Karma Kitchen: a unique idea

Hospice Muskoka Valentine Ball

We do a lot of volunteer work in our community. With a large population of seniors, many of us help one another out. Those without a lot of money benefit from a wide range of services in this community: Family, Youth and Child Services Muskoka, Habitat for Humanity, Hospice Muskoka, Meals on Wheels, Cranberry Festival,  to name a few. Many are kept going by volunteers, at least a volunteer Board of Directors.
Here is a brand new idea.

Karma Kitchen: Growing in Generosity

A restaurant where there are no prices on the menu and where the check reads $0.00 with only this footnote: Your meal was a gift from someone!

I heard about this on Outlook, a BBC radio show I podcast. But a quick search and I found this:

Hospice Muskoka Fundraiser, Feb. 2009

Run by volunteers, our meals are cooked and served with love, and offered to the guest as a genuine gift. To complete the full circle of giving and sustain this experiment, guests make contributions in the spirit of pay-it-forward to those who will come after them. In keeping this chain going, the generosity of both guests and volunteers helps to create a future that moves from transaction to trust, from self-oriented isolation to shared commitment, and from fear of scarcity to celebration of abundance.

What a wonderful idea! It has spread throughout this continent, as well as across the pond.

• Better World Cafe: a community kitchen in New Jersey.
• Gift-Economy Cab: in Vermont, a cab driver steps it up!
• Honesty Cafes: 7,456 of them across Indonesia!
• Cafe Kafee Kucch, Chandigarh, India
• One World Spokane: no menu, no prices in Washington.
• City Cafe Bakery (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada)
• Wine Bar (Berlin, Germany)
• No Food Restaurant (King City)
• Annalakshmi (Singapore, Malaysia, India)
• Lentil As Anything (many branches in Australia)
• One World Everybody Eats(Salt Lake City, Utah)
• SAME ("So All May Eat" --Denver, Colorado)
• TerraBite(Seattle)
• Made with Love Cafe(New Orleans)
• Mother's Kitchen(Across USA)
• Krishnan(Madurai, India)
• Seva Cafe(Ahmedabad, India, also in LA for six months)
• Wednesdays(Santa Clara, CA)
• Vimala Cooks, Everybody Eats(Chapel Hill, North Carolina/I>)

Hospice Muskoka Volunteer Mentors

This is another ShoutOut for both Hospice Muskoka, and a Muskokan, Elke Scholz  (author/artist, expressive arts therapist), and her Expressive Arts Therapy Bereavement classes. Below you can see the 4 teen mentors, Elke, and myself. Thanks for the parent who took the photo! I never seem to be in photos!! Two of our student mentors (as I recall!) attend St. Dom's, in Bracebridge. Our previous group of mentors, in the fall 6-week course, were fabulous students.

 Elke does individual arts therapy, but also works in schools, and with groups like Hospice Muskoka. Our work includes both children and adults. This particular group, mentored by the four young ladies (left), all high school students, worked with our clients, ages 7 to 11. These are photos of our student's work. We do not post photos of our clients, but their work is fabulous!

I am a trained Hospice Volunteer and I currently have an individual client, I visit her in her home, as well as working with this group. Volunteers receive training and participate in various conferences and training sessions. I have had the Foundations Palliative Care Course, as well as doing personal research into the general area of senior health. I will be speaking at the June 9th NSM Palliative Care Conference at Casino Rama.

Hospice Muskoka is funded 30% by the province (your tax dollars at work), and 70% through donations. We work in homes, act as friendly visitors to those in long-term care, as well as South Muskoka Memorial Hospital. In this, volunteer appreciation week, I like to laud our volunteers who try to make a difference. In fact, when you volunteer, the gifts you receive are incredible. I have had two palliative clients, and both have given me so much in return.

There were two volunteers with our latest group, myself and Mary, another volunteer with Hospice Muskoka. She also volunteered at the Hospice Muskoka Valentine fundraiser, held in Bracebridge, and Mary was unable to attend last night's celebration of our 10-week workshops. This is a February photo!

Volunteerism in Ontario is a hot topic these days, as the Ministry expects more work to be done who may simply be untrained neighbours. They expect families to take up the slack, too. I am glad that Muskoka has a strong group of volunteers, and one of the few children's bereavement programs in Ontario. I am glad, too that Hospice Muskoka has so many keen volunteers in all areas.

Valentine's Day

Yes, many disparage the day as another date on the calendar when business encourages us to waste money. Yet, it can be a day to show, especially, the love you feel for one another as human beings.
In Ancient Greece, the Greeks spoke of:

 Éros is the sensual love and desire, romantic love we feel for a boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse.

Philia is the brotherly/sisterly love we feel for our friends and family. It means friendship in modern Greek.

Agápe is the unconditional love we can feel for humanity and human kind, used in ancient texts to denote feelings for a good meal, one's children, and the feelings for a spouse.

In elementary school, there was often much jeering and teasing around the issue of sexual proclivities, and I tried to direct our attitudes and discussions towards another direction: the Ethic of Reciprocity.


