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Niamh van Meines believes nobody should have to spend their final weeks in pain.
"As a nurse, I am very much driven to take away the suffering of other people, said van Meines, who has worked in hospice and palliative care for over 15 years.
"Hospice is the perfect setting for having that kind of drive."
Funds raised on the site will be used to put a downpayment on a home in town, and then be converted into a palliative care center. She plans on making it a nonprofit.
She hopes the campaign will encourage other people in her community to get involved.
"When you inspire a community to take action people will volunteer," said van Meines, a 12-year River Edge resident.
She hopes the center will be subsidized by donations and care & services provided by volunteers.
Van Meines said her idea is very much inspired by her Irish roots.
"I was raised in Ireland and we were very community focused where neighbors would always help neighbors," she said.
The nurse hopes her community care center will provide a happy environment for people to spend their final days in.
"Being surrounded by family and friends is key to keeping people comfortable," van Meines said.
"When you think about how you are going to spend your final weeks, you want to spend it around people who love and care about you, not alone in your home or a hospital."
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