I’ve always been a big supporter of the Hospice House of Slidell, simply because it is an incredible amenity we have here in St. Tammany Parish that you won’t find in many more communities across this nation.
The Hospice House provides free room and board, plus health care services, for individuals who are dying, but have nowhere else to go to live out their final days. When I first heard about this I thought, “that’s crazy, surely everyone has somewhere to go if they are dying.”
But then I started hearing the stories of various different situations, some of them financial, others having to do with no family. I especially remember hearing about a United States military veteran who was found living in an abandoned car in Slidell behind a business since he had no family in the area.
When he was discovered, they found out he had cancer and didn’t have long to live. Thankfully, the Hospice House was there to make his final days comfortable and loved.
But the Hospice House doesn’t stop with the services they have provided for years which have led to approximately 450 people living at the Slidell home and being taken care of.
Director Miranda Parker told me several years back about a secondary program they offer that is almost as remarkable.
The Hospice Foundation of the South offers a free grief camp to kids aged 7 to 12 who have lost a loved one, giving them several days to stay overnight at a very cool and fun camp, where trained specialists in grief counseling are there for the kids.
Call Camp Bearable, they are currently taking registration for the camp that is set Friday through Sunday, March 21 to 23. It helps kids acknowledge and navigate grief by giving them coping mechanisms, not to mention the time they spend with other kids who have gone through the same trials.
If you know of a child who would benefit from the camp, call the Hospice House at 985-643-5470 for more information, or you can e-mail Miranda at:
info@thehospicehouse.org
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Even though The Slidell Independent does very little coverage of things going on in the west side of the parish, I was urged recently by Parish Councilman Larry Rolling to promote an event in Covington that he believes a lot of Slidellians would love to attend.
Rolling is the captain for the Krewe of Bogue Falaya parade that will roll in downtown Covington on Mardi Gras day, which is coming up next Tuesday, March 4.
Formerly known as the Carnival in Covington, the parade is the grand finale for Mardi Gras in that city, and Larry said that this year’s parade promises to be one for the history books, bringing together the past and present in a way that celebrates life on the North Shore.
Lisa Condrey Ward, owner of the historic Southern Hotel in downtown Covington, is this year’s Grand Marshal, with a full day of parades starting at 10 a.m. with the Covington Lions Club parade, followed by the Mystic Krewe of Covington, and then the big evening wrap-up with Bogue Falaya.
A special “St. Tammany Special” float train will be part of the fun, with over 600 riding members and 20 floats in the parade.
If you are looking for something different to celebrate Mardi Gras this year, especially in our wonderful backdrop of St. Tammany, I promised Larry I would make sure all my readers know about it. Have fun.
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My friend Andy Benson is a smart guy. He reads a lot and always has some interesting insight for me on issues, or tidbits of information that leaves me admitting the guy is way smarter than me.
His latest? He told me about a quote he likes, which he hinted at as “perhaps” applying to some of our St. Tammany officials.
The quote is: “Excessive self-esteeming leads to excessive scheming.”
I had to think about it for a while, but it wasn’t hard to follow when I considered more than a few public officials who would probably be accused of having a bit too much self-esteem, which just might lead to too much scheming.
Anyone you can think of?
Kevin Chiri can be reached by e-mail at kevinchiri@gmail.com.