The end of life can be a stressful time for everyone. But when it is compounded by a lack of basic security or resources, the stress can feel insurmountable. Generous donations from community members to the Selma Fund, our quality-of-life care fund, address the immediate needs of our patients and families.

Jody Holstein, a social worker with Ohio’s Hospice of Central Ohio since 2018, has seen firsthand how the Selma Fund has helped countless patients. Throughout the years, she has worked with a wide variety of patients in many different circumstances of life. She has seen the impact of hospice care for those struggling with complicated family dynamics, spiritual or emotional crises.

“The complexities of some patients’ situations vary widely, and sometimes the need for basic resources can be vital,” she said. “I have gone into homes to care for patients who have no plumbing or electricity. I remember caring for an individual who had spent much of their life homeless. When they finally received temporary housing, they only owned a folding chair and a coffee maker.”

Generous donations to the Selma Fund helped purchase a bed for that patient so that they could live comfortably. The Selma Fund also helped pay for plumbing and electricity for several patients and their families.

Selma Markowitz co-founded Ohio’s Hospice of Central Ohio 40 years ago with the hope that anyone in the care of Ohio’s Hospice of Central Ohio could receive the support they needed, large or small, any time of day. The Selma Fund addresses the most poignant and immediate needs, including clothing, food and shelter.

When you donate to the Selma Fund, your gift helps patients and their families with their most urgent needs, especially where safety and security are concerned. 
By donating to the Selma Fund, you are lightening the load for families across the region, and you are helping to serve those most in need as they face a life-limiting illness or injury.

We thank Jody for her many years of service, and we’re grateful to those of you who have supported our mission through the Selma Fund.

For more information about the Selma Fund, please contact Stacy Geller at Stacy@HospiceofCentralOhio.org or 740.788.1488.