John O’Neill to be Official Image of the 2009 Regatta
Stay the Course will represent sailing event to raise funds for hospice care
[ANNAPOLIS,
MD] Spinnakers flying and bursting with color. Sailing crews racing to the
next mark. This is the image of
Stay the
Course, an oil painting by Maryland artist, John O’Neill, that will
serve as the official image of Hospice Cup XXVIII, taking place in
Annapolis, Maryland, on September 26, 2009.
“This painting was inspired by the beautiful sailing scenes of the
Chesapeake Bay,” states artist John O’Neill, “and my time spent as race crew
in the Magothy River’s Wednesday Night Sailing many years ago.”
“We selected John O’Neill’s painting, because it embodies the image and
spirit of a competitive regatta,” states Hospice Cup, Inc., President Cullen
Murray. This painting will serve as a wonderful image for our event.”
Stay the
Course was selected among several artist entries. The original
painting will be donated to the Shore Party auction following the Hospice
Cup regatta to help raise funds for hospice services.
The image of the painting will appear in promotional ads, t-shirts, and
posters which will have exposure to regional sponsors and participants from
the Washington, DC metro area, northern Virginia, Prince George’s County,
Montgomery County, Anne Arundel County, the Baltimore Metro area and beyond.
O’Neill added, “Both of my parents and a close friend were recipients of
hospice care. So I’m very aware of these ‘Angels of Mercy’ that assist
people in need.”
John O’Neill graduated from the Maryland Institute of Art and has had a
diverse career in the art world. Retired in June 2008, after a 28-year
teaching career – with 20 years at Meade Senior High – he also owned his own
graphic design business. John has also studied at the Chicago Institute of
Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Click here
to view enlarged image of "Stay the Course."
About Hospice Cup
To date, over $7 million dollars has been raised for the
participating hospices since the race began in 1982. The annual event is
a cooperative effort of Hospice Cup, Inc., numerous volunteers to support
the hospices participating in the race, the Shearwater Sailing Club and the
Storm Trysail Club.
Funds raised on behalf of the
Hospice Cup regatta help to pay the expenses not covered by Medicare or
private insurance. These dollars enable the hospices to provide skilled
compassionate care, comfort and dignity to the terminally ill, their
families and friends, regardless of their ability to pay. Hospice enables
patients to carry on alert, pain-controlled lives so their last days may be
spent in comfort, at home or in home-like settings. Hospice care
concentrates on care, not cure. Bereavement counseling and support groups
are part of hospice services after the loss of a loved one.
The 2009 participating hospices currently include:
Capital Hospice,
Hospice of the Chesapeake,
and Montgomery Hospice. Each
hospice must meet the standards of the National Hospice and Palliative Care
Organization.
The annual Hospice Cup race is a cooperative effort organized by the
all-volunteer Hospice Cup, Inc. (HCI) Board of Directors and its executive
director, the staff of participating area hospices and hundreds of volunteers. The race
is managed by Shearwater Sailing Club and assisted by Storm Trysail Club
Chesapeake Station.
The Hospice Cup race is sanctioned by the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing
Association (CBYRA) and counts for CBYRA season-long High Point competition.
Hospice Cup, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization chartered under the
laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia
for the purposes of conducting a benefit yacht race and related events.
Hospice Cup, Inc. is also a proud member of the National Hospice Regatta
Alliance, www.hospiceregattas.org.
Additional information about the event can be found online at the official
Hospice Cup web site www.hospicecup.org.
Contact: Julie Phillips-Turner
Phone: 410-490-0033
E-mail: jbpturner@aol.com