Hospice of Anchorage's Remembrance Trees are located in the Dimond Center and downtown at the 5th Avenue Mall. Ornaments are hung on the trees to honor the memory of a loved one. Volunteers are needed to help with the trees at both locations.
The Remembrance Tree is an annual memorial ritual provided by Hospice of Anchorage that has been a part of the Anchorage community since the 1980s. It initially began as one tree at 5th Avenue Mall for many years until the last few years a second location was added at the Dimond Center. The Remembrance Trees allow individuals an opportunity around the holidays to honor the memory of a loved one or memorialize a friend, while supporting the work of Hospice of Anchorage. It begins on Black Friday and will go through Christmas Eve.
The tree locations are:
Dimond Center, next to the Old Navy Store.
5th Avenue Mall, outside of JC Penney on the second floor.
How does it work?
For a donation, we will hang an ornament on our tree with your loved one's name. We have suggested donation amount, however, any donation is accepted for this ritual. Sometimes individuals cannot make it down to the mall locations and they choose to send a donation via mail or through our webpage. In those cases, we will make an ornament and place it on the tree location of your choice. We will also have a few brochures available about our services and one in regard to grief around the holidays.
Volunteers
The Remembrance Trees are a lovely way to volunteer your time during the holiday season. Consider signing up with a friend to offer this ritual of comfort to the community. New volunteers are welcomed and there are many shifts to choose from, each requiring two adult volunteers. Volunteer shifts are either two or three hours long and you can choose whichever mall is the most convenient location for you.
Mostly a volunteer is expected to be friendly and to be a good listener to people who may want to share their stories about the death of a loved one. No expertise or advice-giving is expected or desired: simple support by your kind presence is all that is needed. You are also present in order to accept the ornament donations for Hospice of Anchorage in cash, check or credit forms.
To sign up please visit the link https://hospiceofanchorage.volunteermatrix.com/ or call 561-5322 to have us assist you. There is an orientation video that is online in the signup process, but can also be emailed to you, or you can come to the office to watch the video and discuss with a staff person.
December educational offering
Wednesday, Dec. 6 from 3 to 4:30 p.m., we will present our monthly educational offering. This month we will have a person from Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium present on cross cultural interpersonal communication at end of life. Please check our Facebook page for a more in depth summary of the event http://bit.ly/2muDlAC. Please call to RSVP 561-5322 or email Chelsea at volunteers@hospiceofanchorage.org.
