Hospice care provider Samaritan will celebrate 40 plus years of care to families in five counties at its Celebration of Life Gala on Feb. 11.
The returning in-person gala will be presented by Holman Enterprises at DoubleTree by Hilton Cherry Hill Philadelphia and will be hosted by Fox 29 meteorologist Kathy Orr. There will also be food and live music by Masquerade.
“I think maybe the biggest thing for us, frankly, is just how excited we are that after a two-year pandemic pause, we are back to a live and in-person event,” said Chris Rollins, chief development officer at Samaritan. The nonprofit serves Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Mercer counties.
The Samaritan’s Circle of Excellence award will be presented at the gala to this year’s recipients: John C. Gillespie Esq., a partner at Parker McCay and former Samaritan board chair; and Innovative Benefit Planning of Moorestown, led by Terriann Procida and Mark Sulpizio.
“We’re just delighted to recognize both of them,” Rollins said.
Two other gala features are an online auction that includes a variety of special items for bid, from trips and travel packages, and a $10 per ticket dining raffle with 12 prizes of $100 restaurant gift cards. Tickets for the raffle and access to the online auction are available at SamaritanNJ.org/Gala.
“Many of the things that we do – grief counseling and support, our veterans hospice program, music, massage and pet therapy – … is made possible through the charitable support of the community,” Rollins noted. “The gala is just one of the ways in which individuals and organizations can choose to do that.”
Rollins looks forward to seeing everyone come together for the first time in a while.
“ … The spirit in the room is palpable with Samaritan,” he pointed out. “ … We are often surrounded by – whether that’s our board and our committees and others that choose to support us – we’re surrounded by family members who’ve had a family member in our care. Their experience, their relationship, their connection to us is a real thing.”
“That understanding, that connection that we all have in the room really makes it a special thing for us just to be together.”
Rollins emphasized the importance of the area to Samaritan.
“South Jersey is a special place,” he said. “There’s a deep sense of civic pride across South Jersey, and I think people get that by making a difference in the community, by providing for neighbors and by ensuring that everyone is taken care of.”
For more information on Samaritan’s Celebration of Life Gala, visit www.SamaritanNJ.org/GALA.
