January 22, 2026

Perpetuating Peace: Why One EveryStep Supporter Chooses to Donate

Joel Magruder has no shortage of compliments for EveryStep and its staff at Kavanagh House.  Twice in a recent ten-month period, Joel and his family were called together at the hospice house on 56th Street. 

“I could talk for ever - I could go on and on,” Joel says, “It touches my heart as to how good people were to (my brother) and to my mom.  It was just really, really beautiful.” 

In early September 2024, Joel’s mother Ilene suffered a stroke at her home in Fort Dodge at the age of 92.  She was transferred to a metro hospital where Joel was told that it was time to consider hospice care.   

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“I heard of one of the options being Kavanaugh House.  It sparked something in my mind of being an organization that other people had confidence in, but I had never ever stepped foot inside of the facility,” Joel remembers, “And through just prayer it came to me that was probably the next right step for my mom.” 

Joel says the decision was instantly rewarding.   

“We met her when she arrived and walked into her room at Kavanagh House and I just felt this incredible sense of peace,” he says, “Most important to me was just how friendly it was ... it was a place that felt like it was our own ... I just felt like that was absolutely where she should be.” 

Beyond caring for his mother, Joel says the staff at Kavanagh House were phenomenal in how they cared for him and his family as well. 

“At first, I ... didn't know if I could leave her.   I was coached by some of the nurses and the staff there about how that works and how to manage my expectations,” Joel says, “(They said) here are some things you might look for, but we don't want to try to pretend like we do know.  We've seen some things before, but each person's path is going to be a little bit different.” 

Along with the quality of care, Joel says he was equally impressed by the consistency as well. 

“It was consistent through all of the the team members there ... I really leaned in on them,” Joel says, “They're just perfect.  They were so caring, they were great listeners and empathetic, yet also so clear.” 

As the only one of his siblings in the area, Joel says the depth and clarity of the instruction by Kavanagh House staff were even more vital. 

EveryStep Hospice Care

“That coaching was just really, really valuable because I was the only local individual ... I felt like I owed it to (my siblings) to try to be clear on where she was at. And that's an impossible task ... But they gave me some verbiage by communicating properly with me. I found myself repeating some of the things they said to me right onto my brothers.  That really helped me because I didn't feel like I was in it on my own.” 

Evelyn Ilene Magruder passed away on Monday, September 16th, 2024 – ten days after she was admitted to Kavanagh House.  Joel says the care from EveryStep continued after her passing, with outreach from the Grief & Loss team. 

Nine months later, Joel found himself reaching out to EveryStep again.  His older brother, Charles, was diagnosed with terminal cancer.   

“It became clear that he wasn't going to recover and  he wasn't able to care for himself,” Joel remembers, “So we looked to see if Kavanagh House was available. And it felt like the Lord blessed us by creating an opening.” 

Joel says he saw a different kind of care for his brother than for his mother.  Charles was having extreme pain levels managed and the the length of his stay was nearly a month.  Joel says he was amazed by the level of his care – in things both big and small. 

“They managed his pain well, and that became really critical in terms of him feeling comfortable. And he just continued to tell me that he was just so at peace," Joel says, “I saw the care of adjusting pillows so that it relieved pressure or made him feel more comfortable and creating the right lighting in the room so that it would allow him to rest ... His final 3 weeks, it was amazing ... It was just tremendous. We played music - and having that private room allowed us to do that ... it just really touches my heart recalling how great they were to him.” 

Charles Magruder III passed away at Kavanagh House on July 31st, 2025, at the age of 69.   

Joel says he and his wife quickly decided they wanted to do more to repay the love and care that Ilene and Charles received.  “It was something that was really meaningful to us and I saw the impact that it had on me and my family,” Joel says, “It made such an impact on us- but how do you perpetuate that? How do you extend that to others?” 

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Joel, a certified financial planner, is now a financial supporter of EveryStep.  That isn’t the only way he has shown their appreciation to those who cared for his family members at Kavanagh House. 

“I brought in dinner a couple of times after both mom and Charles had passed separately,” Joel says, “I wanted to bring them something that they could participate in and have it be for all of that staff ... I wanted to provide more support for the individual nurses and nurse aides that provided such personal care.”