‘What Matters Most’ is This Year’s Heroes of Hospice Theme

This Year’s Special Guest Speakers Include William Peters, Rolf Geyling, and Mari Hernandez

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Santa Barbara, Ca, September 13, 2022– After two years of virtual events, Hospice of Santa Barbara’s (HSB) Heroes of Hospice (HOH) is back in person and will be honoring local heroes on Thursday, September 22, 2022 from 11:00 am – 1:30 pm at Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort’s Plaza del Sol.

HSB’s Heroes of Hospice Luncheon honors the people and organizations that bring compassion and care, at all levels, to those in need in and near the Santa Barbara community. Throughout these past two years, the demand for HSB’s services has been growing. Fundraisers like HOH allow the organization to reach our community members struggling with grief or life-threatening illness, free of charge.

This year, Heroes of Hospice’s theme is What Matters Most, which poses the question “What matters most in my life?” “What marks a life well-lived?” “Is it how much money I made or things I acquired?” Or is it rather “How many lives I touched and how much love I shared?”

When grief or illness touch our lives, we are often reminded of what really matters most to us – the people we love, the meaningful actions we take, and the simple pleasures of life…the sun on our face, traveling, family, spirituality.

After a couple of challenging years, which have given many of us a new perspective, HSB’s luncheon presents  an opportunity to examine what really matters – to us as individuals and as a community.

This year’s event will also feature Special Guest Speakers, who include William Peters, Mari Hernandez, Rolf Geyling.

William Peters is recognized by many as a leading authority on the shared death experience (SDE). William conducts workshops and presents internationally. His innovative work has been featured on CNN, among other media outlets around the world, and he is the author of At Heaven’s Door, published by Simon & Schuster.

Rolf Geyling has dedicated his life to serving organizations that lift people out of poverty and addiction and currently heads Santa Barbara Rescue Mission. He is regularly engaged as a pulpit preacher, conference speaker, workshop facilitator and organizational consultant. He was awarded the Westmont Medal in 2015 for Santa Barbara leadership.

Mari Hernandez is a licensed Clinical Social Worker and has a private counseling practice. Her life’s mission is to build a social enterprise that supports and inspires Conscious Living and Conscious Parenting. After the death of her son, Mari created Vida Center, a nonprofit organization formed to help youth, families and communities build and develop the skills and resources needed to live, succeed and thrive.

“We are very excited to be back in person this year and to focus on What Matters Most to us,” said David Selberg, CEO of Hospice of Santa Barbara. “This will be a very special event honoring amazing heroes in our community with great special guest speakers.”

This year’s Heroes include Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics with the MEDICAL HERO AWARD, Santa Barbara High School with the PARTNERSHIP HERO AWARD and Hospice of Santa Barbara Bereavement Staff with the STAFF HERO AWARD.

Hospice of Santa Barbara’s “Heroes” event will be held Thursday, September 22, 2022 from 11:00 am – 1:30 pm at Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort’s Plaza del Sol. To learn more and purchase tickets, please visit: http://www.hospiceofsb.org/heroes

Hospice of Santa Barbara

Hospice of Santa Barbara provides professional counseling, support groups, and patient care services free of charge to individuals and families who are grieving the death of a loved one or experiencing the impact of a life-threatening illness. Hospice of Santa Barbara also provides counseling in our offices and on fifteen local junior and high school campuses to children and teens who are grieving the loss of a loved one. For more information about Hospice of Santa Barbara, including volunteer opportunities, call (805) 563-8820 or visit www.hospiceofsantabarbara.org.