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Marilyn feeds a giraffe

Donations Power Simple Wishes that Make Memories

For Marilyn, a 91-year-old Agrace Hospice Care patient, giraffes have been more than her favorite animal—they’ve been a reflection of her. Marilyn was always the tallest in her class and eventually grew to six feet tall. She often felt like she “stood out like a giraffe,” and over time, she learned to adapt with grace and strength. When she shared her dream to see giraffes up close, her Agrace caregivers Emily and Baily knew how to make it happen.

Thanks to the donor-supported Agrace Wish Program, Marilyn and her family were soon enjoying a special visit to Safari Lake Geneva, laughing and feeding giraffes under the summer sun.

Lisa Dahlgren

Funding a mom’s quicker trip

Agrace’s Wish Program began in 2010 in partnership with a former volunteer, Susan Richardson, and her husband, Matt. Senior Gift Officer Lisa Dahlgren oversees the program for Agrace with the guidance of a committee. “The intent of every wish is to bring comfort and peace,” says Lisa. “It’s not about extravagant trips or experiences. It’s about helping someone spend time with family, revisit a meaningful place, or check off a bucket-list item that brings them joy and creates lasting memories for their families.”

airplane graphic

Agrace also helps with costs that families cannot afford on short notice. For example, in September, a hospice patient in Richland County had a sudden health decline. Her mom, who lives in Florida, had booked a flight to visit later, but time was running short. The family couldn’t afford to change her ticket, but the Wish Program was able to cover the cost, and she made it to Wisconsin in time to be with her daughter and say goodbye.

Honoring hopes and family traditions

In 2025, the Agrace Foundation has granted 18 wishes for patients across our service area. Often, wishes begin with a patient sharing a hope or longing with their nurse, social worker, or spiritual & grief counselor. It might be something weighing on their heart or an experience that would bring comfort and fulfillment in their final months.

al at the fish boil

Lisa and the Wish Committee work with the patient’s family and care team to plan each experience, so it reflects the patient’s unique life and goals.

When Al, a patient in Whitewater, mentioned he was disappointed to miss his family’s annual fish boil, his care team sprang into action. The Agrace Wish Program partnered with Al’s family and his care facility to recreate the tradition, a gathering that brought Al and his loved ones laughter, good food and heartfelt connection.

Your donations to Agrace help us grant wishes like these—and do so much more. Thank you!

 

 

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You Give Because You Care

As we close out the year, I’m grateful for your generosity, which helps Agrace provide care and comfort to so many families in communities across Wisconsin.

When considering your 2025 year-end giving, you may wish to explore a few options that can help maximize your impact on Agrace while also making the most of your financial resources. These four giving options can be more tax-advantaged than a traditional cash gift:

  1. If you are 70½ or older, you can give directly from your IRA to Agrace. Your gift will lower your taxable income and, if you are 73 or older, it will count toward your required minimum distribution.
  2. If you have a donor-advised fund, recommending a grant to Agrace will help maximize your charitable deductions. Connect with your fund holder to recommend a grant by December 31.
  3. Gifts of appreciated stock may help you avoid capital gains tax while still receiving a charitable deduction for the full value of the gift.
  4. If you itemize tax deductions, you can “bundle” two years of charitable gifts into one to maximize your deductions while continuing to support Agrace.

We know you give because you care. Every gift, no matter the size or type, helps us do more for the patients, clients and families we serve every day. If you’d like to discuss which giving option might be best for you, I would be honored to help. Please contact me at Beth.Larson@agrace.org or (608) 327-7139.

beth larson

With gratitude,
Beth Larson
Chief Development Officer
Agrace Foundation

 

Developing Meaningful Ways for Volunteers to Serve

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Barb Graham, Volunteer Coordinator

For 23 years Barb Graham has been a steady, caring leader on our Volunteer Services Team, supporting and inspiring hundreds of in-home and inpatient unit volunteers. “Volunteers are the backbone of our organization!” she says. “I have greatly enjoyed working with so many stellar, kind people over the years.”

Barb’s creativity and dedication as a volunteer coordinator leave a lasting impression on Agrace and our volunteers. She’s built programs that give volunteers new, meaningful ways to serve and to bring comfort to our patients and families, such as vigil volunteering, CNA Assist and admission support. In short, she helps make Agrace an organization where people feel valued, supported and connected.

If you have ever considered volunteering your time, please call (608) 327-7163. We offer the support and training volunteers need to feel confident and valued in their roles. With caring mentors like Barb to guide you, you will find that volunteering here is a chance to become part of a community built on compassion.

Learn more

Could you volunteer at Agrace’s Janesville thrift store?

Agrace Thrift Store logoIs volunteering on your list of resolutions for 2026? You can have fun and make new friends while you support Agrace Thrift Stores. Our Janesville store needs volunteer help Monday through Saturday. You can learn more here, or stop by our Humes Road store, near the Janesville Target, and talk with the store manager.

 

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NGL staff pack hygiene kits for Agrace

Extra Comfort Comes in Small Packages

Agrace staff do more than tend to medical needs. At every visit, we make sure our hospice patients are comfortable, clean and treated with dignity.

