MONTICELLO – Hattiesburg artist Kym Garraway Braley and Dr. Brantley Pace were speakers at the Tuesday morning kickoff and celebration of St. Luke Home Health and Hospice in Monticello.

Braley gave an inspirational talk about how important hospice has been in her family and recounted stories of her strong grandmother and how important the service was to her grandmother and family.

Braley does paintings and sells T-shirts with all of the proceeds benefiting hospices.

Dr. Pace has been the longtime medical director of St. Luke Home Health and will now be the medical director of hospice services for St. Luke. He remarked that he had been a believer of hospice for more than 20 years and how important this team of medical personnel and volunteers are to family and patients.

Volunteer coordinator and marketer for St. Luke Home Health and Hospice in Monticello, Nicole Wilson, brought the event together with fellow employees as well as the Lawrence County Cattleman’s Association, Coca-Cola of Jackson, DME South, Lawrence County Hospital and Lawrence County Nursing Center.

More than 200 steak sandwich dinners were served to participants at the Cooper’s Park Pavilion in Monticello.

St. Luke Home Health and Hospice executive director Debby Lance said, “We hope to continue the work we are doing in this fine community offering a complete continuum of care from home health to hospice, making life’s unfamiliar journey one of comfort, peace, and dignity.”

To volunteer with St. Luke, please call Nicole Wilson at (601) 695-8214.