Singers or individuals with musical talent are being sought to participate in a newly formed Care Choir to provide comfort to hospice patients and their families through music.
The objective of Care Choir is to provide a soothing presence and comfort to people at end of life and their families during a difficult time with short, peaceful serenades of acapella songs. People interested in learning more are invited to attend an informational meeting from 1 to 2 pm on Saturday, April 18, in the upstairs meeting room of Sarah Bush Lincoln Lincolnland Hospice, Prairie Pavilion 2, 1004 Health Center Drive, Suite 202, Mattoon.
Inspired by Threshold Choir (thresholdsingers.org), a non-profit group of hospice singers, the Care Choir is being organized by Eastern Illinois University’s Academy of Lifelong Learning. Lincolnland Hospice will coordinate visits of small choir groups (two to four singers) to long-term care facilities in the Charleston-Mattoon area at the request of hospice patients or family members.
All singers will rehearse together periodically, then as Lincolnland Hospice determines a need, an email will be sent to members to determine availability to sing on a given day. Volunteer singers must agree to:
• Periodic rehearsals based on group availability (Location to be arranged)
• One-day training required for working with Lincolnland Hospice
• Provide an email address for communications regarding Care Choir events
• Healthcare Worker Fingerprint/Background Check, TB test, Hepatitis B and MMR vaccinations, which are provided at no cost by Sarah Bush Lincoln.
If you find joy in singing and/or feel called to provide comfort to people at end of life, please consider lending your voice to Care Choir. If you would like to participate, please contact the Academy of Lifelong Learning at Eastern Illinois University at (217) 581-5114 or learn@eiu.edu.