Light Up Your Life Society in Spruce Grove & Stony Plain

Meet the Chair Linda McCreath and the Secretary Daphne LeGrow

Describe what your organization does

We raise funds and awareness for palliative/hospice and continuing care facilities in the Tri-Community area, including Stony Plain, Spruce Grove, Parkland County, Wabamun and Seba Beach. This year the LUYL Society is celebrating their 25th Anniversary (1992-2017).Prior to the annual campaign (Nov. 1-Dec. 31) funding applications sent to the Good Samaritan facilities in Stony Plain and Spruce Grove as well as WestView Health Centre Continuing Care/Hospice and Home Living are reviewed for approval, and our Campaign Goal is set based on the total of all requests. In 2015 $117,000.00 was raised, and $111,000.00 in 2016.

What do members love most about your organization?

The beneficiaries of our financial support love the fact that the LUYL Society is so very generous in its support of their needs. Over the past 25 years the money we have raised has increased steadily each year … and in total we have raised 1.5 million dollars. The LUYL Society is completely volunteer run and as such our expenses are extremely low … resulting in at least 97% of the funds going directly to where it is supposed to go… to benefit those in need in our communities.

Within hospice we have started an Art Cart which offers art to patients to hang on their walls while they are in hospice. We also give them each a stuffed teddy bear, a Gift of Care bag which has personal items in it. The Gift of Care bags is in partnership with Anderson Drug (Freson Bros), Shelley’s Finds and Mainstreet Home Health Pharmacy in Stony Plain. Each palliative patient receives these three things. We also give an adult coloring kit to those hospice patients or family members who are interested.

What do most people not know about your organization?

That we are 100% volunteer-run. Some people are not aware of the work the Light up Your Life Society does. They are also unaware that we are out in the communities working very hard throughout the year to raise funds to support the needs of palliative/hospice and continuing care. The WestView Health Centre HOSPICE (in Stony Plain) opened in August, 2014 and to date the LUYL Society has provided over $178,000.00 in support of the needs of Hospice by paying for equipment, ceiling lifts, furnishings, TV’s, fridges, microwaves, room décor, and so much more.

This spring (2017) we created a 25th Anniversary Garden for the Hospice/Continuing Care area. We contracted with Kiwi Nurseries to do the work, and have partnered with Kiwi Nurseries, the Rotary Club of Stony Plain, the Jodoin Foundation and the Stony Plain and District Health Center Auxiliary. Another thing people may not know is that we don’t just do an annual campaign from Nov 1-Dec 31. We also have a raffle from September – December and a silent Auction each year (this year on Nov. 22) which is held at the Westview Health Center. The auction is amazing! Last year we raised $12,000. Items at the auction range from original art to unique hand-crafted items, collectibles and much more! Another event that supports us is the annual Charity Variety Show in memory of Ken Selman. This year the show will be held on November 25 at Horizon Stage and will showcase a delightful mix of local talent. Light up Your Life receives the proceeds that are generated from the talent show!Last, but not least, on an annual basis the Orient Family Restaurant in Stony Plain puts on a luncheon and the profit from the luncheon is donated to the LUYL Society. The luncheon has been going on for 9 years now, and we are so appreciative of the support! 

Why did you decide to work here?

Linda has been with the LUYL Society since the very beginning in 1992. The first LUYL Campaign was started to raise funds for the new Palliative Care Program. That first year about $3,000.00 was raised, and 25 years later the annual amount raised is well over $100,000.00.
Daphne’s first contact with the LUYL Society was when she was working at the front desk of the old Stony Plain Hospital where she would receive the donations and memorial cards from community members who wished to donate in memory of a loved one.

What was it like when you first started?

It was exciting at the time because it was a new palliative care program … something that had been needed in our communities for a long time.

What has surprised you most while working here?

The satisfaction you get out of knowing that the specialized equipment that we are responsible for purchasing is giving the patients the extra support they need, and family members the comfort in knowing their loved one is receiving the best care possible.
Linda - My own mother benefited from what I am doing here in Stony Plain when at a very critical time in her life she was air-lifted to Stony Plain for care because of a nursing strike where she lived. She was given excellent care over the period of about a week, and used one of the specialized palliative comfort beds during her stay.

What is the most memorable experience you’ve had working there?

We can’t pinpoint just one experience, but would have to say the gratitude that we receive from the people themselves who benefit, and from the administration staff of the facilities which we support.
However, the LUYL Society was recognized for its work when we received the 2015 Alberta Minister’s Seniors Service Award, along with numerous other awards and nominations for social service and philanthropy.

What is the most memorable experience you’ve had working there?

We can’t pinpoint just one experience, but would have to say the gratitude that we receive from the people themselves who benefit, and from the administration staff of the facilities which we support.
However, the LUYL Society was recognized for its work when we received the 2015 Alberta Minister’s Seniors Service Award, along with numerous other awards and nominations for social service and philanthropy.

For more information or to see how you can help visit https://www.lightupyourlifesociety.org/