This fall, our efforts got a boost, thanks to a partnership with National Guardian Life Insurance Company. Through NGL’s financial support and the time their employees spent assembling supplies, Agrace received 200 hygiene kits filled with personal-care essentials like shampoo, lotion, razors and toothpaste. Our care teams can take them along on patient visits and give them to anyone who might have run out of these supplies.

""Joe Celentano, president and CEO of NGL, says, “We believe true strength lies not just in our financial support but in how we lift up our community. Supporting Agrace with these hygiene kits is a practical way to bring dignity and comfort to people when they need them most.”

 

davy

You Can Still Light Up a Life with Agrace

When Lucie’s brother, Davy, needed hospice care, Agrace made sure he was comfortable, understood and treated with dignity. “They thought of everything!” Lucie says.

This holiday season, you can help other families feel that same comfort by supporting Agrace’s Light Up a Life campaign. When you make a gift in memory or honor of someone special, their name can become part of our seasonal memorial display in Agrace’s Madison lobby.

Double your impact! Thanks to a generous gift from our 2025 Agrace Community Luminary, the Donald W. and Margaret M. Anderson Foundation, every donation
will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $100,000, through December 31.

Make your gift and read more of Lucie and Davy’s story at here.

Light Up a Life
 

young woman grieving during the holidayHow to Cope with Grief during the Holidays 

It’s the time of year that consumes us with joy—and amplifies the emptiness in the hearts and lives of grieving people. If you’re among those dreading this emotional pain, here are ways to make your holidays easier.

Decide what you can handle. Tell your family and friends whether it’s OK to talk about your loss openly or not. Let your loved ones know if you wish someone else would do the shopping or make the family dinner.

Give yourself permission to feel whatever comes up. It’s OK to cry, skip events or say “no” to things that feel too difficult.

Make changes that lessen pain. Open presents on a different day, have dinner at a different time, attend a different religious service. Let others make the cookies, wrap the presents or complete other holiday tasks.

If it comforts you, do something for others.  “Adopt” a family in need for the holidays. Invite a guest to share your festivities. Give a charitable gift in memory of the one who died.

Inspiration provided by The Compassionate Friends, Inc., Aurora, Ill.

More tips

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Upcoming Agrace Grief Support Groups 

The support groups shown below meet at the Agrace Grief Support Center in Fitchburg unless listed as “virtual.” All groups except Bridges meet weekly for six weeks and cost $120. Fees can be lowered or waived, if needed. Learn more here. Please pre-register for these groups by calling (608) 327-7110 or emailing griefsupport@agrace.org.

  • Bridges: Meets the first and third Wednesday of every month, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. $20 per session.   
  • (Virtual) Spouse/Partner Loss: January 13 – February 17, 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. OR February 5 – March 12, 3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.
  • Journey through Grief: January 15 – February 19, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
  • LGBTQ+ Spouse/Partner Loss: January 26 – March 3, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
  • (Virtual) Journey through Grief: February 6 – March 13, 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Grief Support Groups
 

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Jenna and Alie

Agrace Awarded Best of Janesville!

The Janesville community has voted Agrace Hospice Care as this year’s “Best Hospice” in the 2025 Janesville Gazette Best of the Best Awards! Alie Braukhoff and Jenna Rygh, who are both part of our teams caring for Rock County patients, accepted the award on Agrace’s behalf. This honor reflects the compassionate, high-quality care our staff provide every day in homes, long-term care communities and any other place people call home.

Thank you to our staff for their dedication—and to the Janesville community for your trust and support.

 

volunteers packing holiday meals at agrace""Holiday Meals Bring Joy

Each fall, Agrace staff cook, pack and deliver nearly 500 Thanksgiving meals to our hospice patients and their families to make the holiday easier. This year, we got some extra help from S&L Companies of Portage, whose staff volunteered to work alongside ours. The cost of these meals is funded by community donations to the Agrace Foundation. Thank you to all who make this possible!

 

Explore Your Needs for Dementia Support with Agrace

""When an older person has signs of dementia, so many tough questions arise for them:

  • What care might be needed as the illness goes on, and how will the family provide that care?
  • What local support programs are available?
  • How will they find and afford care from other people, or in other places, when the time comes?

If your loved one has dementia and you are unsure about next steps, you can schedule a Dementia Care Consultation with Agrace.

Mary Severson, our social worker/dementia support specialist, explains, “It’s a meeting to discuss your unique situation, not only about the person with the diagnosis, but about you and your needs as a caregiver. It’s a time to focus and organize what is most important to deal with first.”

Your Care Consultation can be held in person in the Madison area, or by phone or video call (using a tablet or computer with a webcam). If you are outside of Dane County, the guidance can be adapted to your local community. The cost is $50 for a one-hour meeting.

To schedule a Care Consultation, please visit here or call (800) 553-4289.

Learn more about Agrace Dementia Support
 

mounted patrol visits the agrace adult day centerMounted Patrol Visits the Adult Day Center

The Madison Mounted Patrol visited our Agrace Adult Day Center clients in September. These horses and their human officers help build trust with the community. Here are De and our caregiver, Jolene, with Buckets and Captain Beckett.

Your donations to Agrace allow us to keep the Adult Day Center’s daily fees lower so more seniors can benefit from their support, companionship and fun activities like this horse visit.