Supporting hospice care. For the long run.

Sunset House is a community outreach ministry providing palliative (comfort) care for those who are beyond curative or aggressive treatment.

Located at 3746 St. Paul Boulevard in Irondequoit, NY, Sunset House provides alternative living arrangements for those who cannot receive hospice services in their own homes. Focusing on quality of life rather than quantity of time, Sunset House supports the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of its residents, allowing them to maintain control during an important time of transition. Sunset House is also a welcome source of support for family members, providing relief from the stress and anxiety of caring for a loved one who is seriously ill.

A private, not-for-profit organization, Sunset House provides its services free of charge. The organization does not receive funding from government agencies or third party payments from insurance. 100% of funding comes from charitable sources.

The Irondequoit United Church of Christ and Sunset House

Sunset House is the vision of Gail and Jim Nealon, two long-time members of the Irondequoit United Church of Christ (IUCC). Following the passing of the their 16-year-old daughter Jenny in 1988, the Nealons committed themselves to establishing a local residence where those with an end-stage illness could receive dignified comfort care in a home-like setting.

In 1990, Sunset House officially opened its doors. To date, more than 200 residents and their families have benefited from its unique care.

For many years, the Nealon's close relationship with the IUCC family has inspired numerous members of the church to volunteer their time and talents to support Sunset House on many different fronts. The Sunset House 5k Road Race is a new and exciting opportunity for IUCC to continue to honor the love, support and caring spirit that Sunset House gives so freely to this community. We are proud to have helped raise over $60,000 in the five years of our event. All of those proceeds have gone directly to the Sunset House.

How Sunset House has benefited from the Sunset House 5K

A message from Laurie Witmeyer, Director of Sunset House

The home that Sunset House uses is over 100 yrs old, so upkeep is imperative. The roof was sorely in need of repairs three years ago and the money donated from the very first Sunset House 5k race made it possible to do that.

Having a constant source of power is also so very important for us at Sunset House. Caring for two terminally ill residents and their comfort needs entails energy for oxygen, heat and light.  Depending on a gas generator in the garage that had to be manually hooked up and powered during an emergency was truly unsatisfactory.  Monies donated from the second 5k race allowed us to purchase a permanent generator that is now hooked up to our gas line and automatically engages during a power failure. What a tremendous relief that is!

The kitchen of our home is the hub of activity, hence the floor gets much use and abuse. After two unsuccessful floor coverings, we were able to put in a new Pergo floor with funds from the third 5k race. It's so beautiful and it works!

We benefit in so many other ways from this wonderful 5k race. By making our community aware of the ministry at Sunset House, the event has made it possible for people to connect with us by volunteering, by contributing monetarily and by learning what hospice care is all about. How wonderfully blessed we are to have groups in our community such as Rotary, IUCC and all of our race sponsors to make all of this possible. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!!