In honor of the VNA of Northwest Indiana’s 50th anniversary, the hospice and palliative care organization was looking to engage with a new demographic in order to connect the VNA of NWI’s mission to younger people in the Region. Thus, the Hops for Hospice event was born. Hops for Hospice is a full scale Brewfest featuring live music, dozens of breweries, and one goal in mind: driving the organization’s mission forward.
When the COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmed the country, the event was put on the back burner. But now, with more and more of the Region opening back up, VNA and its partner, Chesterton Brewery are bringing the event back to summer in Northwest Indiana.
On July 10, from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., VNA and Chesterton Brewery welcome the community to the Porter County Expo Center for what they hope to be the first of many Hops for Hospice events in years to come. Bob Franko, President and CEO of the VNA, remarked how events like this are vital for nonprofits like the VNA to stay relevant and a constant source of service in the community.
“We are the last of a certain breed – nonprofit hospices,” Franko said. “There just aren’t a lot of us left out there, but the service we provide can’t be measured.”
The nonprofit’s focus on “Making best days possible” is a unique approach to providing hospice care. Rather than viewing time in hospice as a sorrowful, grief-filled experience, the VNA works to ensure its patients are having their best days possible as they are surrounded by family and loved ones in their homes.
“Hops for Hospice will help us promote our mission of ‘Making best days possible’ by helping us shine a light on the great things we do at the VNA to help families through our hospice care, palliative care, Meals On Wheels, Lifeline, and Phoenix Center programs,” Franko said. “We serve over 500 people a day across our service lines, so I’ll be excited to make sure a whole new generation of people see that and find it in their hearts to support us.”
For the Chesterton Brewery, this mission spoke volumes to them. The nonprofit’s work benefiting the veteran community through its We Honor Veterans program is what stood out the most. So, when Franko approached Vern Brown, owner of the Chesterton Brewery, about a possible collaboration, it was a no-brainer. After debuting the Best Days Hazy IPA last year to public praise, the duo continued to work closely together, a partnership that has culminated into the Hops for Hospice event.
“The collaboration was the first piece of the pie, and we just had a great response from it,” Brown said. “This was in the middle of COVID-19, so there wasn’t much we could go out and do with the public, so we shared Best Days Hazy with the people as often as we could. It ended up doing so well that we bought a canning line just for this beer. Because of this success, we knew we had to get this out to a broader audience, sharing the VNA’s mission with them in the process. It just exploded from there.”
“We thought doing a Brewfest would be a great way to introduce ourselves to a younger demographic – and beyond that, who doesn’t like great beer?” Franko said. “Once we established our goals and what we hoped to accomplish, we just needed to communicate our mission of ‘Making best days possible’ to the breweries and stakeholders and they were all on board almost immediately.”
The event features brews from almost two dozen breweries from Indiana, Illinois, Georgia, and Michigan: Revolution Brewery, Devil’s Trumpet, Lagunitas Brewing Company, New Belgium Brewing, Bell’s, Evil Czech Brewing, Greenbush Brewing Co., Upland Brewing, Vander Mill Cider Mill & Winery, Sun King Brewery, Solemn Oath Brewery, Half Acre, Shoreline Brewery, Terrapin Beer Co., Sweet Water Brewing Company, Deschutes Brewery, Molson Coors Beverage Co., Windmill Brewery, Ironwood Brewing Co. Burn ‘Em Brewing, and of course, the Chesterton Brewery.
“Our friends at Indiana Beverage have been particularly outstanding at helping us make those connections,” Franko said. “I also can’t say enough about our premier partner Chesterton Brewery who has believed in us and our mission from the jump. They are just terrific people doing great things and I’m so humbled that they believe in us.”
Hops for Hospice will also feature grub from a local food truck, the beloved Mexican cuisine Las Mamacitas, and local musicians Chris and Lou. It’s a welcomed change of pace after a year and a half of social distancing and cancelled events amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve missed that so much for the last 18 months. So, I think it will be a sort of celebration of our resolve as a community to deal with a pandemic and overcome so much,” Franko said. “I can’t wait to hear Chris and Lou on the stage strumming and singing some great tunes, getting some good food from Las Mamacitas, and of course, having the opportunity to try over 100 beers. I’m not sure I’ll make it to all 100, but I’ll give it my best!”
The Chesterton Brewery will be featuring 10 of their own brews, all named in honor of veterans and first responders.
“Obviously, we will have Best Days Hazy out there, but we are excited to feature Thorstad, an amber ale, Logan Strong, another hazy IPA, Thin Red Line and Thin Blue Line, which are blonde ales, Ranger Dan Wakes the Dead, a delicious coffee stout that is a lighter one and drinks like an iced coffee,” Brown said. “We will also have The Guardian, as well as a few other ones with us as well. These will give guests a great overview of the beer we brew right in store, and will go great with our commemorative glasses.”
Together, the Chesterton Brewery and the VNA are thrilled to welcome the community and its family of brewers to the Hops for Hospice event to honor the veterans in the Region and thank them for their service.
“This event will help us to find a way to better honor and recognize and thank our veterans,” Franko said. “I know that’s really important to us and our friends at Chesterton Brewery – as well as all of the breweries that attend.”
Tickets are now on sale for the Hops for Hospice event. General admission is $50, and gets you unlimited tastings and a free commemorative glass. Ticket sales end on June 30. For designated drivers, tickets are $10 and sales also end on June 30. You can purchase tickets for the event on the organization’s Eventbrite page here. For a full list of brewers, visit the Hops for Hospice website at www.hopsforhospice.org/#breweries.
For more information about the VNA of Northwest Indiana and the services it provides, visit its website at vnanwi.org.