Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care

11/20/2025

Thank you to all who attended and supported our 2025 Trees of Life event this past Saturday. More than 300 people attended, and 220 names of loved ones were read during the ceremony. It brought our community together in a touching tribute to those we hold close in our hearts.

Click here to see more photos, or to support the work of Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care by ordering your own Trees of Light ornament: https://pikespeakhospice.org/trees-of-life/

Photos by Krys Fakir

11/19/2025

Last week, Barb Kohlhaas dropped off a red, white and blue blanket to be given to one of our veteran patients during a veteran pinning ceremony. We are so thankful for this donation, and we are so thankful for Barb.

Barb has been a part of Pikes Peak Hospice since it started, participating in the first volunteer orientation in 1980. She originally was a volunteer nurse and was soon hired. She worked at Pikes Peak Hospice from approximately 1982 to 1998. Since she retired, Barb has been a faithful volunteer.

Over the years, she has participated in pet therapy, putting together packets for the admissions team, making lots of copies, writing cards, and making neck pillows. Currently, she contributes by writing cards with words of encouragement for all our patients and making red, white, and blue blankets for our veteran patients.

Barb has been generous with her time and talent for over 45 years, and she shared that she gets more from being a part of hospice than she gives. We are blessed by Barb’s long-standing support. Thank you, Barb!

11/18/2025

Last week, on Veteran’s Day, Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care’s Veteran Liaison Sonya Bergeron organized a number of events at local senior centers and Veteran centers to recognize and thank Veterans throughout our community.

Each ceremony beautifully honored every branch and era of service. Sonya also coordinated with Evans Army Hospital to bring active service members to each event—creating truly special moments as they connected with residents and community members.

A big thank you to the PPHPC Community Liaison Team for running all over town to pick up food, set up, and clean up at each location. Your collaboration and teamwork made these events possible!

11/17/2025

Saturday’s Trees of Life event, hosted by Pikes Peak Hospice and Palliative Care, was touching and heartwarming way for our community to remember loved ones.

Our friends at KRDO13 covered the event, including an interview with PPHPC President Dawn Darvalics. Check it out below.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The temperatures outside might not remind you of Christmas, but the lights already put up in the downtown area will. But

11/14/2025

You’re invited to the 41st Annual Trees of Life Celebration — a cherished community tradition of remembrance and light. Join us tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 15 at 4:30 p.m. on the south side of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum.

If you’d like to have a loved one’s name read during the ceremony, please arrive between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m.

Enjoy inspirational music, heartfelt reflections, warm beverages, and the touching lighting of the trees — a moment of beauty and togetherness you won’t want to miss.

A heartfelt thank-you to our presenting sponsor Tommy's Express Car Wash – Garden of the Gods Road, for helping make this special evening possible.

11/13/2025

We’re so proud of our Pikes Peak Hospice Foundation Executive Director, Susan Edmondson, for joining the FOX21 News Morning News team to share about our upcoming 41st Annual Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care Trees of Life Celebration!

This free, family-friendly event takes place on the south plaza of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum and is a beautiful opportunity to honor and remember loved ones who are no longer with us.

Watch Susan’s interview to learn what to expect and how you can submit a name to be read during the ceremony:

https://www.fox21news.com/video/41st-annual-trees-of-life-celebration-honors-loved-ones-in-colorado-springs/11252486

Great job, Susan!

41st Annual Trees of Life Celebration honors loved ones in Colorado Springs

11/12/2025

Thank you to Presenting Sponsor Tommy's Express Car Wash and all the generous sponsors who make our Trees of Life celebration possible. See you this Saturday, Nov. 15, on the south Plaza of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum in Downtown Colorado Springs for this free, family-friendly event. https://pikespeakhospice.org/trees-of-life/

11/12/2025

Big thanks to the Buckhouse family, who give their time to ensure our Trees of Life Celebration is a success. Every year, they help us test out hundreds of votive candles in advance to ensure this event sparkles and shines. Join us this Saturday, Nov. 15, for the annual Trees of Life celebration on the south plaza of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum in Downtown Colorado Springs.

https://pikespeakhospice.org/trees-of-life/

11/11/2025

Each year on November 11, our nation comes together to celebrate Veterans Day—a time to honor the brave men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. At Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care, this day holds special meaning.

America’s veterans have done everything asked of them in their mission to serve our country and we believe in fulfilling our mission to serve these men and women with the care and dignity they deserve.

Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care is a Level 5 Partner of We Honor Veterans, a program developed by the National Alliance for Care at Home in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs focused on respectful inquiry, compassionate listening, and grateful acknowledgment.

Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care is the only hospice provider in El Paso County and the third hospice provider in the state of Colorado to earn Level 5 Partner status, the highest attainable Partner Level. This recognition is a symbol of our commitment to providing the highest level of care to those who have served our country. By recognizing the unique needs of America’s veterans and their families, we know how to accompany and guide veterans through their life stories toward a more peaceful ending.

This Veterans Day—and every day— Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care proudly salutes those who have served. We remain committed to honoring our veterans with the dignity, compassion, and respect they deserve.

11/03/2025

November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month—a time to honor the compassionate care that helps patients and families live life fully, even in the face of serious illness.

At Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care, we’re grateful for our incredible team of clinicians, caregivers, and volunteers who bring comfort, dignity, and peace to those we serve.

During National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, we encourage you to learn more about these vital services. Whether you are a healthcare professional, a caregiver, or simply someone who wants to understand how hospice and palliative care can help, now is the perfect time to explore how these programs bring comfort and hope to so many.

Together, we can help ensure that everyone facing serious illness receives the care, comfort, and respect they deserve—this month and every month.

11/02/2025

On this All Souls Day Sunday as we remember departed loved ones, we invite you to join us at two free community events. Day 2 of Dia de Mu***os at Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College is 1230-430 pm and features music, food, hands-on art activities and more. Join us there at the Community Ofrenda. At 3 pm, we're proud to sponsor Soli deo Gloria Choir's Concert of Remembrance, featuring sacred and popular choral songs in a one-hour performance at First Lutheran Church, 1515 N Cascade Ave.

10/27/2025

Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care is proud to welcome Dr. Melanie Stickrath as our new Medical Director!

With nearly 20 years of experience in internal medicine and palliative care, Dr. Stickrath brings deep expertise and compassion to her new role. She previously served with Colorado Permanente Medical Group, where she founded and led the Supportive Care Clinic in Colorado Springs, and has been recognized among the city’s “Best Doctors” in Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Dr. Stickrath shares, “Hospice and palliative medicine allow me to walk alongside patients and families during some of the most meaningful moments of their lives. I feel honored to be part of a team dedicated not only to excellent medical care, but also to listening, supporting, and providing comfort when it matters most.”

As Medical Director, Dr. Stickrath leads our hospice and palliative medicine providers and interdisciplinary care teams to ensure every patient receives comfort, dignity, and peace.

We’re deeply grateful to our community for helping make it possible to attract dedicated and compassionate physicians like Dr. Stickrath.