Providing help in a stylish way Harvest Tea and Style Show benefits many
People typically purchase tickets to a fundraiser and get meals or entertainment in return. However, the second annual W.J. McEnroe and Friends Hospice Harvest Tea and Style Show is different. Scheduled to take place on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 2-4 p.m., at J.I.M.’s Place in New Philadelphia, the event will benefit Hospice of Tuscarawas County, Kent State University Tuscarawas nursing students, and even the event patrons.All proceeds from the event will be used for the new Hospice House on Commercial Ave. SW, New Philadelphia, which is scheduled to open in late 2010. Patrons of the tea and style show will also be helping about 40 Kent State Tuscarawas nursing students enhance their educational experiences. And the patrons themselves will benefit from health and wellness information and check-ups that will be freely offered by the students.
Denise M. McEnroe Ayers, RN, MSN, event organizer and an assistant professor of nursing at Kent State University Tuscarawas, explained, “The Kent State University Tuscarawas first and second level nursing students are using this event as a service learning venture. They will be assisting with the preparation of the food and decorations, they will be passing out health-related information, taking blood pressures and pulse oximetry readings, and sharing knowledge of health topics through posters. The information on various disease processes is part of the make-up of the educational content for the students and includes end of life and Hospice care.”
In addition to the health information, guests at the tea and style show will enjoy hot and cold tea, petite sandwiches, and cakes and cookies provided through the services of chef James Martin of Hennis Care Centre. There will be a silent auction featuring many donated items, including crafts, jewelry, autographed Jim Tressel items, a prize donated by the U.S. Golden Knights Army Parachute Team, and more. Door prizes will be awarded, and guests will also enjoy the style show which will include new and gently worn clothing items in a wide array of sizes and styles that will be modeled by nursing students, and Hospice staff and supporters. Clothing items will be available for purchase at the show.
Master of ceremonies for the event will be Brian Hanner of Geib Funeral Homes, and guests will receive information about the Hospice House. Ayers is hoping for a good turnout. “We are planning for about 260 people this year and would like to have J.I.M.’s Place filled to capacity.”
For $20 per person, area residents can purchase tickets for the tea and style show at the Hospice of Tuscarawas County office, 201 W. Third Street, Dover, or at the Hospice Browse and Buy store, 115 Allen Street SW, New Philadelphia. Tables for eight people can also be reserved by calling the Hospice office at 330-343-7605. Red Hat Society members and other groups are encouraged to attend, and guests should bring their own tea cups.
Ayers and her family founded the annual tea and style show last year in memory of her father, W.J. McEnroe, who received Hospice care while battling liver cancer during the first several months of 2008. “Hospice was wonderful in so many ways,” explained Ayers. “They offered not only support for him, but also for the family. They met his needs throughout his illness through nursing and physician support, medications, treatments and other therapies.
“I am honored to be involved in such a great cause and focusing on a much-needed facility (the Hospice House) in Tuscarawas County,” Ayers continued. “My father would be quite pleased and happy that we have put together this event with the help of our family, friends, Kent State University Tuscarawas nursing students and community members.”