Good Shepherd Community Care

12/09/2025

This year, Good Shepherd Community Care was humbled by the overwhelming response to our 2026 Boston Marathon® Charity Team. With only five coveted bibs available, each with a $10,000 fundraising commitment, we received an incredible number of applications from around the world. What stood out most were the deeply personal stories of why people feel called to run for hospice and palliative care.

Our team members are not only athletes; they are advocates who are literally putting their bodies on the line to honor loved ones, elevate compassion, and ensure families have access to the care they need most.

One Good Shepherd runner, Kevin Yang, MD, a physician from San Diego, shared: “As a palliative care physician, I see firsthand how essential this care is. Patients at the end of their lives consistently ask for comfort for themselves and their families. Good Shepherd’s expertise and kindness matter deeply during life’s most vulnerable moments. They are committed to meeting patients and families where they are, and to providing care regardless of ability to pay”.

We are honored to have these 5 extraordinary individuals represent Good Shepherd on the world’s most iconic marathon course. Their courage, determination, and dedication will help ensure that countless patients and families continue to receive the care, comfort, and connection they deserve.

Learn more about our 2026 BAA Charity Team: https://gscommunitycare.org/BAA-Charity-Team

This year, Good Shepherd Community Care was humbled by the overwhelming response to our 2026 Boston Marathon® Charity Team. With only five coveted bibs available, each with a $10,000 fundraising commitment, we received an incredible number of applications from around the world. What stood out most ...

12/03/2025

Good Shepherd Community Care is thrilled to once again be named one of the 2025 Top Places to Work in Massachusetts in the 18th annual, employee-based survey from The Boston Globe. The Top Places to Work issue was published online at https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/top-places-work/2025/ on the evening of Tuesday, December 2 and in Globe Magazine on Sunday, December 7.

Top Places to Work recognizes the most admired workplaces in the state voted on by the people who know them best — their employees. The survey measures employee opinions about their company’s direction, ex*****on, connection, management, work, pay, benefits, and engagement. The employers are placed into one of four groups: small, with 50 to 99 employees; medium, with 100 to 249 workers; large, with 250 to 999 staff members; and largest, with a workforce of 1,000 or more employees. Good Shepherd is proud to be ranked 11th in the large category.

The first hospice in Massachusetts, Good Shepherd Community Care has evolved to also provide a full array of high-quality palliative care, bereavement services and grief support. As an independent, not-for-profit health care organization, Good Shepherd prioritizes people over profits, ensuring that patients, families, and the community receive the support they need during life’s most challenging moments.

“Our fourth consecutive Top Place to Work honor reflects the dedication, compassion, stewardship, respect, and integrity that our staff demonstrate every day. These values shape our culture and drive the exceptional care we provide” states Meg Lutze, COO.

Read the full press release: https://gscommunitycare.org/Post/The-Boston-Globe-Names-Good-Shepherd-Community-Care-a-Top-Place-to-Work-in-2025-Now-4-Years-Running


National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation

12/02/2025

The holiday season can be one of the most emotionally complex times for the families we serve. For those caring for a loved one with serious illness, or grieving someone who has died, the weeks ahead often bring a mix of tenderness, sadness, reflection, and longing. At Good Shepherd, we believe no one should navigate those feelings alone.

This , we invite our community to join us in bringing Hope for the Holidays to patients, caregivers, and grieving families.

Your generosity will help us:

Support families facing serious illness
Our hospice and palliative care teams work throughout the holiday season to provide comfort, guidance, and dignity. Giving Tuesday donations help ensure that families have access to expert, compassionate care right when they need it most, including evenings, weekends, and holidays when support can feel especially important.

Bring comfort to grieving children and teens
Programs like HEARTplay offer a safe place for young people and their families to process their grief during a season that can magnify feelings of loss. Your gift helps fund group sessions, memory-making activities, and one-on-one support that let kids know they are not alone.

Create moments of joy for Pedi Pal families
The holidays can be especially challenging for families caring for a child with a life-limiting illness. Giving Tuesday donations help us create small but powerful moments of celebration, from gifts and music therapy to holiday events that allow families to be together in a space filled with joy rather than worry.

