Karen Goodell stands next to the Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care’s “Our House” donation board on Fairmount Avenue. She will run-walk a charity 60K on Sept. 26 to raise funds for the campaign. Submitted photo

Often times the greatest motivation comes from finding a truly inspiring cause.

That has certainly been the case for Bemus Point native Karen Goodell, who will embark on a 60K charity run-walk on Sept. 26 in order to help raise funds for Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care’s “Our House.”

CHPC’s campaign aims to raise $2.1 million for the construction of Chautauqua County’s first dedicated hospice house, which will provide in-home, 24-hour care for patients nearing the end of life.

Currently, the closest dedicated hospice house is located in Warren, Pa.

Hearing about the campaign from co-sponsors and relatives Bert and Mary Rappole, Goodell was looking for a way to contribute in light of her own positive experience with a hospice home.

“When they saw this opportunity Mary came to me and just asked me about potentially donating and told me about what they were doing,” Goodell said. “I’m turning 60 at the end of the month, and a 60K had a nice ring to it. So I said ‘I’m going to give it a go.'”

Goodell’s parents, Verna and Dick Jackson, were able to experience the support of Hope Hospice House in Fort Myers, Florida during their final days.

Witnessing the positive examples of her parents during such a difficult time, Goodell was motivated to go beyond simply donating to the campaign.

“Through the hospital we learned about a hospice house there in Fort Myers, Florida that was just gorgeous. We brought (my mother) there because she wanted to see it, and she kind of fell in love with it and decided that is where she wanted to be,” Goodell said. “The reason I’m doing the run is I feel it is a great way to raise community awareness about something that will be a game-changer for many, many families.”

Goodell, who works as a broker for ERA Team VP and celebrates her 60th birthday on Sept. 29, plans to follow a 37-mile route starting at her home in Chautauqua Institution that will take her through different locations along the shore of Chautauqua Lake’s north end.

“I feel like I am a very big exerciser, but I’ve never been very accomplished at running. So this is a gigantic challenge for me,” Goodell said. “I actually hired another relative of the Rappoles–Jenny Rappole, who is one of my favorite people on the planet. She has been coaching me for the last eight weeks, so I have been following a program that she designed for me for both running and nutrition. It has been challenging and wonderful.”

Goodell’s training has followed run-walk techniques similar to those of Jeff Galloway, an American Olympian who endorses a run-walk method that limits injuries associated with running.

“He started a run-walk program that has all the benefits of running, but the runners don’t experience the same injuries. I have been following a Jeff Galloway-like program for a while,” Goodell said.

Goodell’s campaign page at gofundme.com/f/60kforhospicehome has raised more than $30,000 to date of its $50,000 goal, while CHPC is just over halfway to its $2.1 million goal.

“To have this kind of a facility and a resource is something that our community deserves,” Goodell said. “I am a firm believer that most households are just not set up for this end-of-life care, no matter the means. In this particular case, our community I think is really going to benefit from it because it is open to anyone based on their level of sickness.”

More information on the Our House campaign may be found and donations can be made at chpc.care/hh/.