Suncoast Hospice and its Affilates Continue Commitment to Transparency and Accountability with Guidestar

Suncoast Hospice is proud to be designated a GuideStar Exchange Gold Participant for our transparency. Our affiliates, Suncoast Hospice Foundation, AIDS Service Association of Pinellas, Inc. (ASAP) and Project GRACE also have this designation.

GuideStar is a national program that encourages transparency with nonprofits. The gold logo is the highest distinction in GuideStar’s system and indicates that an agency has provided up-to-date, comprehensive, accurate information about its mission, leadership, financials and the impact of its programs.  

“We partner with the community to design and provide services needed. We’re so pleased to have this platform for communicating our progress,” said Rafael Sciullo, Suncoast Hospice president and CEO.

Kim Stangle, Suncoast Hospice Foundation executive director, added, “Our donors need to have complete confidence that their contributions are being used to carry out our mission of serving everyone regardless of their ability to pay”.

Visit guidestar.org to learn more and view our agencies’ profiles. 

Want to help support our mission of care and services? Please make a donation online at suncoasthospicefoundation.org.

Couple Volunteers Bring Satisfaction to Patients & Families

Ellie and Ray (back) visit with Nargis.

Raymond “Ray” and Eleanor “Ellie” Weaver drop by in the morning to see Suncoast Hospice patient Nargis Fischer, who’s living at a health care facility in Palm Harbor. The husband and wife volunteers chat with Nargis about her recent trip to an aquarium and her visit with her family who came down from New Jersey.

The couple gets ready to take Nargis down the hallway to the lunchroom, and Ellie tells her she’ll bring black cherries the next time. They’ve also brought her the wafer cookies she likes and books, which she loves to read in the afternoons.

Nargis appreciates the Weavers’ company and kindness. “I don’t have anyone in Florida. I like it when they come here. I couldn’t ask for nicer people,” Nargis said.

Married for more than 54 years, the couple has volunteered together for Suncoast Hospice since 2005. Ray is an author and former activities director of facilities. Ellie previously worked in the banking industry. They visit patients and families at two Palm Harbor health care facilities twice a week. They spread lots of delight, telling stories of their travels, taking patients outdoors in nice weather and bringing patients the comforts of life.

Ray assists Nargis on the way to the lunchroom.

Ray says he enjoys supporting patients, and part of that means being attuned to their lifestyles.

“One of the things that we work very hard at is not to disrupt our patients’ routines. You have to understand where they’re at, and some days they don’t want to see anyone,” Ray said. He also likes to come in on the weekends to meet the family members of patients.

The couple is attentive to the personal needs of their patients. Ellie says it’s satisfying to do the small acts for patients.

“We had one patient who wanted clothes for her dolls, so we went around the neighborhood gathering some clothes and brought them to her here. I’ve also made sheepskin coverings to soften the arms of wheelchairs and used a voucher at one of the Suncoast Hospice resale shoppes to get clothes and shoes for a patient. It warms my heart to do the little things for our patients. My mother used to be in a nursing home, and I treat them just like it was my mom,” Ellie said.

Are you interested in being a Suncoast Hospice volunteer?

Suncoast Hospice is currently in need of volunteers to do patient and family support, office support, telephone support and bereavement support.  For more information on these and other roles, please call 727–467–7423 or visit the volunteer section on our website.

Suncoast Hospice Joins We Honor Veterans

The Suncoast Hospice veterans program has been designated as a partner level one for the We Honor Veterans program of National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

We Honor Veterans is comprised of community hospices, state hospice organizations, VA facilities and other organizations that serve veterans at the end of life. The program provides access to many educational resources to help hospice professionals meet the unique needs of dying veterans to bring them peace and comfort.

Marci Pruitt, Suncoast Hospice’s vice president of programs, shares, “We’re pleased to have achieved this level of national recognition. Suncoast Hospice remains honored and committed to serving the veterans in our community.”

Staff and veterans serving veterans volunteers watch Honor
Flight movie at our Clearwater community service center.

Our Suncoast Hospice veterans program includes special recognition and support to veterans in our care, including presentations of pins and certificates and a volunteer program that provides visits with volunteers who’ve served in the military. Our staff and volunteers also take part in veterans-related education, outreach and partnerships. Two of our ongoing partnerships to honor our local veterans are Veterans History Project and Honor Flight of West Central Florida.


To learn more about We Honor Veterans, visit www.wehonorveterans.org/.

For information about our Suncoast Hospice veterans program, call 727-523-3442.