On Angels’ Wings was the Chris Brownlie Hospice newsletter during the 1990s, created for and by staff that celebrated achievements, honored grief, brought light and levity, and drew together community support for the Chris Brownlie Hospice staff’s clinical and administrative teams.
Staff members’ art, poetry, and “Recipes From the Night Shift” were published, the “WiNg DiNgS” column announced baby showers and marriages, and the “Talking Halos” section recapped minutes from department heads’ meetings.
Documented across the volumes and editions is the care staff took to commemorate the lives fought and cared for as staff collected a “family photo album” to remember the faces of residents who had passed and organized a memorial garden with an orchard and reflecting pool by fundraising $60,000.
The newsletter shares the story of the staff’s impact outside of the hospice, with columns announcing community support, such as a donated cactus garden and an “Academy Awards-worthy” champagne sourced by a resident to celebrate the staff. On Angels’ Wings brought joy, support, and community to the Chris Brownlie Hospice staff, which was critical during the AIDS crisis in the 1990s and remains timeless today.
Here’s to giving thanks to all AHF staff by checking out these On Angels’ Wings excerpts (and see if you can guess the holiday puzzle!)
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