15 Nov Brattleboro Area Hospice Hires New Staff

We are pleased to announce the addition of three new staff this fall.  Each will be working directly with community members to provide free services to anyone who is dying, caring for a dying loved one, or grieving the loss of someone they love.

Lars Hunter has joined the staff as the new Bereavement Program Coordinator, overseeing the organization’s individual and group support for anyone in the community who is grieving the death of a loved one. Lars has been a volunteer for Brattleboro Area Hospice for several years, both as a hospice and bereavement volunteer. He is a licensed pastoral care giver with the Episcopal Church and a licensed disaster chaplain with the National Disaster Interfaiths Network. He volunteers as Guardian ad litem with the Windham Superior Court Family Division where he works with many families in Windham County. He is widowed with three grown children and three grandchildren. He enjoys downhill skiing, riding his Harley motorcycle, reading and puttering around the house. He lives in West Dover with his dog Zeke and cat Ace. 

John Everest joins the organization as Hospice Care Coordinator.  John will be working closely with Patty Dunn and Kathy Leo in the hospice program to assign, support and supervise hospice volunteers. John has a master’s in organization management from Antioch University, and comes to his work with Hospice clients, families and volunteers with previous experience as a volunteer coordinator with a medical hospice agency, as a social worker with the Vermont Department of Children and Families, and as a teacher at Community College of Vermont and elsewhere. John reports that his experience with Brattleboro Area Hospice as the son of a Brattleboro Area Hospice client, and as a volunteer, was awe-inspiring: “I now get to work in the midst of truly amazing people who, on a daily basis, bring connection, calm and comfort into people’s lives at literally their most vulnerable time. Our clients teach us so much every day—I am deeply humbled to be here!”

Muriel Wolf has joined the staff as Spiritual Care Companion. She will be incorporating the new support service of Spiritual Care into the existing Hospice and Bereavement programs. Muriel recently completed the two-year Spiritual Guidance Training Program at the Rowe Center, holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Literature and the Arts, and received training at the C.G. Jung Foundation in New York City. Muriel will work with clients of all faith backgrounds, atheists, agnostics, and those engaged in alternate spiritual practices. In addition to offering support through companionship and dialogue, she also incorporates dream work, expressive arts, ritual and ceremony, contemplative practice, journaling and other approaches in her work. Along with serving clients, Muriel will be available to provide spiritual support for volunteers and staff, and will conduct trainings for volunteers. She has been affiliated with Brattleboro Area Hospice in several capacities for the past twenty-five years. 

Please join us in welcoming these new staff!