The Board of Directors has the need to secure for posterity the role of Chaplaincy. There is no government support for Chaplaincy in long term care facilities, so the Directors must look to ways of financing Chaplaincy.

The Cove Guest Home is on a bold new path to address the spiritual challenges of life there. Persons who find themselves as residents in a long term care facility are most often on a painful journey through loss, change, and disjunction. They face spiritual challenges shaped by frailty and institutionalization.

No matter how incapacitated, no matter how reduced, every resident of a long term care facility has a spark of The Divine within her or him. In this context, there is a gap between the pastoral care which, with their limited resources, local religious bodies can provide in long term care facilities, and the pastoral care which is needed for residents affiliated with those bodies, for those who have no affiliation, as well as for residents’ families and their care givers. Full-time, in-house chaplains bridge this gap. Residents, their families, staff and their Chaplains together can realize they are "companions on a spiritual journey."

What is an Endowment Fund? Known to many as the "Everlasting Gift", donations made to the Chaplaincy Endowment Fund will be held in perpetual trust. The Fund’s interest earned will be used to ensure the future viability of chaplaincy for the Cove Guest Home. The objective is be to raise $1 million through a one time appeal.

The Chaplaincy Endowment Fund recently received a major gift of $200,000 in the form of a bequest from Mr. Bill Stacey, a current resident of the Cove Guest Home. Bill, as he insists being called, has been a life-long resident of Cape Breton. "I have been thinking for a long time now where to leave my money and I am very pleased the residents of the Cove will be able to enjoy my prosperity now and in the future, through Chaplaincy." Thank you Bill.

Festival of Lights 2002

The Cove Guest Home hosted the 6th Annual Festival of Lights on a snow December 4 evening. Our holiday special event was successful again, raising just over $12,000, which will go to the purchase of a new Handi-trans bus for the residents of the Cove Guest Home.

This year we had four multi-coloured, angels and deck angels. Also, there was a new addition to the tribute items, a Star was donated to the event by a family in memory of their parents. We will include this item in next year’s list of tributes. The Memorial Book will be on display the entire year in the Cove lobby. Take a glance through it next time you’re visiting the Cove Guest Home. It will also be listed on our website in the Special Events section, just go to www.coveguesthome.com. A special thanks to the Sydney River Consolidated School Choir for the lovely carols they sang and the Cove Ladies’ Auxiliary for their time and energy.

Cove Appeals for New Bus

For a few years now the residents of the Cove Guest Home have been planning to start up a fundraising campaign to purchase a new wheelchair accessible bus. The Board of Directors of the Cove Foundation started the bus fund by giving the proceeds of the Festival of Lights event. The bus costs $89,000 and the Residents’ Council have agreed to raise $25,000 through such means as a "Family Night" at the Cove, hot dog days, and various ticket sales.

Cove’s Health Promotion Clinic

The Staff of the Cove Guest Home participated in an annual health promotion clinic on March 20, 2003. Anne Dellaruso, Assistant Director of Resident Care, was stationed at one table to take the blood pressure and pulse of the attending staff members. While, Anna Fraser, Director of Education and Debbie Madore, Cove Dietician, were at another table checking blood glucose and cholesterol.

The Cove prides itself on promoting excellence in the Human Resource Departments to assure quality service to the Residents. The day was very well received by the staff with 59 people attending the two hour session. The results were also encouraging, with healthy figures reported by most.

Community Service Award

Organizations in eight communities across Canada recently received a $1,000.00 grant from Canadian National (CN) for a Community Service Award. The Cove Guest Home won the award on behalf of the Archie Williston’s dedicated volunteer service to the Cove.

The organizations submitted the name of the CN pensioner who volunteered for the and made a difference in their communities. A CN Selection committee then reviewed the submissions and made its decision according to established criteria. The Cove is very proud of this Award and is just another way that Mr. Williston’s willingness to make a difference in the community has enriched the lives of the seniors in the area.

The committee said the selection process was not easy because there were many worthwhile organizations and many pensioners doing valued volunteer work for them

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