A Masterpiece of a Day: Hospice Patient Exhibits Her Art

For years, Crossroads Hospice patient Helen Schneeberger traveled the world to find inspiration for her art. Italy, Norway, Egypt, Ireland, and Mexico are just a few of the places the globe-trotting artist would unpack her palette and paint.

Traveling overseas and painting, “that was her life,” said her son, Craig Schneeberger.

The artist’s watercolors of life and landscapes in faraway places found homes in museums and private collections. But no exhibition of her works over her 50-plus year career as an artist and teacher was as meaningful to Helen and her family as her most recent one, arranged by the Crossroads Gift of a Day program, in the lobby of her residence at the Fountainview Center for Alzheimer’s Disease in Atlanta.

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Crossroads Hospice staff members had seen her beautiful watercolors in her room and after learning about her career arranged the exhibition. Many of the works in the exhibition were of scenes that she captured in her travels.

“She thoroughly enjoyed it,” said her son, Craig. “She hadn’t had her art displayed in a few years.” Craig attended with his father, Fred, Helen’s husband of 68 years.

In addition to the display, the staff arranged for a reception with snacks for all of the residents of the Fountainview Center, giving the event the flavor of the many gallery openings for her work that Mrs. Schneeberger had attended over the years.

“The facility staff was very impressed and overjoyed to be able to experience Mrs. Schneeberger in a way they had not before. They felt like they had new insight into her after seeing her artwork,” said Karry Lopez, a Social Work Coordinator for Crossroads Hospice in Tucker, Georgia.

“Mom really appreciated it. She used to have art openings in her house. This seemed the way it was at home,” Craig said.

The Gift of a Day program asks patients what their perfect day would be. Then staff and volunteers work to make it a reality. The process begins as soon as a patient is admitted into hospice care. It brings out the best in the community, with Crossroads staff, volunteers and area organizations coming together to create special hospice patient stories. The requests have been as varied as the patients Crossroads serves.

It was inspired by Jim Stovall’s novel, “The Ultimate Gift.” Blind from age 29 due to a degenerative eye condition, Stovall went on to become an International Humanitarian of the Year, a national Olympic weightlifting champion, Emmy-award winner, world-renowned author and speaker.

Find out more about the Ultimate Gifts program or call us at 888-564-3405.

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