Our History

The Hospice El Paso Story – Past, Present and Future

The Beginning

Hospice El Paso had a humble beginning.  It was the innovation of 33 persons who attended the first community meeting at a Community Center.  By early February of 1980, Hospice El Paso was officially incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in the State of Texas.  Our first patients and families were served in 1982, more than two decades ago.

In the beginning, we counted almost entirely on donations because Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance did not cover hospice services.  Medicare certification came in 1984.

The Celebrity Waiters Luncheon

As a not-for-profit organization serving a growing population of patients that are unfunded because they do not have insurance coverage or the ability to pay, Hospice El Paso is continually seeking effective ways to help support our organization through fundraising events. After numerous successful events, the event that has been the most fun for the community and seems to be everlasting is the Celebrity Waiters Luncheon.  The first Celebrity Waiters Luncheon was held in 1985 at the Civic Center.  Today the event boasts more than ninety celebrity waiters including business and community leaders, the mayor, many elected officials and support from the communities of Ft. Bliss and Biggs Field.  The event is held annually in November and includes a silent auction, good lunch and lots of fun. 

Other Donors & Grants

We publish a quarterly newsletter that recognizes our many donors.  Donors for the year are recognized in this annual report.  We cannot express enough the gratitude we feel for the many community members and businesses that donate to our organization.  The funds are used for our community assistance program.  To sustain these patients and their families, our donors have become even more important to us.  In the coming year, we plan to educate and inform our community even more about the fundraising needs of Hospice El Paso because in our history we have never turned down a family in need.  Our goal is to continue that tradition.

Technology and the Future

We began implementing an email newsletter.  In an effort to provide more information, get current event information out on a timely basis, register for conferences and workshops online, and tell more stories about our families and friends that we have helped, we will be educating our community on our website.  The website (www.hospiceelpaso.org) will save us in paper and postage costs and serve our community at the same time.  Every quarter, we hope to add 3-4 times as many people to our email newsletter until we are completely automated.