Events & Happenings
Healing Together Grief Support Groups
Valdese—Mondays from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
September 21–October 19, 2026
Boone—Mondays from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
September 21–October 19, 2026
Lenoir—Tuesdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
September 22–October 20, 2026
Compassionate Connections: Healing Together support groups are sponsored through Ashewood Grief and Counseling Services, grief support services of AMOREM, and are among the many opportunities offered to help individuals of all ages and families cope with the loss of people they love.
Healing Together is a general loss grief support group for adults who have experienced the recent death of a loved one or close friend. Our time together will focus on making compassionate connections with others who are also grieving the death of a loved one.
There is no cost to participate, but registration is required. Contact Kimberly Setzer at ksetzer@amoremsupport.org or 828.754.0101 for more information or to register.
Volunteer Training
HUDSON CAMPUS
October 20 & 22, 2026
8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
McCreary Family Professional Center, 526 Pine Mountain Road, Hudson, NC
Are you looking for an opportunity to make a difference? Do you have the compassionate spirit needed to be a companion for someone’s journey? AMOREM is hosting a two-day training session in October for adults who are interested in becoming hospice volunteers.
An array of topics will be covered to help prepare attendees to become successful volunteers. Participants will learn about the strong community history and commitment of AMOREM, the physical, spiritual and psychosocial issues hospice patients face and much more from AMOREM's staff of end-of-life care experts.
Currently, there is a need for volunteers to provide companionship to patients in the patient’s homes or long-term care facilities. Other specific needs include volunteers who can provide transportation to doctors’ appointments and shopping excursions for patients, etc., veterans to visit and make Veterans Honoring Veterans presentations to patients who are veterans and individuals to volunteer in AMOREM’s thrift store, Thrifts & Gifts.
Attendance is required at each session and meals will be provided. For more information or to register for the October 2026 adult volunteer training opportunity, contact us at 828.754.0101 or contact Cyndi Akins at cakins@amoremsupport.org.
Virtual Dementia Tour
October 26, 2026
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Leon Levine Hall
1179 State Farm Road, Boone, NC
November 9, 2026
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
ASU—Hickory Campus
Interprofessional Clinic
800 17th Street NW, Hickory, NC
AMOREM and Appalachian Institute for Health and Wellness will partner to offer two opportunities for the Virtual Dementia Tour at no cost to the community on October 26, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Boone and on November 9, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Hickory.
The truth is that when dementia strikes, it strikes the whole community, not just the individual. Thanks to the Virtual Dementia Tour, health care professionals, family caregivers, business leaders, first responders and educators are experiencing for themselves the physical and mental challenges facing people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
The Virtual Dementia Tour—a scientifically proven method of building a greater understanding of dementia through the use of patented sensory tools and instruction—is Your Window into Their World.
During a Virtual Dementia Tour experience, trained facilitators guide participants outfitted with patented devices that alter their senses while they try to complete common everyday tasks.
There is no cost to take the tour, but registration is required. The experience should last about 20 to 25 minutes.
Boone: For more information, or to register, call 828.262.6628 or email strongme@appstate.edu.
Hickory: For more information, or to register, call 828.827.6036 or email gamewellhe@appstate.edu.
Compassionate Connections:
Good Grief Meals
HIGH COUNTRY SERVICE AREA
November 4, 2026
3:00 p.m.
Mike's Inland Seafood, 174 Jefferson Rd., Boone, NC
CALDWELL COUNTY SERVICE AREA
November 5, 2026
3:00 p.m.
Mayflower Seafood, 303 Blowing Rock Blvd., Lenoir, NC
BURKE COUNTY SERVICE AREA
November 6 2026
3:00 p.m.
Twin Brothers Pizza, 719 Main St. E, Valdese, NC
The Good Grief Meal is sponsored through Ashewood Grief and Counseling Services, grief support services of AMOREM, and is one of many opportunities offered to help individuals of all ages and families cope with the loss of people they love. The Good Grief Meal is a time of fellowship and socialization for individuals who are grieving. AMOREM reserves meeting space and participants are responsible for the cost of their own meal. Locations and times are subject to change. Please verify before attendance. Please RSVP to Katie Pekman at kpekman@amoremsupport.org for Burke Service Area, Nichole Annas at nannas@amoremsupport.org for Caldwell Service Area and Kimberly Setzer at ksetzer@amoremsupport.org for High Country Service Area. You may also call 828.754.0101 with any questions.
Advance Care Planning Workshop
November 12, 2026
1:30 p.m.
Thrive, formerly Caldwell Senior Center
650A Pennton Avenue SW, Lenoir, NC
AMOREM and Thrive, formerly Caldwell Senior Center, will partner to offer an Advance Care Planning Workshop at no cost to the community on the second Thursday of each month. The workshop will be held November 12, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. at the Thrive in Lenoir.
Advance Directives: Living Wills and Healthcare Powers of Attorney are gifts to your family. Deciding, discussing and documenting your healthcare wishes helps ensure your healthcare wishes are known and honored. It also gives you peace of mind that you have made appropriate preparations. Notaries and witnesses will be available to help anyone who wants to complete their documents at the clinic. Space is limited and registration is required. For more information, or to register, call 828.758.2883.
Annual Memorial Service—Caldwell Service Area
November 14, 2026
2 p.m.
First Methodist Church, Lenoir
309 Church Street NW, Lenoir, NC
AMOREM invites you and your family to join us for our annual memorial service in the Caldwell service area. We will celebrate the lives and our memories of the patients we had the privilege to serve August 1, 2026, through July 31, 2026.
For more information, contact Kimberly Setzer at ksetzer@amoremsupport.org or 828.754.0101.