Jenni Martin has had a front-row seat to the story of Blue Ridge Care. She began as a volunteer in 1992, later joined the team as a nurse, and worked across patient care, management, and community relations.
For more than 30 years, I have had the privilege of serving alongside some of the most remarkable people you could ever hope to meet.
There is something special about the people who choose to work in serious illness and end-of-life care. It is a calling. It attracts people with extraordinary compassion, quiet strength, and a deep commitment to serving others during some of life’s most vulnerable moments.
As Blue Ridge Care celebrates its 45th anniversary, I have found myself reflecting on the people who helped shape this organization and the lessons they passed on to those of us who followed.
Lessons That Endure
Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of learning from pioneers, mentors, colleagues, volunteers, physicians, caregivers, and advocates who believed deeply in this mission. They didn’t just teach me how to care for patients. They helped shape the organization Blue Ridge Care would become.
Throughout my career, I have learned from pioneers, mentors, colleagues, volunteers, physicians, caregivers, and advocates who believed deeply in our mission.
People like Monica “Nikki” Hill, who was Blue Ridge Hospice’s first volunteer nurse and one of my mentors. She taught me that comfort is not an extra part of care — it is the care. She believed that pain and symptoms should never be accepted as an inevitable part of serious illness.
Mary Jane Lee was a volunteer-turned-nurse and Clinical Director in the early days of Blue Ridge Hospice. As my first nurse preceptor, she showed me that every patient and family is unique, and that caring for the whole person means paying attention not only to physical needs, but also emotional and spiritual ones.
Dr. William “Bill” Houck, the first oncologist in the Winchester area, founder of Shenandoah Oncology, and current Blue Ridge Care Board member, demonstrated the importance of honest conversations, compassionate guidance, and honoring each person’s wishes and goals. His influence on Blue Ridge Hospice extended far beyond medicine and continues to shape our organization today.
Leaders like Ernest “Ernie” Carnevale, Jr., who served as CEO for 17 years, helped expand our reach, programs, and services, ensuring more families could access the services they needed. Under his leadership, Blue Ridge Hospice opened its first thrift stores and, alongside Leigh Williams, helped establish our music therapy program, both of which continue to support and enrich our mission today.
George Caley was a founding Board member and longtime Blue Ridge Hospice champion, whose leadership helped guide the organization from the very beginning. As President of Winchester Medical Center and a respected healthcare leader, he helped build the partnerships, governance, and community support that allowed the organization to grow and thrive.
And of course there is our co-founder alongside the late Gail Rodgers, Helen Zebarth, who has been the heart of Blue Ridge Care since the beginning. I first knew Helen as one of my nursing professors at Shenandoah University, before I had the privilege of working alongside her. As a nurse, educator, advocate, founder, and current Board member, Helen’s vision and passion have helped shape every single chapter of our 45-year history.
A Mission Built By People
One of the most remarkable things about Blue Ridge Care is that it truly was built by the community, for the community.
Over the years, I have watched volunteers become nurses. I have watched families become advocates. I have watched team members dedicate entire careers to serving others with compassion and dignity. I have seen strangers become friends, neighbors become caregivers, and supporters become champions for our mission.
While many people have helped guide our organization over the past 45 years, some of the people who continue to inspire me most are the caregivers who quietly serve patients and families every day.
I think of our Certified Nursing Assistants, nurses, social workers, chaplains, volunteers, physicians, therapists, and countless others who make extraordinary acts of compassion look like it’s nothing out of the ordinary — but it is.
Their work reminds us that caring for people is never just about tasks or treatments. It is about presence. It is about dignity. It is about making sure every person knows they matter.
That commitment has defined Blue Ridge Care since the beginning, and it continues to define us today.
Help Carry the Legacy Forward
When I think about legacy, I think about the people who shaped my own journey, and how I can pass their gift along.
Just as I learned from pioneers like Nikki Hill and so many others who helped build Blue Ridge Care, I am proud to share that my daughter has followed in my footsteps. She recently became a nurse practitioner and is now working in hospice care.
To me, that is what legacy looks like. Values shared across generations. A commitment to caring for others that continues long after any one person’s career is over.
As we celebrate this milestone anniversary, I invite you to be part of the next chapter of Blue Ridge Care’s story.
Your support helps us care for patients and families, strengthen and support our caregivers, expand access to needed services, and respond to the evolving needs of our community.
Most importantly, your gift helps ensure that future generations experience the same compassionate care that our founders, pioneers, caregivers, volunteers, and supporters have worked so hard to build.
