Gulfside Regional Hospice’s Hike For Hospice Honoring Our Veterans

Oct. 26, 2012 - PRLog -- Get ready to Hike for Hospice this Veterans Day! This year, Gulfside Regional Hospice’s signature fundraising event will include a special salute to our veterans.

The sixth annual Hike for Hospice includes both a 5K Run and 5K Walk, and will be at a new location this year at Rasmussen College, located at 18600 Fernview St. (on State Road 54 between Suncoast Parkway and US 41) in Land O'Lakes.

Registration and check-in begins on Sunday, Nov. 11 at 7 a.m. The 5K Run begins promptly at 8 a.m., and the traditional 5K Walk commences at 9 a.m. After the run and walk conclude, both the top fundraisers and the fastest runners receive prizes. Before the Hike for Hospice, participants will have the opportunity to meet special guest former Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Mike Alstott.

In honor of Veterans Day, there will be a special presentation of colors by the Naval Color Guard from the Sand Soldiers of America. All veterans in attendance at the event will also receive a special pin, and invited to the stage for special recognition. Gulfside is proud to be part of the We Honor Veterans program, which honors our veteran patients at the end of life. Almost 25% of all hospice patients have served in the military, and have special needs that other patients might not have, said Linda Ward, Gulfside’s president and CEO.

To register for the Hike for Hospice, visit http://www.firstgiving.com/Hikeforhospice. If you do not have internet access, you can register for the Hike for Hospice by calling 1-800-561-4883. Registration fees are $25 for adults, $15 for students (ages 11 – college) and $5 for children 10 and under. All hikers will receive a t-shirt, morning snack and beverages with their registration.

All proceeds from the Hike for Hospice are designated for patients and their families facing life-limiting illnesses in Pasco County, as well as support programs at Gulfside’s Hospice Houses and Bereavement Centers. The Hike for Hospice, Gulfside’s signature fundraising event, has raised more than $250,000 for Gulfside Regional Hospice since it began in 2007.

Various levels of sponsorship are available for the Hike for Hospice. For more information about sponsoring the event, call 1-800-561-4883 or e-mail hikeforhospice@grhospice.org.

The Presenting Sponsor for the Hike for Hospice is Bouchard Insurance. The Medal of Honor Sponsor is AC-Healthcare Staffing and Placement Services http://www.ac-healthcare.com. Guardian Angels Sponsors for the event are BB&T, Laser Rite Business Systems Tampa Bay and Rose Radiology. Stars and Stripes Sponsors include Alltrust Insurance, Kiwanis Club of Greater West Pasco, MedFleet, O2 Solutions and Prudential Commercial Real Estate FL. deChant Public Relations, DJ’s Concepts, Proly, Laporte & Mulligan, P.A. and Rasmussen College are American Eagle Sponsors.

Gulfside Regional Hospice, established as a nonprofit corporation in Pasco County in 1988 and initially licensed in 1989, serves more than 375 patients daily. GRH employs over 250 professionals and has more than 550 volunteers, and is the only hospice that serves Pasco County exclusively. Gulfside Regional Hospice was selected the 2011 Non-profit of the Year by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. For more information about Gulfside Regional Hospice, call 727-845-5707 or visit http://www.GRHospice.org