May 19, 2024
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Joliet hospice to host ‘An Evening with Kelly Corrigan’ at Rialto Square Theatre

WGN radio personality John Williams will moderate the event

By Denise M. Baran-Unland
Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care’s Eileen Gutierrez (left) and Laureen Crotteau recently put together promotional kits for “An Evening with Kelly Corrigan,” to be held June 20 at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet. Corrigan, a New York Times bestselling author, will be in conversation with WGN radio host John Williams to discuss topics like death and dying, grief and hope.

Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care’s Eileen Gutierrez (left) and Laureen Crotteau recently put together promotional kits for “An Evening with Kelly Corrigan,” to be held June 20 at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet. Corrigan, a New York Times bestselling author, will be in conversation with WGN radio host John Williams to discuss topics like death and dying, grief and hope. (Photo provided by Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care)

Eileen Gutierrez said she’s followed author, podcaster and TV host Kelly Corrigan since Corrigan’s 2008 publication of “The Middle Place.”

Gutierrez, senior director of development at Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care in Joliet, said Corrigan wrote about her and her father simultaneously undergoing cancer treatments and her father’s subsequent death.

“Well, we knew we wanted to expand our outreach to people in terms of conversation about things like death and dying and caregiving and grief. What we thought was, ‘How can we support this healthy conversation on things that everybody is going to encounter at some stage in their life?’ And as a hospice and serious illness care provider, Lightways wanted to be a voice and a source of information.”






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—  Eileen Guitierrez, senior director of development at Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care

So with Lightways starting a speaker series, Gutierrez said she felt Corrigan could provide “good insight and poignant insight” as well as “relatable stories” and “lively conversation.”

“She is well-versed in talking about subjects like grief and death and dying,” Gutierrez said.

So on June 20, Lightways will host “An Evening with Kelly Corrigan” at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet. Proceeds of this “enriching” event benefits Lightways, Gutierrez said.

“I don’t want people to think this is going to be a sad night or a sad subject or too hard to go to,” Gutierrez said. “There is a really lovely balance that Kelly provides between saying important and pertinent things and being amazingly relatable.”

[ Joliet grief counselor offers hope for those suffering on Mother’s Day ]

Because Corrigan hosts “Tell Me More” on PBS, the June 20 event is billed as “Telling Us More About Hope, Loss and Other Wonders.” A good portion of the program will consist of a question-and-answer session on a wide variety of topics, Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez said Corrigan has “fascinating conversations” with people on her PBS show and those conversations are “not necessarily about what they do but about who they are.”

“She talks about character and hope and grit and all those kinds of things,” Gutierrez said. “And we hope all that is part of the conversation on June 20.”

WGN radio personality John Williams will moderate the event. Gutierrez said Lightways reached out to Williams because he recently wrote a piece about visiting his parents, who recently moved into assisted living.

“He tells you that he’s walked the walk and knows the joys of caretaking and also knows the heartache of it,” Gutierrez said. “So we thought it would make him particularly empathetic to the conversation.”

So why is Lightways starting a speaker series?

“Well, we knew we wanted to expand our outreach to people in terms of conversation about things like death and dying and caregiving and grief,” Gutierrez said. “What we thought was, ‘How can we support this healthy conversation on things that everybody is going to encounter at some stage in their life?’ And as a hospice and serious illness care provider, Lightways wanted to be a voice and a source of information.”

[ New suites at Joliet hospice designed for optimal function and comfort ]

KNOW MORE

According to Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care, Lightways:

* Is an independent, nonprofit healthcare provider licensed in 11 counties in Illinois.

* Is the largest nonprofit hospice in Illinois.

* Provides serious illness care, hospice care and grief support for adults and children.

* Relies on fundraising and contributions to cover approximately $1.5 million in uncompensated care Lightways provides annually.

* Uncompensated care includes the pediatric palliative care program and community grief support. These programs are free to anyone who needs care.

[ Joliet hospice recently tripled the size of its pediatric program ]

* Was founded in 1982 as Joliet Area Community Hospice.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: “An Evening with Kelly Corrigan”

WHEN: 7 p.m. June 20

WHERE: Rialto Square Theatre, 102 N. Chicago St., Joliet

TICKETS: $48.50 and $68.50. Purchase tickets at rialtosquare.com/events.

INFO: Call Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care at 815-740-4104 or visit lightways.org.