On the heels of a 51 percent jump in revenue for 2007, Hospice of the Conejo is experiencing its best health ever.

"We had a great year last year," said Dr. Jon Rich, board president.

And the single biggest factor that the 30-year-old organization has going for it, Rich said, is its executive director of two years, Maria Prescott. Rich said Prescott has helped initiate new programs and called her "very effective."

The hospice's financial support and revenue in 2007 totaled more than $370,000, compared to $245,000 the previous year. Those figures include contributions, grants and other fundraising, but exclude non-monetary gifts and support, which also were substantial, officials say.

Reflecting its healthier financial condition, the hospice's net worth leaped from $325,000 at the beginning of 2007 to $476,000 by year's end, according to the organization's report at its annual meeting earlier this year.

Helping with illness, grief

Founded in 1977, Hospice is a volunteer, nonprofit operation whose mission is to provide comfort, dignity and support to children, adults and families facing life-threatening illnesses, and to help those dealing with grief. Volunteers offer companionship and support to the homebound and bereaved. Physician referrals are not required.

During a tour of its facilities in the Under One Roof building at 80 E. Hillcrest Drive in Thousand Oaks, Prescott showed off recent renovations, such as a support group room with kid- and teen-friendly decor.

In her year-end report, Prescott cited the landing of "some very significant grant awards," including $50,000 from the Amgen Foundation for the 2008-09 budget year.

"This is particularly extraordinary in that these grant awards were achieved completely through the efforts of existing administrative staff, board members and volunteers," which shaved off $6,000 otherwise budgeted in 2007 for a grant writer, Prescott said.

Raised in Havana, Cuba, Prescott lived there during the time Fidel Castro assumed power.

She settled with her family in Coral Gables, Fla., and later moved to California. She earned a bachelor of science degree in business management from Pepperdine University in 1989.

Director's path to group

She worked for Thousand Oaks for 31 years, including positions in the Community Development Department, where she met her husband, and the City Clerk's Office. She also served as deputy city manager; community service manager, where she oversaw youth and senior programs; and as ombudsman, helping businesspeople and residents navigate the "sometimes challenging permitting process," she said.

She retired from the city in December 2005 only to shift gears.

"I was on the Hospice board, and we were looking for a replacement for Ed Troupe, Hospice's executive director and well-known ambassador, who was retiring. When we couldn't find one, someone suggested I do it," she said.

Away from Hospice, the activist, who has a developmentally disabled son, joined the board of the Ventura County Association for Retarded Citizens, acting as ARC vice president and representative for the Conejo Valley.

Prescott's husband, John, is Thousand Oaks' community development director, and she has three adult children and two grandchildren.

The Conejo group is one of 200 volunteer hospices in the United States, according to Prescott. Hospice may help clients even several years before their death by seeing that they register for untapped aid like food and medical care; serve as interim watchers while caretakers take a break; or even repair a roof.

The organization covers Calabasas, Agoura, Oak Park, Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, Moorpark and Simi Valley.

Prescott's wish list for Hospice includes a drop-in center, Spanish-speaking support network and more volunteers from different cultures.

As Hospice works on its 31st year, the financial picture is a barometer of maturity.

"I think Hospice has done an amazing job for 30 years. Now, we want to reach out even more into the community," she said.