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LANDRUM- Landrum community members came out to a free event put on by the new hospice house organization in Landrum, Agape Hospice.

 

Agape Hospice purchased the Foothills Hospice House, also known as Smith Phayer House, located on Fairwinds Drive in August 2019. Agape Hospice is currently the largest hospice organization in South Carolina and serves over 800 hundred patients throughout the state. They have four inpatient hospice houses as well. 

 

During the event, there was a welcome from Agape Hospice CEO, Deedee Henderson. Henderson emphasized how grateful they as a company were to be placing roots in Landrum. Henderson told the audience, “This night is about community, and we at Agape Hospice are so happy to be apart of such a great community in Landrum, South Carolina.”

 

Scott Middleton, the owner and founder of Agape Hospice, is a Methodist minister, which is a foundational part of the organization. Laney Donald, director of communications told us that Middleton’s mission is to ensure that people who qualify for the Hospice benefit receive the best quality care they can get.

 

Agape Hospice is a faith-based company, whose logo is a representation of the nine fruits of the spirit. 

 

Each faculty member and volunteer that came to the ribbon cutting was asked to participate in the Blessing of Hands. The chaplains for Agape Hospice recited a special prayer from the Book of Psalms over the men and women who have helped create the hospice house and those who will come into the new house in the future. 

 

The blessing was an intimate and emotional time for those who have watched the Hospice House be turned into the new adventure it is. Placing a new facility in the Landrum area will allow Foothills residents with hospice needs not have travel far from home to get the help they need.

 

Many Foothills residents have wondered about ownership of The Hospice Thrift Barn and whether or not the barn will remain with Hospice of the Carolina Foothills (HOCF) or go to Agape Hospice. As of now, the Thrift Barn is still a part of HOCF and there are no plans for Agape to purchase it. 

 

The organization had a person from each division to help cut the ribbon. This included the CEO, head nurse, communications director, a hospice member and many more individuals to commemorate this moment for Agape Hospice. 

 

It is evident this facility came to be because of a group effort and will remain a group effort for future endeavors. For something so meaningful, it takes everyone’s part for it to be successful. This is why Agape Hospice is excited for this new adventure in the Foothills. They understand that in their field a smile goes a long way and that community is an important aspect.  

By Carson Parnell