Provide remembrance opportunities for families
Our bereavement teams support families in honoring loved ones through memory rituals, virtual gatherings, and seasonal workshops. These moments offer connection, healing, and a sense of community at a time when many feel most isolated.

When you give to “Hope for the Holidays,” you are not just supporting programs — you are standing beside families during some of the hardest weeks of the year. You are helping create space for comfort, reflection, and moments of light. You are offering hope.

This season, hope starts with you.

https://gscommunitycare.org/Donate

National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation

11/25/2025

We're excited to announce our fifth and final BAA Charity Team Runner: Kevin Yang! ⭐🚑 Kevin is a Palliative Care Physician based in San Diego, CA.

"As a palliative care physician, I see firsthand how essential this care is—patients at the end of their lives consistently ask for comfort for themselves and their families. Good Shepherd’s expertise and kindness matter deeply during life’s most vulnerable moments. They are committed to meeting patients and families where they are, and to providing care regardless of ability to pay.

Running has been an important part of my life, and it has long been a personal goal of mine to run the Boston Marathon. This year, I’m honored to pursue that dream while supporting an organization whose work aligns with my own."

Learn more about Kevin: https://www.givengain.com/project/kevin-raising-funds-for-good-shepherd-community-care-113745

11/24/2025

Celebrating Thanksgiving at the office! We're feeling grateful for our wonderful team and all we’re able to do together. 🦃🤎

For those who have experienced the loss of a loved one, holidays can be a time filled with sadness, loneliness, and grief. Yet holidays can also hold moments of gratitude, connection, and honoring the family members and dear friends who are no longer with us. This season often asks us to hold both—grief and love, absence and memory—making space for reflection while finding comfort in the traditions and stories that keep their spirit close. As we move through this season, we acknowledge the complexity of holding joy and sorrow side by side, and we hope all who are grieving feel supported, understood, and embraced.

Good Shepherd's Grief and Bereavement services are available to any and all who need them, even when hospice was not involved.

11/21/2025

Meet Runner #4 on our BAA Charity Team: Maggie Queenan 💙🏃‍♀️ Maggie is running the 130th Boston Marathon in honor of her mom, Carolyn, and fundraising for Good Shepherd holds a deeply personal meaning. Her mom received hospice care in her final months, and Maggie has since become an advocate for grief support, even launching her own community, 'Dead Parents & Co', to help young adults navigate loss together.

We’re honored to have Maggie running with us, carrying her mom’s love and legacy every step of the way. 💛

Learn more about Maggie: https://www.givengain.com/project/maggie-raising-funds-for-good-shepherd-community-care-113603

11/20/2025

For nearly 30 years, Pam, her husband, and their son made it a tradition to attend the Big E Fair in Springfield, always on the very last day. It was something they looked forward to year after year: the food, the music, and the memories made together.

So when Pam’s husband and soulmate passed away in May, her family knew there was only one way to honor both his memory and a tradition that meant so much to them: they had to go to the Big E. All of them. Together.

There was just one complication. In early September, Pam began receiving care at Good Shepherd’s Parlin Hospice Residence. For 8 years, Pam has been battling metastatic breast cancer with a significant decline over the past 12 months including multiple hospitalizations, rehab stays and finally coming to the Parlin Residence. But that didn’t mean the tradition had to stop-it just meant it would take a little extra planning.

And plan they did. Pam’s family worked diligently with the Parlin Residence staff to organize the outing to ensure that she would be safe, comfortable and cared for every step of the way.

On the big day, Pam’s sisters arranged a special mobility van with a wheelchair ramp so she could travel safely and comfortably. Joined by her mother, sister, and son, Pam began her long-awaited journey. The staff waved goodbye as she smiled and waved back from the van. When she arrived at the Big E, a crowd of loved ones was waiting. Fifteen family members spanning four generations, from ages one to ninety-one, came to greet her.

Pam, full of anticipation, was beaming.

At the fair, she soaked it all in: the vendors, the music, the energy. She sang along and bopped in her wheelchair to the live band. But what she really wanted to know was when she was getting her footlong corndog, a beloved tradition she wasn’t about to miss. Her joy that day came as no surprise to those who know her well. Even in the face of loss, Pam has always been strong, vibrant, and full of life.

