In wake of recent losses, Hospice and partners set up unique event on Wednesday

ASHEBORO — Hospice of Randolph, an affiliate of Hospice of the Piedmont, is hosting a Community Memorial Night on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at the Cone Health Zoo City SportsPlex in Asheboro.

The event was created in response to recent losses throughout the community and across the state. Open to anyone in the community who has been directly or indirectly touched or weighed down by the recent rise in loss in Randolph County, the Community Memorial Night will be a time of remembrance, encouragement and support. 

“In my role as a bereavement counselor, I serve the community and not just our hospice families,” says Kirsten Goard, MSW, LCSW, Hospice of Randolph Bereavement Counselor. “Through that work, our team has noticed an increase in the losses our community has experienced and how these losses are not just weighing on families but are also having a significant impact on the professionals we partner with and support.”

Various community support organizations have also seen this trend and plan to join Hospice of Randolph as partners at the Community Memorial Night. Representatives from partner organizations will be available at the event with information about resources for the community. 

The program will include speakers with encouraging and educational messages about the crisis the community has experienced and how to process loss. Additionally, those in attendance can submit one or more names for a memorial reading. The event will conclude with a luminary walk to remember the lives of those no longer with us. 

The Community Memorial Night will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at Field #1 of the Cone Health Zoo City SportsPlex, 2981 Zoo Pkwy, Asheboro. 

Event partners include Asheboro City Schools, Asheboro Counseling & Wellness, Asheboro/Randolph Chamber of Commerce, CC Hodges Funeral & Cremation Services, Cumby Family Funeral Service, Gailes Funeral Home, Keaton’s Place, Loflin Funeral Home, Midstate Cremation & Funeral Service, Pugh Funeral Home, Randolph County Emergency Services, Ridge Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Uwharrie Charter Academy and Wildflower Counseling and Consulting.

For more information about grief support services offered by Hospice of Randolph, visit www.hospiceofrandolph.org/programs/grief-counseling, or call (336) 672-9300.  

Hospice of Randolph, an affiliate of Hospice of the Piedmont, provides medical, emotional and spiritual support for those with life-limiting illness and their families. The organization serves eight counties of the Piedmont Triad — Guilford, Randolph, Davidson, Forsyth, Montgomery, Moore, Chatham and Alamance — from its Asheboro and High Point offices. For more information, visit www.hospiceofthepiedmont.org.