Acara Hospice Foundation

09/14/2026

💡💡Acara Answers 💡💡

Question: Do hospice patients need a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order to receive hospice care.

Answer: No, a DNR is not required to receive hospice care.

Choosing hospice does not take away a patient’s right to make personal healthcare decisions. Patients may receive hospice care while remaining a “full code.” The Acara hospice team’s role is to provide clear education, answer questions, and help patients and families understand how different choices may align with their goals, values and wishes.

A DNR specifically addresses what should happen if a person’s heart stops beating or they stop breathing. It does not mean “do not treat.” Patients with a DNR still receive compassionate, attentive care—including medications, oxygen, symptom management, emotional support and other treatments focused on comfort and quality of life.

We know conversations about CPR and advance-care planning can feel overwhelming, especially during an already difficult time. As hospice professionals we approach these discussions with sensitivity and respect, allowing patients and their legal healthcare representatives to make informed decisions without pressure. These choices may also be revisited if the patient’s wishes or circumstances change.

At Acara Hospice, we believe every patient deserves to be heard, respected and supported. Hospice is not about taking choices away—it is about helping patients and families understand their options and receive care that reflects what matters most to them.

Our team is here to provide needed education, honest answers, and compassionate guidance. Our hope is to lessen your load so you can focus on quality time with your loved one.

🩷🧡💛

A Care Above for the Ones You Love.

09/13/2026

🧩✨ THE PIECES WERE FLYING! ✨🧩

Photo Credit: Julia Ramirez Ruiz
Puzzling for a Purpose brought the speed, the laughs, the friendly competition—and some seriously impressive puzzling!

🏆 1ST PLACE — No Chairs Anonymous | 43:59
Gavin Edwards • Hailey Edwards • Sarah Hamilton • Bryan Blowers

🥈 JoyFULL | 54:37
Kendra Duty • Jacque Covington • Tara Wilson • Nicole Carlisle

🥉 Piece by Piece | 56:22
Joanne Lerma • Ana Lerma • Kevin Ruiz • Mari Lerma

🧩 Lady Lions | 1:00:51
Jessica Stuart • Abbie Barnby • Katina Osth • Peggy Holtzweiss

And the award for MOST SPIRITED goes to Some Assembly Required! 👏 Peep the backs of those shirts, the custom puzzle-piece accessories, and those awesome purple boots! 💜👢 They brought the personality, creativity, and plenty of puzzle spirit! 😂🧩

❤️ Best of all, we raised more than $1,400 for the Acara Hospice Foundation!

A HUGE thank-you to Ravensburger for sponsoring, Wonderful Words, Bookshoppe, for hosting, Erika B. Ervin for emceeing, Bryan Yard Dogs for providing additional seating, and to every, single person who puzzled, cheered, and supported this fun event for a great cause!

🗓️ NEXT ROUND: Saturday, January 9 • 6:30–8:30 PM at Wonderful Words Bookshoppe

We sold out this time, and we expect to do it again—grab those tickets fast! 🧩💨

09/01/2026

🤠Boot Scoot is coming to The Kimbell in downtown Bryan on Friday, November 13, and we’re rounding up some great community partners to help make this year’s event one to remember!
Local businesses, philanthropists, and friends of the Foundation can get involved by sponsoring the event, purchasing a table, or donating an item or experience to our live and silent auctions. Your partnership helps Acara Hospice Foundation continue serving our community—and moves us closer to our vision of creating a community hospice house right here in the Brazos Valley. 💛
Ready to dust off those bootsand join us? Scan the QR code or follow the link in the comments.
If you’d like to donate an item or experience to our auction, help with an in-kind donation or have another partnership idea up your sleeve, we’d love to visit with you! Send us a DM or email [email protected].
👢 Save the Date:
Friday, November 13
The Kimbell, Downtown Bryan
Come be part of something meaningful—and a whole lot of fun.
We’d sure love to have you along for the ride!

08/18/2026

Last week, we had the privilege of helping grant a pretty incredible hospice wish. ❤️

Mr. Arnold Hayes, a proud member of the Fighting Texas Aggie Class of 1952 and the Corps of Cadets, wanted to return to Aggieland.

With his wife of 59 years, family, and members of his Acara Hospice care team by his side, he spent a very special day back on campus—touring by luxury golf cart, enjoying his own personal Yell Practice, receiving a special Corps pin, meeting Miss Reveille herself, and, of course, having some good Texas barbecue.

