Noble Visiting Nurse & Hospice Sponsors Barnes Christmas Party

WESTFIELD — Noble Visiting Nurse & Hospice recently sponsored the annual Children’s Christmas Party at Barnes Air National Guard Base. The event, co-sponsored by the Family Readiness Group and USO Pioneer Valley, was for families of all active base personnel. This year’s event featured crafts and other activities for children, including photos with Santa, a gift for each child up to 10 years old, and light refreshments.

Jennifer Cesaitis, airman and Family Readiness Program manager, said the 104th Wing was “thrilled” to have Noble Visiting Nurse & Hospice on board as a sponsor. “This is the first Christmas party that we had Noble join us in sponsoring. They really helped take it to the next level.”

Each year, Noble Visiting Nurse & Hospice provides comprehensive home-health and hospice care to over 1,400 local residents and their families across the Pioneer Valley. CEO and President David Mol — who made a guest appearance as a certain jolly bearded fellow — said the event was “very meaningful” to participate in. “Family is central to our mission — helping patients receive care at home, closer to their loved ones. We think about this a lot during the holidays, and the Christmas party was a perfect event for us to help sponsor.”

Cesaitis said the event was “a real team effort,” with each division of the base pulling together something special. Maintenance provided the space (the hangar), Civil Engineering completed setup, Security Forces handled gate access and parking, Emergency Management took on music and DJ duties, Ammunition organized hot-dog sales, and one of the base’s firefighters drew caricatures. “The goal of this event is to foster community on base, and having Noble on board extends that out a bit,” Cesaitis said. “Our families make a lot of sacrifices, and this is one way to give back to them.”

Noble Visiting Nurse & Hospice will also sponsor Barnes’ annual Easter Egg Hunt in the spring.