Home » Uncategorized » Hospice event raises $27,000

Hospice event raises $27,000

Victoria Mendoza dreamed of going to her junior prom.

It was her final wish and the Community Hospice Foundation made sure she realized her dream.

The 16-year-old Waupaca High School student had merosin-deficient muscular dystrophy and had reached the end stage of her terminal disease. With help from the foundation’s Hopes & Dreams Fund, Mendoza, her date and another couple headed to prom this past spring – complete with a limousine escort, a nice dinner out and a photographer to document the event.

She enjoyed every minute and even attended the post-prom party, family and friends said. She passed away the following Monday on April 4, 2011.

Mendoza’s touching story was shared at the foundation’s sixth-annual Light Up the Night for Hospice Presented by First National Bank, which was held Aug. 30.

The event grossed a record $27,000, and all of the net proceeds, after expenses, will go toward the foundation’s Hopes & Dreams Fund. In addition, the Waupaca Area Community Foundation granted $5,000 to the fund.

“We feel so honored to have helped fulfill Victoria’s last wish to go to prom,” said Amanda Williams, foundation development coordinator. “She got to be a princess for a day.”

The Hopes & Dreams Fund, established in 2009, grants wishes and helps hospice patients meet their end-of-life goals.

“We helped one woman publish her poems into a hardbound book, and each family member received a copy as a keepsake,” said Williams. “Another woman wanted to go see Disney On Ice in Green Bay. For another person, we flew in a family member so they could be with that loved one, one last time.”

This year’s fundraiser helped the fund move closer to its $50,000 goal, Williams said. Prior to the event, the fund was at $18,000. The fund now totals an estimated $35,000.

The event included a performance by singer Annie Hughes and pianist Wanda Eickenbary, both from the Waupaca area. A live auction was held, and included an IPad2 donated by BrightStar; a performance by the Waupaca High School Madrigal Singers; and a 14-karat gold Australian opal and diamond pendant from Lee Ayers Jewelry of Stevens Point, designed by Thomas Dailing Designs and sponsored by Suzanne Udoni at Waypoint Financial Solutions, Inc.

Scroll to Top