Thank you for supporting our event!
Jansen Hospice hosted its annual May Benefit on Saturday, May 16th at the home of Katie and Aaron Hood, bringing together over two hundred guests for an evening celebrating four decades of compassionate hospice care in the community.
The festive cocktail-style event welcomed supporters, volunteers, board members, and longtime friends of Jansen Hospice for a night filled with conversation and heartfelt reflection.
Jansen Fund Board Chair Emily Liggitt opened the evening with remarks thanking guests for their continued support, and recognized May Benefit Co-Chairs Jennie Jacobs, Barbara Eustis, Jennifer Siegert, and Amy Civale, along with the many volunteers who help sustain Jansen’s work year after year.
The evening’s most moving moment came when longtime community leader Nancy Hand shared the story behind Jansen Hospice’s founding. She recounted how Bronxville resident Bissie Jansen, after struggling to coordinate care for her husband Alan during his cancer diagnosis, was inspired following his passing in 1981 to build a better system of home hospice care. Working with the Junior League of Bronxville, she helped launch what became one of the region’s earliest hospice programs, opening its doors in January 1984 with its first two patients.
Hand also spoke about the growth of Jansen’s bereavement programs, including the Tree House program, which has supported grieving children and families for more than 30 years, and shared her own family’s experience with Jansen’s care decades later when her husband Bill became ill.
Thanks to the generosity of attendees, Jansen Hospice can continue expanding its mission and programs for years to come.
The May Benefit 2026 Photos
Jansen made an unbearable experience somewhat bearable. My wife of 52 years went into hospice at home on August 4 and died on August 29 from metastatic breast cancer. The moment we agreed with the doctors to end chemo and move to hospice, Jansen took over. Social Worker Deb Hanley organized everything. Nurse Marcia Roberts was available at all times and made sure that we had all the necessary medicines and equipment before we knew that we needed them. The aides who came to our home every day were all both kind and competent. I had never heard of Jansen before the staff at Lawrence Hospital introduced us. I do not know how to say thank you any better than writing this 5-star review.
— William
