctuary

“The Light Within and Without: The Jazz of Wholeness,” will be the theme of this Sunday’s Jazz Sanctuary at 1 p.m. at Concord’s First Congregational Church, 177 N. Main St., at the corner of North Main and Washington street. Musical guests Joey Placenti on sax and Ben Greene on bass will join vocalist and Pastor Emilia Halstead and WildVine Jazz Sanctuary House Band regulars Ed Raczka (drums) and Tim Wildman (keyboard) for music that points toward the light in the dark times and wholeness in a time of divisions. Parker Palmer’s book, “A Hidden Wholeness,” will guide the Conversational Time. The half-hour Jazz Set begins at 1 p.m. with the Jazz Worship Experience following at 1:30 p.m. Admission is free and “wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!”

Tim Wildman

Capital Area Memory Cafe

The Capital Area Memory Cafe for memory-impaired individuals and their family members is Jan. 15 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Granite Ledges of Concord, 151 Langley Parkway in Concord. The Memory Cafe is held on the third Wednesday of each month at the same time. This month is our “The Emotional Side of Caregiving.” Enjoy an opportunity to socialize and build relationships with others who have memory impairment. Family members can speak with healthcare professionals and learn more about resources while their loved ones are engaged in meaningful and supervised activity in a relaxed home-like environment. The Capital Area Memory Café is a collaboration of Concord Hospital, Concord Regional VNA, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Concord, and Granite Ledges of Concord. Underwriting is generously provided by Merrimack County Savings Bank. Cafes are free and no registration is required. Refreshments are provided. For more information, call 230-5673 or e-mail Jennifer.Brechtel@crvna.org.

Andrew Morse

NHTI holds film events

NHTI will hold two film events in January. The first, on Friday is a special Winter Fling event at 7 p.m. with “Swing Time,” an unrated movie from 1936. Welcome in NHTI’s Winter Fling – Dancing with the Concord Stars – with the great Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers under the direction of George Stevens. Admission is by donation, and donations go to the NHTI President’s Fund for Excellence. On Jan. 31 at 7 p.m., watch “Beat the Devil,” an unrated film from 1953. The last collaboration of John Huston and Humphrey Bogart is the bookend to the Noir classic, “The Maltese Falcon.” Writing credits go to Truman Capote and Huston of Claud Cockburn’s novel. All film performances are shown in the Sweeney Hall Auditorium, S-122, on the campus of NHTI, 31 College Dr., Concord. Open to the public, admission by donation ($5 suggested, NHTI students free with valid ID.) For more information ,please call 271-6484 ext. 4028 or visit the NHTI website at nhti.edu.

Stephen Ambra

Open sing

This year’s Suncook Valley Chorale Open Sing will be held on Jan. 20 and 27 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Concord High School Band Room. This is your chance to sing through the Spring concert program, to meet and greet your fellow singers, and to learn about the Chorale.

In addition to our Spring concerts on May 15 and 16, we have a special performance this year. Together with the N.H. Master Chorale, and the N.H. Gay Men’s Chorus we’ll be performing at the Concord City Auditorium in a program titled “A Grand Time for Singing!” on Feb. 23, at 3 p.m. at The Audi. For more information, see the Concord Community Concert Association’s website.