We are so grateful to the The Association of Former Students for going above and beyond to make Mr. Hayes feel welcomed and celebrated as well as the Texas A&M Yell Leaders and Texas A&M Corps of Cadets for making the day unforgettable in so many ways. It was the embodiment of the Spirit of Aggieland—and Good Bull—at its very best.

We’re incredibly proud of our partnership with Acara Hospice. Their team understands that hospice is about caring for the whole person and making the time we have as meaningful as possible.

That’s also why the Acara Hospice Foundation exists. As the nonprofit arm of Acara Hospice, the Foundation allows every donated dollar to remain separate from Medicare and hospice-care funds and be put right back into the communities we serve—through wishes, free hospice education and resources, and our vision for a future community hospice house.

Wish grants are some of the most meaningful things we get to do—and this one will be hard to top. ❤️

Want to help make the next one possible? Consider a one-time or monthly gift to the Acara Hospice Foundation.

Whoop and Gig ’Em! 👍

08/12/2026

Grief can be incredibly lonely.

Even when you’re surrounded by people who love you, there are parts of it that are hard to explain. One day you may feel like you’re finding your footing again, and the next, something small brings the loss right back to the surface.

And after a while, the rest of the world keeps moving.

The funeral is over. People return to their routines. The calls and texts slow down. But you’re still grieving.

So who do you talk to then?

Sometimes you hold things in because you don’t want to burden the people you love or feel like you’re bringing up your grief again.

But you still need somewhere for it to go.

That’s why Acara Hospice Foundation created Papermoon.

Papermoon is a three-month peer-to-peer grief pen pal program that thoughtfully matches you with someone who has also experienced loss. You’ll exchange at least one handwritten card or letter each month—a space to reflect, encourage one another, and simply be understood.

Grief can feel unbearably heavy when you’re carrying it alone. But something happens when two people carrying their own grief choose to walk alongside each other.

Neither person takes the other’s grief away—and yet, somehow, both loads can feel a little lighter.

✨ Open to anyone touched by grief, regardless of where you live.
✨ Three-month commitment.
✨ $25 registration fee, with proceeds supporting Acara Hospice Foundation.
✨ Space is limited.

📬 Registration is open! Find the link in the comments or on our website.

🌙 Know someone carrying the weight of grief? Consider sharing Papermoon with them.

08/08/2026

What if a blank page could be a starting point for connection?

This fall, the Acara Hospice Foundation is introducing a new way for people navigating loss to feel heard, understood, and connected.

Something meaningful is on the way. Follow along—we can’t wait to share more with you. 💌

08/07/2026

Low prices+BIG sale+Tax-Free Weekend+First Friday (plus supports a great local cause)= 🎉😍☀️🥰🛍️🛒

Skip the cookie-cutter and find something as unique as you. Better yet, shop this weekend and save even more during Tax-Free Weekend!

All clothing, shoes & backpacks are tax free all day Friday and Saturday!

Plus:
🧡 Orange tag items are 25% OFF
🩷💙 Pink & Blue tag items are 50% OFF

You could brave the crowds at the big-box stores… or come treasure hunting with us instead. We might be a little less crowded…

…but no promises. We’re pretty hip these days. 😎

📍408 N. Bryan Ave.
🕙 Friday: 10 AM–9 PM
🕙 Saturday: 10 AM–3 PM
🚪 Sunday: Closed

Every purchase supports the Acara Hospice Foundation, so you can shop, save, and do a little good—all at the same time.

08/05/2026

🧩 Puzzling with a Purpose is BACK!

Our third Speed Puzzling Competition is almost here, and it’s gaining quite a following! If you’ve been wanting to give it a try, don’t wait too long—spots are filling fast!

📅 Saturday, September 12
🕡 6:30–8:30 PM
📍 Wonderful Words, Bookshoppe, Bryan, Texas

Teams of up to 4 will race to complete identical 500-piece Ravensburger puzzles for prizes!

It’s always a fun night, and the perfect excuse to visit one of Downtown Bryan’s cutest bookstores. (Be sure to ask about the secret passage to the mystery section! 📚)

❤️ All proceeds benefit the Hospice Foundation.

Tag your puzzle crew and grab your spot!

07/30/2026

07/16/2026

Thank you for voting Acara Hospice BEST HOSPICE! 🥰🩷

We are honored and elated to share that we have been voted BEST HOSPICE! What a gift to serve this community. Thank you to all who took the time to vote!! 🩷