Compassion & Choices - Minnesota

04/22/2026

Thank you to the always incredible Mary Carlsen for presenting a lunch-and-learn about advance care planning at the SoWashCo Senior Center this week! We're so delighted that so many Minnesotans are honoring the spirit of National Healthcare Decisions Day by preparing for the important work of advance care planning.

Are you with a community group, local government, or local organization that would like to talk advance care planning and end-of-life care options? Please reach out to C&C staff at criley@compassionandchoices.org and we'll be in touch!

04/17/2026

We're so grateful to be tabling at the Elder Resource Association Aging & Wellness Expo on April 23rd! Join Compassion & Choices volunteers at the Burnsville Senior Center from 2 to 5pm, where we'll be sharing resources and information about end-of-life care options, advance directives, and how you can plan ahead for the end of life.

04/17/2026

On Monday, April 20th, Compassion & Choices Minnesota advocates Rev. Edward Holland and Rev. Harlan Limpert will be presenting at the 2026 Minnesota Hospice & Palliative Care Conference, on a panel titled "Interfaith Perspectives on Medical Aid in Dying." The panel will run from 10 - 11:15am, and if you are planning to be at the conference, this will be a great opportunity to learn more about faith-based perspectives on this compassionate end-of-life care option. For more information and to register, please see the conference's page: https://www.mnhpc.com/conference2026

04/16/2026

It's National Healthcare Decisions Day! Today, we honor the importance of advance care planning, and urge every adult in our community to begin or continue conversations with your loved ones about your wishes for end-of-life care.

Not sure where to start? We can help! Advocate Mary Carlsen will be presenting an introduction to advance care planning through SoWashCounty Community Education's Senior Programming. Join us on Monday, April 20th from 11am-12pm at their monthly Lunch & Learn gathering. We will be serving subs from Jersey Mike's, along with cookies and chips.

For those living in the South Washington County area wishing to register, please call (651) 425-6605.

04/14/2026

Our busy spring of tabling continues - please join Compassion & Choices volunteers at the Buffalo Senior Expo on Wednesday, April 22nd from 9am to noon! We'll be at the Buffalo Civic Center sharing resources and information about advance care planning and end-of-life care options, and we'd love to see you there!

Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026 - 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

04/11/2026

April 16th is National Healthcare Decisions Day, and Compassion & Choices volunteers will be sharing information about advance care planning and end-of-life care options at the Saint Peter Senior Expo! Join us at the Saint Peter Community Center from 1 to 4pm on Thursday, April 16th and check out resources to help you plan for the kinds of care you want at the end of life.

Interested in being a vendor or sponsor for at the annual Saint Peter Senior Expo? Please send your contact information!

04/09/2026

On Tuesday, April 14th, please join Compassion & Choices staff for a presentation on advance care planning, in partnership with the Dancing Sky Area Agency on Aging and Age-Friendly Minnesota! Whether you've already completed an advance directive or you're new to end-of-life planning, we'll offer you all the resources and information you need to get started. This event takes place on Zoom at 11am on 4/14. RSVP here:

Understand advance care planning and advance directives with Compassion & Choices.

04/08/2026

If you're in Sibley County and want to talk advance care planning or end-of-life care options, come on down to the Sibley County Senior Expo tomorrow between 9am and 2pm, where Compassion & Choices volunteers will be sharing resources and information! We'll be at Peace Lutheran Church in Arlington, and we'd love to connect! https://www.facebook.com/sibleycountymn/posts/-2026-sibley-county-senior-expo-good-ol-days-join-us-for-a-fun-day-of-presentati/1254971753478078/

🌼 2026 Sibley County Senior Expo – Good Ol’ Days 🌼

Join us for a fun day of presentations, craft vendors, and helpful community resources for seniors!

📅 Thursday, April 9
⏰ 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
📍 Peace Lutheran Church, Arlington

🎟 Tickets: $10 in advance | $15 at the door

🎤 Featuring presentations on eye health, caregiver support, and more, plus resource booths (9:00–10:30 a.m.) and craft vendors.

🚐 Free transportation available through Trailblazer Transit
Call 1-888-743-3828 to schedule a ride.

📞 Questions? 507-237-4100

Sponsored by Gibbon Lions, Green Isle Lions & Sibley County Veterans Services.

04/03/2026

Thank you so much to our fantastic volunteer leaders Tara and Meg for tabling at the Metro Adventist Young Adult Community Health Fair in Brooklyn Center last weekend. We are so grateful to the Kenyan Community SDA Church for giving us the opportunity to share resources about advance care planning and end-of-life care options!

Are you looking for volunteers to share the latest information and resources about end-of-life planning with your community? Please reach out to our Minnesota state director at criley@compassionandchoices.org!

04/02/2026

Lawmakers are on spring break this week, and we're still waiting to confirm that we will be able to have a hearing on the End-of-Life Option Act this session.

Whether or not that hearing happens, our task between now and 2027 remains the same: talk with lawmakers and Minnesotans about why authorizing medical aid in dying is so important. Those person-to-person and constituent-to-lawmaker conversations are vital ways of demonstrating what we already know: that Minnesotans overwhelmingly support authorizing the option of medical aid in dying.

There are so many ways to get involved in our work. Our next volunteer meeting takes place on Thursday, April 23rd, at 7pm via Zoom. If you haven't yet signed up to volunteer, you can do so - and get our meeting invitations - at CompassionAndChoices.org/volunteer!

03/25/2026

Today in the Minnesota Reformer, the Rev. Ed Holland reflects on end-of-life care options in the context of Lent: "In this season of Lent — a time of reflection on suffering, mortality, and hope — perhaps we can find common ground. At the end of life, the most faithful response is one rooted in love: supporting the dying, surrounding them with compassion, and trusting them to make the deeply personal decisions that define their final days."

A gracious God empowers us to use science and medicine to compassionately relieve suffering as best we can.

03/19/2026