TULLAHOMA, Tenn. – Compassus recently sent a team of 12 volunteers, including Julia Logan-Mayes of Tullahoma, Tennessee, to assist Living Hope, the company’s sister hospice program in Cape Town, South Africa. The Compassus interdisciplinary team, which included registered nurses, hospice aides, a social worker, volunteer coordinator, chaplain and other colleagues, spent a week in Cape Town working side by side with Living Hope clinicians and administrators.
“Living Hope is a beacon of light for the communities they serve,” said Logan-Mayes, volunteer coordinator for Compassus – Tullahoma. “They do much more than provide medical care. They offer after-school programs for children, substance abuse support and life skills programs. Most importantly, they exemplify the same standards we have at Compassus to care for others with dignity and respect.”
Through an international partnership formed in 2011, Compassus donates monetary aid, medical supplies and health care expertise to support Living Hope’s health care and hospice services in the impoverished township communities of Cape Town. Compassus matches voluntary employee donations dollar for dollar for total donations in 2018 of more than $123,000 to the ministry-based nonprofit.
“This experience will be forever etched in my mind,” said Logan-Mayes. “Despite the miles between us, we in the U.S. and the residents of Cape Town share many of the same struggles and strive for a life filled with love, peace, health and safety. Living Hope works daily to provide these things for the community and it was an honor to work alongside them.”
Living Hope offers health care services, counseling and education to more than 200,000 underprivileged residents in Cape Town. Its programs focus on improving general health and hospice care, HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, and economic empowerment. Living Hope provides health care for more than 36,000 South Africans annually through in-home visits, medical clinics and a 22-bed inpatient hospice center.
“Compassion is at the heart of everything we do, and our compassion has an even broader impact when we have the opportunity to serve alongside Living Hope,” said Edie Rimas, executive director for Compassus – Tullahoma. “We are proud of our team and their work with the people of South Africa, and I hope it inspires others to join the effort to advance the well-being of those facing life-limiting illnesses.”
For more information, visit our Tullahoma page or call (931) 455-9118.
