Hospice & Palliative CareCenter announces that the “I Heart Hospice” Campaign officially launched on Jan. 14, 2013. The campaign, designed for children ages 5 to 18, offers an opportunity to create handmade Valentine cards and enter them into a contest to be judged by local personalities. The child who designs the winning card in each age category, along with their teacher, will win a prize and have their picture printed in The Stokes News.

These Valentine cards will be given to Hospice & Palliative CareCenter patients living at home or in extended care facilities. The teacher whose class has the greatest number of entries will also win a prize. To make an “I Heart Hospice” Valentine card, fold an 8 ½” x 11” sheet of paper in half, design your Valentine greeting, write only the child’s first name and grade on the inside of the card, and attach an entry form to the card with a paperclip.

Flyers and entry forms are available at Stokes County Schools and at the Hospice & Palliative CareCenter office in Walnut Cove. Entries are due to the Stokes County Schools by Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. or to the Hospice & Palliative CareCenter office by Feb. 11 at noon. Call Salena Dellinger at the Hospice & Palliative CareCenter office at 591-1124 with any questions. All cards become the property of Hospice & Palliative CareCenter and may be used and/or reproduced in the future.

Since 1979, Hospice & Palliative CareCenter has been committed to providing quality medical, emotional, spiritual, and social support to patients and families who face a serious illness — regardless of diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment. Hospice’s Grief Counseling Services are available to families of Hospice patients as well as to the community at large. For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, contact Ann Gauthreaux, public relations director, at 336-768-3972, or see Hospice’s website at www.hospicecarecenter.org.