In the good old days, we called this The Golden Rule, yet this notion crosses many faiths, and is discussed in many of them in official teachings. More politically correct to refer to the Ethic of Reciprocity. It is discussed in the philosophies of ancient India, Greece, Judea and China. It exists in both positive ('Do to others what you would like to be done to you') and negative forms ('Do not do to others what you would not like to be done to you').

To my mind, this is a day upon which to reflect what you have done for others, not for yourself, if you at all doubt your purpose in this world. This is the day, in my classrooms, when we would talk about these types of love.

In my classrooms we would celebrate Random Acts of Kindness week. In this way, we turned our attitudes around not towards, what are you going to do for me, but what will I do for others?

I have lauded those in Muskoka who continue to work hard on behalf of others. Our citizens perform these acts in many venues:

• the local church ladies, 
• the S.T.O.P. folks on the snowmobile trails,

• Volunteers in Muskoka who garden,  
• Meals on Wheels,
• Victim Services,  
• Hospice, which offer opportunities to give back to one's community. 

Muskoka Lakes had a big ceremony to recognize some of its volunteers: Working for a living! 

In my post, Live~Love~Laugh I wrote about those who volunteer at Hospice Muskoka. For, not only do these people receive training, attend updating seminars, and take courses, but they have to fundraise, as well. The photos are from the celebratory Gala, Grace and Glorie, as wellas Inn at the Falls, in Gravenhurst. We stayed there overnight.

I just want to thank everyone who worked so hard to make the Gala, and the show, such a success.
The food was wonderful, so nice not to have to cook! We stayed overnight at Inn at the Falls, another treat (on points)!!!

We are so glad to have been able to support our Hospice by buying tickets.

The actors were wonderful.
And the show really hit home with me. My current client listens and loves as much as she receives from me. It is a privilege to do this kind of work. So glad to be retired!

Muskoka people work so hard in the area of health care. Between the services of people like Karen Boyer, with her Caregiver Support Groups, and organizations like Hospice, we are glad to be spending our golden years here!

I love Muskoka's Volunteers!

There is so much going on! I especially laud the volunteers.


We went to lunch at a Bala's Trinity St. Alban's church.

A fundraiser, we had a delightful  lunch, graciously served by volunteers.

The presentation was festive, the  cupcakes great,  but the fellowship was grand.

The church hall was decorated beautifully by many hard-working volunteers, the mainstay of Muskoka.



This Monday (Feb. 15) being Family Day in Ontario, it is a long weekend. I noticed many, many snowmobiles along the road. 


Many volunteers are preparing for the curling tournie at the Muskoka Wharf. We passed by in the dark. It looked so Canadian to me!






You can see that they are getting ready for the tournie!

The generators were allowing some frozen ice men to flood the Muskoka Wharf bay ice.

It was a damp kind of cold!








It looks so different in the daytime! A few were playing pick up hockey, having a blast.

The skies, too, are full of tourists, taking a gander over our frozen lakes and forests.


In town, in the restaurant, I spotted sledders who had lost their heads!   :-)

The police were active, too. God Bless her! I haven't a clue what she was up to, and really didn't want to know. She was eyeing the train tracks.

There are some fabulous sledders, many volunteers who work tirelessly to make the sport a safe, honest one, contributing, as it does to our 3-season economy. The S.T.O.P. program I wrote about in the above post.

Muskoka is definintely a tourist region, as the skies, frozen lakes and roads fill up on long weekends.

We passed our vounteer firefighters, on their way to a call, around 5 p.m. Friday night and the w/e had barely started.

The emergency truck was towing two snowmobiles. It never occurred to me that their equipment needed to change from summer to winter!

They also have some 4-wheel vehicles (seen left at the Cranfest booth) that they tow when they have to travel to remote cottages in summer.

This is not an inexpensive part of our infrastructure. Yet, seasonal residents complain about tax increases.
If they'd play more safely. I'm just sayin'!!!

Coincidentally, I met Mr. Schenk (my contact for my presentation at the Gravenhurst Senior's Centre Friday) the author of a book about the Fire College in Gravenhurst.
Both of our books are available at The Book Store in Gravenhurst.

Our firefighters, men and women, all volunteers, take their work seriously, bless them all!


Here I am with a wonderful young woman, one of our female volunteers. Both she and her hubby volunteer in Muskoka!

Many men and women give up their time to help others.






They do back breaking work, keeping fit and being prepared for lifting, and lugging.

Attending training courses at our Gravenhurst fire college.

They do their work in rain, snow, sleet, cold water or hail.

In subzero or 35˚ C. weather.

They remain at the other end of a cell phone, on call, until they set that green flashing light going and rush off to another emergency. The drownings last summer at Bala Falls, were a prime example.

They help friends and neighbours,  locals residents, visitors and tourists.


I bow in honour and gratitude.

Volunteers in Muskoka

Many, many people volunteer in this region. In fact, there isn't a Health Care organization, a library, school, or a Transfer Payment Agency that does not rely upon their volunteers.  Over the years: 2004 - 2008, the Public Health Agency of Canada managed transfer payment programs in excess of $5 million.

