VNA Hospice NWI holds 21st Annual Tree of Remembrance event
- By: Demetrious Lewis
- Last Updated: December 10, 2025
On Tuesday, December 9th, VNA Hospice NWI hosted its 21st annual Tree of Remembrance event at Christ Lutheran Church in Valparaiso. The event supports the hospice program and provides an opportunity for families to remember and support each other during the holidays.
Bob Franko, CEO of VNA Hospice NWI, believes this gathering is a helpful tool for those who have lost loved ones and want to honor their memories with a community connection.
“For the people who attend this program, they treat this like the beginning of their holiday season,” said Franko. “This is a very nice way to bring in the holiday season, by remembering someone we’ve lost and keeping their memory alive.”
Several hundred people from across Northwest Indiana gathered to place their ornaments on Christmas trees, hear a comforting message, and listen to the VNA Hospice Choir.
Jerry Mangal of Valparaiso has been coming to this program since 2009, the year his wife died.
“When my wife passed away from ALS 16 years ago, the people from the VNA would come by to help me out,” Mangal said. “Now, I volunteer for them once in a while. It’s important to continue to have programs like this because people need to have something to keep the memories of their families and loved ones going.”
VNA Hospice NWI Director of Development Maria Galka hopes this event gives people a place for everyone to gather and support one another.
“Every year we invite the community and the families we’ve served through our hospice program to this event,” Galka said. “We want anyone to come and remember somebody they love and miss.”
Roscoe Turley of Valparaiso, a regular attendee since 2017, expressed satisfaction with the turnout of this year’s event.
“There were a lot of people here tonight,” Turley said. “It was really nice seeing this many people come together.”
Lisa Casimer is the bereavement coordinator for VNA Hospice and the VNA Phoenix Center for Grief, and she believes in the importance of community support for grieving individuals and families.
“All of these people are gathered here tonight to remember their loved ones together,” Casimer said. “This is an event that allows them to do something that acknowledges that someone very special isn’t around, so that they can move forward.”
The program and the evening concluded with homemade cookies and hot chocolate, catching up with family and friends, and taking time to share memories around the Christmas trees about loved ones who are no longer with us.
“In all traditions, the tree has been a sign of life,” Casimer said. “It’s evergreen. No matter what religion you are or where you come from, the evergreen tree is a sign of something that never dies, just like our memories.”
For more information on VNA Hospice NWI, visit its website.
