2024 Remembrance Tree Ceremony

The 2024 Remembrance Tree ornament uses a replaceable watch battery and flickers like a real candle.

Quick Facts:

When: Sunday, December 8, 2 PM

Where: First Baptist Church, 425 Eastern Bypass, Richmond, KY 40475

Why: Whether your loss was recent or not, the holidays are a time when those we’ve lost are especially missed.

Who: All are welcome to participate, regardless of whether we cared for your loved one.

What does the ceremony involve? The Remembrance Tree memorial ceremony includes the reading of memorial names, placing of memorial ornaments on the Remembrance Tree as names are read, a memorial slideshow, special music, selected readings, and a light reception.

Reserve Ornament Button

How do I participate?

Request your ornament(s) by December 6 to have your loved one’s name read in alphabetical order during the ceremony. If you request your ornament after December 6, your loved one’s name will still be read aloud, but it will come at the end of the reading of names.

Optional Memorial Slideshow: Deadline December 5. To include a picture of your loved one in the slideshow, please submit a digital copy of the picture, along with their full name, to development@hospicecp.org no later than Dec. 5.

Claim your memorial ornament(s) after the ceremony.  You will find directions, dates, and times on our secure Remembrance Tree site

For decades, the Remembrance Tree Ceremony has been a chance for the community to remember loved ones during the holiday season.

The Remembrance Tree Ceremony is set for Sunday, Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 425 Eastern Bypass, in Richmond (behind Wendy’s).

The ceremony will include special readings, live music performed by local musicians, a memorial photo slideshow, and the reading of your loved ones’ names.

Anyone who misses a loved one during the holidays is welcome to participate, regardless of whether your loved one was cared for by our hospice.

“At this time of year when loved ones gather in gratitude and loving kinship, the loss of those dear to us can be even more pronounced,” said Denise McKinney, grief support coordinator. “Coming together in remembrance with others who understand is a balm and a way to honor those who still reside in our hearts.” 

When you make a donation of any size, an ornament is personalized for your loved one and made available to place on the Remembrance Tree during the ceremony.

Guests place their ornaments on the Remembrance Tree when they hear their loved one’s name.  If no one is present to place the ornament on the tree, a hospice staff member will do so.

There will be light refreshments after the ceremony provided by Hospice Care Plus staff and volunteers.

Guests are encouraged to take their memorial ornament home with them after the ceremony on Dec.8. If you are unable to attend this year’s event, stop by our Compassionate Care Center (350 Isaacs Lane, Richmond, KY) Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and pick up your ornament from the Remembrance Tree, which will be displayed there until the end of the holiday season.

For more information about the event and updates, follow the Remembrance Tree Ceremony Facebook Event Page.

Hospice Care Plus & Compassionate Care Center was founded as a non-profit organization to support the quality of life of its communities through hospice, palliative, and grief support care programs. The organization serves Estill, Jackson, Lee, Madison, Owsley and Rockcastle counties and owns and operates the Compassionate Care Center in Richmond. Relying on contributions from individuals and groups, all care is provided regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. Make a gift, explore career and volunteer opportunities, or call 859-986-1500 to learn more. 

Hospice Care Plus empowers those we serve to enjoy the highest quality of life, respecting their values, beliefs, needs, and goals through specialized care, education, resources, and grief support.

Our Service Area:

Our Home Hospice and Home Palliative Care programs serve you, wherever you call home, in the Kentucky counties of Estill, Jackson, Lee, Madison, Owsley, and Rockcastle.

Our inpatient care facility, the Compassionate Care Center, and administrative offices are located in Richmond, Kentucky.

Recent News:

Rockin’ Derby Eve Benefit Friday May 2

Reservations are now open for the Derby Eve Benefit Party: Rockin' Derby Eve! This adult only event is the longest...

Gift A Day Of Care in 2025

Every Day Is a Gift at Hospice Care Plus. We have spent 43 years fulfilling our mission of providing compassionate...

Journaling Through Grief Series Hosted in Irvine

Hospice Care Plus is offering a new grief support series called Journaling Through Grief, starting Aug. 7 and ending Oct....

Give a Heart for Hospice in February

Hearts for Hospice displayed at Community Trust Bank in 2024 During the month of February, several local banks and businesses...

News & Events

jeannie strong

To Leave a Special Legacy

Jeannie Strong is a talented and creative woman with a heart for service. She helped her husband, former Richmond, Ky., Mayor Bill Strong, serve his community for decades as a city commissioner, a magistrate, and mayor.  In her life away from public service, she put her creativity to work.

IMG_4513

To Celebrate My Birthday

John Shelton may have come to Hospice Care Plus with advanced heart disease, but, to us, his heart was perfect. He loved life. He loved his wife. He even loved his hospice care team. He also loved celebrating his birthday. “As soon as one birthday passed, he would start reminding you that he had another…

DSC_0095 cropped

To Salute My Grandson & Be Baptized

When we shared the story of Mr. Ramirez’s very special wish on our Facebook page, it reached nearly 400,000 people. Later, we made this simple video to use as part of our 2016 Bucket-List Challenge. Special thanks to his family, and especially his granddaughter, Blue, for sharing their memories and photos with us, and with you.

Visit our Bucket-Lis Blog Today!

Visit the Bucket-List Blog

We love sharing our bucket-list stories, and there are so many of them that we’ve given them their own home:  The Hospice Care Plus Bucket-List Blog. Visit today and read inspiring stories about bucket-list wishes like: Meeting Blake Shelton in Person (It Happened!) Visiting a Favorite Fishing Hole One More Time Marrying the Love of…