CoMoGives has officially started! This month-long online giving campaign (Dec 1–31) allows donors to support local nonprofits, with 100% of each gift going directly to the organization. Your donation this year can make a meaningful impact on the compassionate end-of-life care provided at Caring Hearts & Hands of Columbia.
Thanks to the generosity of Dick and Donna Otto, the first $1,000 donated will be matched dollar-for-dollar, doubling your impact.
Dick Otto, a board member and dedicated volunteer with CHHC, is proud to lead this match.
Gifts can be made online through our CoMoGives link on our website. Every donation is tax-deductible and directly supports our no-cost care.
Your support this December helps ensure we can continue offering dignity, comfort, and peace to the families we serve as we look ahead to 2026.
CoMoGives is a month-long online giving campaign (Dec 1–31) that allows donors to support local nonprofits, with 100% of each gift going directly to the organization. This year, your CoMoGives donation can make a meaningful impact on the compassionate end-of-life care provided at Caring Hearts & Hands of Columbia.
Thanks to the leadership of Dick and Donna Otto, the first $1,000 donated will be matched dollar-for-dollar, doubling your impact.
Gifts can be made online through our CoMoGives link on our website. Every donation is tax-deductible and directly supports our no-cost care.
Your support this December helps ensure we can continue offering dignity, comfort, and peace to the families we serve as we look ahead to 2026.
Join us December 1–31, and especially on Giving Tuesday, December 2, to help continue this vital work.
Among the evening’s voices was Brad Young, owner of TigerTown Home Improvement, whose personal experience drives his dedication to CHHC.
Brad reflected on the peaceful passing of his grandfather, cared for at home by family.
“Pure peace and love filled the room,” he shared. “I supported this mission because they provide a home — a final, peaceful place, just like what my grandfather had.”
As a Lighthouse Sponsor, Brad helps ensure families without medical professionals in their circle can still experience compassionate, dignified end-of-life care.
He also expressed gratitude to the CHHC team: “Thank you — you’re giving this community a gift of immeasurable value.”
Executive Director Deanna echoed this: “Brad shares our vision to give those facing the end of life the care and dignity everyone deserves.”
With partners like Brad and TigerTown Home Improvement, CHHC continues bringing peace, compassion, and dignity to families.
This year’s Lights for Love luminary event was a meaningful evening of remembrance and community. Supporters, families, volunteers, and friends gathered to honor loved ones and celebrate the compassionate mission of Caring Hearts & Hands of Columbia.
Thanks to our community’s generosity, the event raised just over $30,000, including $3,365 from luminary dedications. Nearly 500 individuals were honored through the glowing luminaries, including every guest who passed in our home.
The event served as a powerful reminder of neighbors supporting neighbors. As one staff member shared, “Our community came together to honor those who came before us and support people’s transition out of this life.” Another attendee reflected, “This event gives our community a safe space to pause and practice grief together.”
We are deeply grateful to everyone who dedicated a luminary, donated, volunteered, or attended. Your compassion ensures we can continue providing comfort, dignity, and peace to our guests and their families.
At the Lights for Love memorial, families and community members light a luminary in memory of their own loved ones. Together, we’ll reflect, celebrate lives, and find comfort in shared stories and music.
Whether this is your first time or you have done this before, the magic of the night remains: each flickering light offers a moment to pause, remember, and heal. With live musical performances, gentle reflection, and a welcoming spirit, this event is more than a memorial—it’s a community embrace.
For just $20, you can dedicate a luminary in your loved one’s name—lighting their memory in a beautiful and lasting way. All proceeds support Caring Hearts & Hands’ mission to provide compassionate, end-of-life care and caregiver support in our community.
Come walk amongst the lights. Share your memories. Be part of a gathering that reminds us of how deeply love endures.
As a founding sponsor, Missouri Cancer Associates (MCA) was integral to making our end-of-life home—and Lights for Love—a reality. MCA didn’t just see our vision—they embraced it wholeheartedly. Before we had walls, beds, or even a house, they saw the heart of our mission and chose to stand beside us.
That early belief turned into an extraordinary commitment: $20,000 per year for five years—a nearly an impactful investment in personalized, community-centered hospice and palliative care. It wasn’t just financial—it was deeply personal.
MCA’s Gift Helped David
One powerful example is the story of David Potts, whose family found peace and connection in their time at CHHC. That kind of impact wouldn’t be possible without early believers like MCA.
Excerpt from David’s story:
Caring Hearts and Hands of Columbia was privileged to be part of the life of one of its first guests, David Potts. Volunteers were able to provide the care he and his family needed in his final days. David stayed at the home for 11 days and passed away on his 12th. His wife, Janet, and his two sons, Mike and Greg, were all able to be with him in that time.
“We just felt like he got wonderful care,” Janet shared, “We were just so thrilled to be able to get the services offered.”
After David fell and went to the hospital, the social worker started talking about nursing homes, but he was adamant that he did not want to go to one. So the social worker told the family about Caring Hearts and Hands.
