1,085 Volunteers Give 80K Hours to Colorado End-of-Life Care
Over a thousand volunteers donated 80,417 hours to HopeWest in 2025, providing companionship and support worth $2.8 million to families facing illness and grief across western Colorado. One volunteer turned her own experience losing her husband into a decade of service helping others.
When Peggy Shults' husband needed end-of-life care years ago, HopeWest volunteers helped grant his final wish to spend his last days on their ranch. That compassion inspired her to become a volunteer herself in 2014, and she hasn't stopped giving back since.
Peggy is one of 1,085 volunteers who contributed 80,417 hours to HopeWest across western Colorado in 2025 alone. That's the equivalent of 39 full-time employees and represents $2.8 million in value through time and cost savings for the nonprofit organization.
HopeWest supports people facing aging, serious illness, and grief throughout the region. Volunteers form the backbone of their programs, offering everything from patient companionship to respite care for exhausted family caregivers.
"Our team of volunteers makes HopeWest so extraordinary," said Diana Jones, Program Director and Volunteer Coordinator in Meeker. "The most valuable gift someone can give is their time."
As a patient companion and quilt volunteer, Peggy spends her time listening to patients share life stories and memories. She also makes quilts that bring comfort to those in the program. For her, every hour volunteering feels like a privilege rather than work.
"It's such a good feeling to give to a community that has been so good to me," Peggy said. Her personal experience with HopeWest shaped how she serves others going through similar challenges, giving her deeper understanding of what families truly need during difficult times.
Sunny's Take
What makes this story special isn't just the staggering number of volunteer hours. It's how personal loss transformed into community healing. Peggy turned her grief into a mission to care for others the way she hopes to be cared for. She listens, creates comfort through handmade quilts, and shows up for people in their most vulnerable moments. Across Colorado, more than a thousand volunteers are doing the same, each bringing their unique skills and big hearts to support neighbors facing life's hardest chapters.
Peggy plans to continue volunteering as long as she can, grateful to serve a community that supported her family when they needed it most.
More Images
Based on reporting by Google: volunteers help
This story was written by BrightWire based on verified news reports.
Spread the positivity!
Share this good news with someone who needs it
