A Grand Junction-based organization providing a range of services to ill and grieving people across Western Colorado soon will celebrate its 30th year in operation.

HopeWest plans to mark the milestone as part of an annual gala set for Feb. 25 at the Grand Junction Convention Center. For more information about the event, log on to www.hopewestco.org/hopewest-gala.

“Thirty years of exceptional care shows what happens when local medical leaders, generous donors, dedicated volunteers and our incredible team members come together in service for the greater good of our community,” said Cassie Mitchell, president and chief executive officer of HopeWest.

What started out as a single facility operated out a home donated by Veterans Affairs grew into an organization with an in-patient hospice center in Grand Junction and offices in four other communities that serve an area of more than 10,000 square miles that includes Mesa County as well as Delta, Montrose, Ouray and Rio Blanco counties. That’s not to mention three retail outlets, a restaurant and coffee shop, the profits from which support HopeWest.

An organization that cared for 117 patients in its first year cared for 2,300 patients in hospice and palliative care in 2022. HopeWest served a total of another 1,350 adults and children through other programs.

Mitchell took over leadership of HopeWest in 2022, succeeding Christy Whitney, the founding president and CEO who retired.

“Our compassionate team offers miracles of human caring every day. They transform the way people experience aging, serious illness and grief,” Mitchell said. “This way, the HopeWest way, is only possible because of the generosity of our community. I am incredibly grateful to our community for the unwavering trust and support.”