3 Fond du Lac Volunteers Find Friendship Through Hospice

When Ann Schob, Lynn Moon and Judy Michels started volunteering at SSM Health at Home Hospice in Fond du Lac, they were looking for ways to help others. What they found was something they didn't expect: each other.

The three women now spend their days at the Hospice Home of Hope, serving meals and offering comfort to patients in their final days. But the small acts they perform for others have created something bigger in their own lives.

Schob and Moon were the first to join, signing up more than eight years ago after retiring. Both wanted to find meaningful work that would fill their days with purpose instead of emptiness.

Michels came later, reconnecting with Moon through an exercise class. After hearing about the volunteer work, she decided to join them, and the trio was complete.

Together, they've learned that hospice care isn't the intimidating experience many people imagine. Schob describes the Home of Hope as warm and welcoming, a place where both patients and volunteers feel at home.

The gratitude they receive from patients and families stays with them long after their shifts end. These moments of connection, they say, are what make the work both humbling and rewarding.

Their friendship has become the foundation that strengthens their service. When they show up to volunteer, they're not just helping patients. They're supporting each other through the emotional weight of end-of-life care.

Sunny's Take

What makes this story beautiful is how service creates community. These three women prove that when you give your time to help others, you often receive gifts you never knew you needed. Their friendship didn't happen despite the difficult nature of hospice work. It happened because of it, built on shared purpose and mutual support through life's hardest moments.

Now they're hoping to inspire others in the Fond du Lac and Green Lake areas to join them. SSM Health is actively looking for more volunteers and offers training for various roles, from companionship to meal service.

For anyone hesitant about hospice volunteering, these three friends have a simple message: the experience gives back far more than it asks.