AUBURN #- For two decades Hospice of the Finger Lakes has provided comfort and care to patients and their families facing terminal illness, a difficult, but much needed and appreciated service to the people served by hospice.

Saturday evening at the Holiday Inn in Auburn, members of hospice's staff and supporters, all of whom have had their lives touched by hospice, gathered to celebrate these 20 years of service, a celebration that Theresa Kline, executive director, said committee members began planning more than a year ahead of time.

Marty Keough, whose father, Joe, received care from hospice, served as planning committee chair for this as well as the 10th anniversary celebration.

“The committee met once a month,” master of ceremonies Douglas Parker said. “They worked really hard to make this a reality.”

Parker's sister, Debbie, received care in 2006 while she was battling cancer. During this difficult time, Parker said that he and his family received incredibly valuable support and that it was an experience that like so many others gathered could attest to, deeply touched his life and inspired him to take a more active role in hospice.

Kline, who also spoke from personal experience with her mother, Lillian, reflected on the origins of Hospice of the Finger Lakes.

An idea that began in its earliest stages with one office in the meeting house in front of the Auburn YMCA.

“In 1988 we had one room,” Kline said. “Eventually we had the whole house and then in 2000, with the incredible support of this community, we were able to locate to present location on Corporate Drive.”

Hospice was born through the combination of two existing palliative care programs, ComforTcare of Cayuga County, which was a project of the Cayuga County Office of the Aging and Hospicor, a volunteer group run from United Ministry Church in Aurora.

When hospice came together in 1988, receiving certification from the New York State Department of Health in May of that year, hospice immediately went into action, serving 41 individuals.

And since then the mission of hospice has remained the same, to offer the best possible care and support for patients and their families in the familiar surroundings of the patients home, providing services like symptom and pain management, 24-hour on-call nursing and dietary and therapeutic needs, among others.

And through the support of the community, hospice has been able to serve more and more people in the past 20 years.

“In 2008, as of yesterday,” Kline said. “We have helped 140 people and in the past 20 years we have served over 2,125 patients and their families.”

Throughout the celebration, which included dinner, dancing and music by the East Rochester All Star Band, a video picture show played as a reminder of all the lives hospice has touched and affected and the difference the services have made in the community.

“Jack Hardy and his friend Eric Solstein put it together,” Kline said. “We wanted something special to help celebrate the past 20 years.”

Further commemorating the evening was the presentation of a New York State Assembly citation from Assemblyman Gary D. Finch to Hospice of the Finger Lakes board president Raymond D'Agostino.

Finch was a member of the original group of individuals who met to create hospice at Mercy Rehab.

Finch took a minute to reflect on the origins of the idea of hospice care and what a difference hospice has made these 20 years.

“It is hard to believe 20 years have gone by,” Finch said. “The concept was based on St. Christopher's in England, but really I think it dates back to pre-historic times. People have incredible compassion to reach down and help those in need and that is what hospice does, it has helped people and their families.”