8/3/2009

Montgomery Area High School graduate Kaitlin Ryan recently donated $1,010 to Susquehanna Health’s The Gatehouse Inpatient Hospice Unit at the Divine Providence Hospital. As her graduation project, the starting pitcher channeled her love of the game to raise money for the special place where her grandmother received care and compassion in the final days of her life.

To support The Gatehouse, Ryan organized “Camp for a Cause,” a one-day softball clinic to teach fundamental skills to girls in fourth through eighth grades. The 17 girls in attendance received a full day of softball instruction, lunch and t-shirts. The clinic was held in January on the second anniversary of her grandmother Margaret E. Ryan’s passing.

“My favorite part of the day was when we were pitching. The girls looked to me as a role model, and I loved to see their enthusiasm when I was instructing them. They seemed to learn a lot!” said Ryan.

Ryan’s future plans include coaching young girls and playing softball for Lycoming College, where she will study accounting with a minor in criminal justice this fall. She said she is pleased that her project enabled her to share her love of softball and raise more than $1,000 to show her appreciation for the staff at The Gatehouse who did so much to take care of her grandmother. In recognition of Kaitlin’s contribution, her grandmother’s name was added to a leaf on the Tree of Remembrance, which stands just outside The Gatehouse door.

The area’s only inpatient hospice unit, The Gatehouse is a peaceful, home-like environment for patients who need specialized pain and symptom management and other end-of-life care services. At The Gatehouse, patients receive around-the-clock skilled nursing care in a space designed to accommodate family members who wish to spend time with and be a part of their loved ones’ care.