Muskoka has Meals on Wheels, Victim Services, Hospice, which offer opportunities to give back to one's community. I passed these people who were working on the Rotary Centennial Park, just beside The Pines, in Gravenhurst. Communities in Blooms has a lot of volunteers, too. Their buds have pretty much bloomed, though.

When I made it to The Pines, I found that the volunteers were being welcomed with a meet and greet, and a tour.

There is a silent auction, and a 'Pennies for The Pines' change drive.

I recall, when teaching, our we used to say "It will be a great day when schools have all the money they need and the military has to have a bake sale to buy a bomber!"

Hooray for our volunteers!

Working for a living

I most admire those who must get up every day, perhaps ferry kids to and from a day care provider, and do their boring, or challenging jobs with little reward, other than monetary, and some difficulties.

This ducky mom knows how to move her charges: she swims around them in a circle until they get in formation. Her day care centre is our Flower Rock. I can remember running after kids to get them out the door. What a time. But nap times were my favourite times. A few minutes in the day when all is peaceful, and all of us paused. They trusted me enough to let me get pretty close, one eye opened!

By the time you have gotten up every day for 20+ years it gets both easier and more difficult. The kids grow and become more independent, vacation times increase, and you become better at what you do. That is why I liked teaching. While there is a rhythm to the seasons, the rituals and the traditions or celebrations. Each classroom community was different and each day was a challenge. Having three kids meant I really didn't have the 'summer off', but it was a nice myth. It was juggling all the stakeholders priorities that drove me nuts!

For those who put in a 12-hour day, flagging is another long job with many stakeholders, 'scuse the pun! I have heard parents talk of their young people who find this job hard to manage! What a long day simply standing. I cannot imagine standing up for hours through rain, snow, sleet, bugs, hot summer sun and tourist season. Every driver is the expert on how you should do your job. This was a pose I could not resist.

Let me preface this by saying we do not honour volunteers enough. Volunteers are our unsung heroes.

Fortunately, the nightingale sang in Port Carling last night. Our township's elected and employed individuals highlighted those who gave of themselves through Gardens in Bloom, skating, Meals on Wheels, and many other avenues for giving back to one's community.

These awards occur every two years. I present you some brief snapshots of the celebration in Muskoka Lakes.

Mari and Jack and Linda, Bala volunteers.

My husband, Brian, and many in attendance.

Mark Clairmont took time to get them organized. Finally, they all settled! It was like herding cats.

The paparazzi were fun, capturing the moment, too.

It was a good time to visit and get reacquainted with one another.
Brian and Keith, both Meals on Wheels volunteers have a chat. Keith is famous at the Bala Legion. A continual volunteer; driving or organising, or driving the organisation. A former parachutist in WW II, he has lived well and long, often delivering services to those younger than he!

Hospice Muskoka Opens a New Palliative Care Room

Palliative Care and end-of-life care, is a crucial issue in health care. It is the right of every patient to die in dignity, with comfort measures that ensure that they are, indeed, comfortable. I have written else where that this is not always the case, especially for those without an advocate, i.e., in Long-Term Care. We also want family members to feel at ease physically, if not mentally. I have created a number of posts on Senior Health Care, specifically palliative care, it is of major concern. For those with the means and the methods, finding care is not so painless, but we do know that those with money tend to access more health care, than those with less means (Seow, 2008).

What is a shame is that Hospices in Canada depend about 70% on donations, despite our advocacy in this needy area of Dying With Dignity. Hospice Muskoka just finished the Butterfly Ball fundraiser. We are a busy group.

For those who have been with loved ones at the stage of life, we know the difference it makes to have access to nurses, and comfort measures. To that end, Hospice Muskoka, including, Sandra Winspear (Executive Director), Owen Mellow (Chairperson) and Board members - Pauline Bullock, Gail Oakley, Bonnie Blain, and Stephen Drury were all present yesterday at the ribbon cutting ceremony. In addition, Janice Smith (Office Administrator), and Michele de Koning (Intake Coordinator) were there to assist. Paul Demsey was in attendance, he spear-headed the first palliative care room in SMMH. Local politicians were there to speechify, as well as many volunteers.

I include here, Hospice Muskoka #1 Intro Owen Mellow, the reasoning behind the creation of a third palliative care room, by Owen.



Speeches can be viewed:

• Photos of the room: Hospice Muskoka Opens a New Bed in NMMH
• Hospice Muskoka #1 Intro Owen Mellow
• Final speeches: Hospice Muskoka #5 Palliative Care Room Dedication SMMH

Resources: Ontario

• Palliative Care available from Community Care Access Centres
• Palliative Care - information, reports and related links
• Advanced Care Planning Guide
• Life Care Transition Life Event - information from Seniors Canada On-Line
• Use the Care Finder search tool, under the Care Guide, to access a community agency directory with listings in over 300 towns and cities, as provided by the Ontario Community Support Association
• Locate a hospice
• Directory of Hospice Palliative Care Services

Reference
Seow, H. (2008). The use of end-of-life homecare services in Ontario, Canada: Is it associated with using fewer acute care services? (hsienseow@gmail.com)This research was presented at the NSM LHIN Palliative Care conference in Orillia, March 25, 2009. Dr. Seow will be working at McMaster.