Fundraising for the Hospice began in 1999 when the four Rotary Clubs of Burlington committed a pledge of $250,000 toward developing the Hospice, kicking off the Rotary Community Hospice Project. The capital campaign goal was $1 million to build the Hospice and $600,000 for the first year’s operation.
Burlington resident Len Carpenter donated $500,000 to the project, earning him the right to choose the name for the new Hospice. In the words of former Mayor MacIsaac, Mr. Carpenter was “the champion we needed to ensure the hospice would be a reality.” Admitting he had lived quietly and without recognition in Burlington for 47 years, the then 79-year-old Carpenter said that his experiences with a hospice in California convinced him of the importance of this end-of-life service.
St. Stephen United Church generously offered to lease a piece of property adjacent to its parking lot for “one dollar and a rose” a year. The lease is for 100 years!
Other generous donations from the community included furnishings, equipment, building materials, professional skills and various types of expertise. Local businesses provided an enormous variety of items. The Burlington Garden Committee donated landscaping to beautify the new development. Land development, design plans, legal representation, space planning and construction project management, to name just a few, were donated by the generous and skilled residents of Burlington.
On May 25, 2002, Carpenter Hospice officially opened its doors to our first residents.
Our Logo
Carpenter Hospice has used the image of a butterfly as; historically, the butterfly has been thought of as an uplifting symbol of life and hope.
A closer look at the edge of the wings reveals four facial silhouettes representing four facets of Carpenter Hospice – our residents and their families, our staff, our volunteers, and our community.