Published: July 17, 2008 08:25 pm         

Wanna great ride?

Hospice fundraiser offers chance to own a ’65 T-Bird

The raven black 1965 Ford Thunderbird with special-order red interior is bound to draw attention at this weekend’s Friends of Coal Auto Fair. The two-door hardtop in mint condition also offers an opportunity to raise money for the Doug and Lucy Bowers Hospice House.

“We are working to pay off the mortgage on the Hospice House, and we were looking for a fundraiser that would draw interest from a lot of people, and I think this car definitely will,” said Pat Earehart, board president of Hospice of Southern West Virginia Inc., the agency that oversees both home hospice care and the Bowers Hospice House.

The 12-bed facility is designed with four suites to provide a homelike setting for patients and their families. Since the Hospice House opened in 2006, numerous families have been served, Earehart said.

“The need is great. The beds are full 90 percent of the time,” she said. “It is constantly in use, and we hear nothing but wonderful things being said about how patients and their families are cared for during the most difficult of times.”

Tickets sold through the Aug. 24 drawing will earn somebody the keys to this car that was custom made for Beckley’s own Chuck Lucas. A nameplate near the gear shift verifies the fact.

The car that has only a smidgen more than 73,000 miles has already helped raise money for The Academy at Mountain State University.

Lucas donated the car for a fundraiser there last year. Fate, more than coincidence, may account for the fact that the winner of the drawing for the classic T-Bird was none other than Pat Earehart.

“It’s because of Chuck Lucas’ generosity this car is taking another step in raising money for another worthwhile project,” Earehart said. “We feel this particular fundraiser using such a unique car will also help us draw more attention to the work of Hospice and the various services we provide, even though the money is earmarked specifically for the Hospice House.”

Hospice of Southern West Virginia Inc., headquartered in the Pinecrest Hospital building, provides nurses to care for patients who wish to spend their last days at home. The Hospice House at Cranberry provides on-site care for patients who are unable to remain home during their final days. Bereavement support groups are among the services offered.

Lisa McMillion, newly appointed marketing director for Hospice of Southern West Virginia Inc., said the fundraiser also helps create an awareness of the two-fold mission of the agency.

“There are still misconceptions about the services we offer,” McMillion said. “Our major mission at both sites is to help patients and their families spend as much quality time together as possible and to help those patients continue life as they knew it as long as possible. On the home care side, we provide not only care for the patient, but respite care for family members; help a patient continue to do some hobby gardening or whatever we can do to make the end of their life as meaningful as possible.”

The same is true with patients at the Hospice House, she said. “We are here to meet whatever needs we can to provide the physical, spiritual and emotional support for that patient and their family.”

Tickets for the car are $50 each. The drawing will be held at the conclusion of the Appalachian Arts and Crafts Festival. They will be available at the auto fair, at the Hospice House or Hospice offices, from Hospice board members or by calling 255-6404.

— E-mail:

bdavis@register-herald.com