DANBURY — Newtown Middle School eighth graders were recognized during the Regional Hospice and Home Care Annual Meeting in Danbury earlier this month.

The projected grand opening of the state’s first and only private patient room hospice residence is now only ten months away, and the mood at the January 15 meeting was celebratory.

Paul L. Sirois, newly appointed executive director of the Regional Hospice Foundation, was pleased to recognize the seven students who make up the Kids In Deed Organization (KIDOs) with youth service awards for remarkable fundraising efforts.

Kids In Deed Organization (KIDOs) is a group of Newtown Middle School students who have committed to raising money for the Healing Hearts Center for Grieving Children and Families in Danbury. Healing Hearts, a program of Regional Hospice and Home Care, has provided free grief support to Newtown families since 12/14. Healing Hearts has also been offering similar support to thousands of other families throughout Connecticut since 1995.

The students have pledged to raise $50,000 to pay for the playground equipment that will be placed outside the wing that houses Healing Hearts Center for Grieving Children and Families. The first $24,000 was raised by KIDOs Founder Ryan Patrick. Ryan has been joined by Greg Brissette, Caroline Condon, Josh Dunn, Brian Montoya, Allie Paynter and Ashley Santore, and as of November the group had raised nearly $28,000.

Although the students said they were nervous about getting home in time to study for midterms the following day, their nerves were somewhat quelled during the annual meeting when they saw the large granite paving stone that shows a colorful replica of the KIDO logo. The stone will be placed in the children’s garden at the new facility.

Regional Hospice also unveiled the renderings for the landscape and playscape during the meeting.

Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western Connecticut is a nonprofit hospice agency that provides hospice and palliative care for everyone who needs it regardless of their ability to pay. Hospice care includes medical, emotional, spiritual, and comfort services provided by a team of hospice-certified caregivers who are all specially trained in end-of-life care.

For more information about Regional Hospice, including purchasing a tribute stone that will also be placed on the landscape, call 203-702-7417, send e-mail to donate@regionalhospicect.org or visit www.regionalhospicect.org/donate.