Today, as we continue to grow and serve, we do so on a foundation built in part by MCA’s vision, generosity, and trust. Their leadership has helped create something lasting—not only in bricks and mortar, but in the lives touched and comfort given.
To everyone at Missouri Cancer Associates: thank you. You were among the first to believe. You continue to walk beside us. And because of your commitment, families across mid-Missouri know they are not alone.
When Sharyn Cole Eubanks entered the final chapter of her life, her family sought more than just care—they sought a place of peace, love, and dignity. They found that at Caring Hearts and Hands of Columbia (CHHC).
Sharyn lived her life with quiet strength, dignity, and a commitment to helping others. Even in her professional career as a psychiatric aide, she healed not just with her hands, but with her heart.In her final days on earth, Sharyn was wrapped in the care of the CHHC team. According to her daughter Stacey Robertson, who wrote a note to the CHHC staff,
Words seem inadequate to express my gratitude for the services, care, and support you all provided my Mom.” Stacey described how her mother instantly felt “cared for, respected, and loved,” and how CHHC became more than a facility: it became family. Stacey recalled how her mother lit up from the connections she made in those last days.
Stacey was especially moved by the way the CHHC team cared not only for her mother but for her as well. “You supported me, an only child,” she wrote. “A setting like CHHC is what everyone deserves at the end of life on this side of heaven.”
The staff didn’t just perform their duties, they held space for Sharyn’s spirit. They listened, supported, and created an environment of peace, which every visitor deeply felt. “All of our visitors felt the love,” Stacey wrote. “Love gives strength to overcome any challenge.”
In honor of that care and her legacy of love the family has invited memorial donations to CHHC, so others may receive the same compassionate send-off.
Stacey closed her letter with gratitude: “Thank you CHHC for loving my Mom into eternity, her Heavenly Home.”
Recently, our very own Executive Director Deanna Vander Weerd and Board Member Deb Portell were on The Daily Blend with AC talking about CHHC and the upcoming 2025 Lights for Love Luminary Event, a heartfelt community gathering to honor loved ones. They shared how this year’s indoor event will feature art and music to allow for reflection and celebration for those impacted by illness and loss.
Sunday, October 26th, 2025 Orr Street Studio 5-7 p.m.
Don’t miss this meaningful evening of remembrance, hope, and community. Lights for Love is a heartfelt tribute hosted by Caring Hearts & Hands — a chance to honor the lives of those we love, support families in need, and share light during life’s hardest moments.
There’s still time to get involved:
Purchase a Luminary: Shine a light in memory or celebration of someone special.
Become a Sponsor: Help make this event possible and support compassionate care for local families.
Every luminary, every sponsor, every attendee helps us continue providing comfort, dignity, and care when it’s needed most.
Sunday, October 26, 2025 ORR Street Studio 5-7 p.m.
Join us for a heartwarming evening that brings our community together in remembrance, hope, and love. The Caring Heart & Hands Luminary Event is a beautiful way to honor someone special, celebrate their life, and support families facing the hardest of journeys.
How You Can Get Involved:
Purchase a Luminary: Dedicate a glowing tribute to a loved one.
Become a Sponsor: Make a lasting impact by supporting this event and ensuring families in our community receive the care they deserve.
Your participation helps Caring Heart & Hands continue to provide comfort, dignity, and support.
George Cox’s journey with Caring Hearts and Hands (CHHC) began with a deeply personal experience. After moving back to Columbia to care for his mother, George found himself searching for compassionate end-of-life care. When his mother’s health declined, he discovered Caring Hearts and Hands—a place that provided comfort, dignity, and a family-like atmosphere during her final hours.
“Everybody in my family who went over there (CHHC) was just so impressed with the atmosphere. You know, nice, comfy bedrooms set up and a nice family room for the whole family to talk… It was actually so much nicer than being in the hospital for the level of care given,” said Cox.
Deeply moved by the care his family received, George was inspired to give back.
Retired and eager to make a difference, George became a volunteer, helping with housework and facilities, and soon joined the board. He values both the hands-on work and the opportunity to help shape the organization’s future,
“It’s an opportunity to be involved. I mean, it’s a family. Everybody’s in there for the right reason, the volunteers, the staff, and people on the board, you know, it’s a passion,” said Cox.
For George, Caring Hearts and Hands is more than a hospice—it’s a community built on empathy, dedication, and a shared mission to support families during difficult times.
George’s vision is to help the organization grow, reaching more people in need. He believes that every volunteer and staff member is there for the right reasons, and he encourages others to get involved, knowing firsthand the impact their time and support can have.
“It was and is something that I really needed, and so I can imagine there are a lot of people out there who really need it. So to me, it’s become something that I want to help grow, make, make our services more available to people.”
To become a volunteer like George, reach out to Deb Portell (dportellseven@gmail.com) or visit the Caring Hearts and Hands website to learn more about how you can make a difference today.
