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A goal for many people includes staying healthy throughout life. But it is still important to care for health near the end of life. At Omega House the group works hard to keep its facility as low cost to members of the copper country as possible. Omega House Executive Director Mike Lutz, says that more than half of the facility’s operational and maintenance budget is supported by donations and fundraisers. Since joining Giving Tuesday, he says that the facility has been able to make important upgrades to keep Omega House feeling more like a home.
“Omega House isn’t something you’re going to research a lot about until you need it. But the community needs to know that we’re there. And giving Tuesday puts us front and center. We get a month, month, and a half to promote our organization and what we do. And it just kind of spirals. People who have seen what we do, support us and spread the good word. Families that have not needed Omega House before, and want to support a non-profit, can see the value in what we do.” – Mike Lutz, Executive Director, Omega House
Hospice care toward the end of a loved one’s life is a thought not many want to dwell on. At Omega House, their staff works hard to make those final days as meaningful to the individual and family as possible.
“We want to make sure that the last chapter in their life is as meaningful as their life before their illness. We learn a lot about our residents. And maybe there’s something that they haven’t eaten in a while that they want to do again. We can go out and get that meal. Or if there’s an experience that they wish they would have gotten to take part in, we can work with them on that too. And make their last days, weeks, and months as meaningful and as enjoyable as we possibly can. And that’s what we’ve done through the support that we get from Giving Tuesday. And it’s such a big portion to support that we need to run this facility. So that we can give them that excellent end of life care to everyone that comes here.” – Mike Lutz, Executive Director, Omega House
Giving Tuesday with the Copper Shores Community Health Foundation last year raised over 650,000 dollars from individuals in the community and from friends of the Keweenaw Peninsula. Annually the foundation has provided a match sum to add to the day of giving’s total. Adding up to over 2.7 million dollars spread throughout the copper country over the past six years. Find more information about Giving Tuesday with the Copper Shores Community Health Foundation here, and more about Omega House here.