Back at the Parlin Residence, her family had initially worried that hospice would feel limiting for Pam, and that boredom, sadness, or a loss of purpose might set in. But Pam has found quite the opposite.

“I love it,” she tells her sisters regularly. She praises the caring staff and thoughtful volunteers, and especially the food. But her favorite spot? The sunroom, where she can sit, relax, and soak in the light.

Hospice Residence Director, Nancy McEwan, remarked: “I was so happy to hear that Pam had such an amazing time at the Big E. She is such a sweet soul, full of positivity and joy.

Pam’s story is a beautiful reminder that hospice is not about giving up, it’s about living fully, with support, comfort, and dignity. Just because someone is in hospice doesn't mean they stop doing the things they love or finding joy in meaningful moments. Thanks to her loving family and the compassionate team at Parlin, Pam’s tradition didn’t just continue, it thrived.


National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation

11/19/2025

Good Shepherd Community Care is proud to share that three of our Certified Nursing Assistants; Elissa Sacks, Richard Karamagi, and Brigitte Sewa Yimding, have been recognized as recipients of the 2024 Compassionate Service Award from Hamel-Lydon Chapel & Cremation Service of Massachusetts.

Established in 2020, the Compassionate Service Award honors healthcare professionals who demonstrate exceptional kindness, empathy, and dedication in their daily care of patients and families. Each year, Hamel-Lydon Chapel presents ten $500 awards to individuals who exemplify the true spirit of service.

We are deeply proud of Elissa, Richard, and Brigitte for representing Good Shepherd’s mission through their unwavering compassion and commitment to providing comfort and dignity at the end of life. Congratulations to all three on this well-deserved recognition! 🏆 ⭐

National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation

11/17/2025

Announcing BAA Charity Team Runner #3: John Cueva!! John is excited to bring two things he cares deeply about together: a love for running and a desire to support a mission that truly strengthens the community.

"Running has taught me more than I ever expected when I first laced up my shoes. It has pushed me through moments of doubt, taught me discipline on days when motivation was nowhere to be found, and shown me the quiet power of perseverance of putting one foot in front of the other even when the path feels long and the voices get louder. Those lessons feel deeply connected to the work Good Shepherd does every day: being steady, being present, and continuing forward with purpose."

We are thrilled to have him on !!! 🔥 🏅
Read his story: https://www.givengain.com/project/john-raising-funds-for-good-shepherd-community-care-113541

11/15/2025

We're excited to reveal runner #2 on our BAA Charity Team: Martin Kelledy!! This will be Martin's 4th time running Boston for Good Shepherd. We are so honored he's lacing up for one more year!

"In 2013, I ran my first Boston Marathon in support of Good Shepherd Community Care. At the time, my wife Jennifer was just eight weeks pregnant with our first child. I crossed the finish line at 2:41 PM, just eight minutes before the first bomb exploded. Three years later, in 2016, I ran for Good Shepherd again, just months before celebrating my 40th birthday. And in 2023, ten years after the marathon bombings, I returned to run the 127th Boston Marathon for Good Shepherd once more. Each time I’ve crossed that iconic Boylston Street finish line, I’ve said it would be my last."

Read Martin's story here: https://www.givengain.com/project/martin-raising-funds-for-good-shepherd-community-care-112963

11/13/2025

At Good Shepherd, every patient has a care team that shows respect, kindness and compassion. They do more than give medical care, they listen, understand, and care for the whole person. This National Hospice & Palliative Care Month, we want to thank them and give a big shoutout for all the amazing work they do every day. ⭐️❤️


National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation

11/11/2025

Good Shepherd Community Care is proud to honor veterans this Veterans Day, November 11. As part of this national observance, we recognize the unique needs of veterans and highlight our commitment to providing compassionate, high-quality care to those who have served our country.

At Good Shepherd, our hospice and palliative care teams are specially trained to understand the experiences of veterans and to honor their service while addressing their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. From specialized care plans to community recognition events, we work to ensure that veterans receive dignity, respect, and gratitude for their service when facing a serious illness or at the end of life.

For more information about our veteran-focused services, visit:
https://gscommunitycare.org/Services-We-Honor-Veterans

National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation