Jill Whiteman is chairperson of the Friends of Hospice, which is holding its annual golf outing July 29 at Golden Sands Golf Club in Cecil.
Born and raised in Shawano, Whiteman graduated from Shawano High School. She earned a degree in communication and public relations from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She worked as a flight attendant for Midway Airlines and held several other jobs in Chicago, New Orleans and Milwaukee before returning to Shawano after her husband, Stark Whiteman, died.
Whiteman has lived in the town of Richmond on the Wolf River for 15 years with Todd Dobberstein, who works at Hometown Insurance, and his daughter, Lexi Dobberstein, who will be a senior at Shawano Community High School this year. The family enjoys boating and summer, in general.
Whiteman is also on the local hospital foundation board and is helping plan a celebration for the generous donors of the Living Well Campaign for the new hospital, ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano, prior to its opening.
Q How long have you been with Friends of Hospice?
A “It’s probably been four years. This year I am the chairperson, a three-year term.”
Q What do the Friends of Hospice do?
A “Friends of Hospice supports the ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano hospice. We do Gifts from the Heart if the patients need anything for a last request, like flying in a loved one. Someone wanted to go fishing with his grandson on Shawano Lake. He died a couple of days after that. We fund the training for the pet therapy program. Right now, we have five pets visiting patients. It can be in their home or a nursing home, and soon we will be able to go to the new hospital as well. We planned the hospice suite for the new hospital. Not everyone can care for their loved ones at home. We pay for the training once a year when we get a new group. It’s a big commitment for the pet owners because they have to go, too. We also support massage therapy. If a hospice nurse or staff needs additional training, we fund it. We do volunteer outings. We get to do the fun stuff to help the people who do all the work.”
Q How are you funded?
A “Through donations from various people in the community for whatever reason. Maybe a family member was in hospice and they want to support our cause. The golf outing is our major fundraiser. It is 18 holes with 144 all women golfers at Golden Sands. It’s a full-out golf outing. We provide box lunches, raffles with donated prizes, and dinner. It‘s an event we look forward to every year.”
Q Why do you volunteer?
A “To give back. I have the time to be part of the community and I chose this because they’re a great group of ladies, all ages, all walks of life, coming together to support a really good cause. We do have fun.”
