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At the October 28th concert held at Gloversville Middle School, Mr. Sawyer Fredericks was recognized as the recipient of the Gregory R. Hoye Award; an honor that is given each year jointly by Mountain Valley Hospice (MVH) and the Hoye family.

Presented by Anna Marie Hoye, a representative of the Hoye family and a hospice RN, the Hoye Award is given to an individual who has contributed to the overall mission of MVH. It is given in memory of Gregory R. Hoye who passed away in 1987.

As Anna Marie Hoye stated, “God sends each person into the world with a special message to deliver, a special song to sing for others, a special act of love to bestow. Sawyer’s act of love will help support the hospice mission by enabling MVH to continue to provide quality end-of-life care to our patients and their families.”

Sawyer’s connection to Mountain Valley Hospice began when his great grandmother became a patient at our Nancy Dowd Hospice House during the same season that Sawyer was travelling back and forth between NY and California for the filming of the ‘Voice’.

Hoye recalls how Sawyer’s family would often find it hard to leave their loved one. “They used to say to us…we hate having to leave her but Sawyer is doing something big…really big.  We just can’t talk about what it is yet.”

However, despite those many trips across the country, the Fredericks family found a certain solace in knowing that their loved one was being cared for so diligently by the staff of MVH. Sawyer’s mom, Kirsten, recalls a time when she watched one of our hospice staff bathe her grandmother.  “It was one of the most sacred things I have ever seen” Kirsten recalls, with her voice trembling.  “The nurses were so comforting; both to her and to us.”

In gratitude for the care given to their loved one, the Fredericks family set up a benefit concert to allow MVH to continue to do what it does best for other families who may have medical needs.

MVH can think of no more appropriate recipient of the Hoye Award than Sawyer Fredericks. Thank you, Sawyer and the Fredericks family, for all you have given to this organization through your gift of song and compassion.