The hospice social movement, which emerged as a new social movement based on the ideals of providing a more humane and natural approach towards death, illness, and grief, led to the creation of community-based hospice programs across Canada. This single case study explored the factors that influenced the life course of a small, community-based hospice (Hospice Orillia) from its beginning in 1987 to 2017. A preliminary timeline was created through a review of secondary data sources which identified milestones, events and individuals who were in leadership roles in the organization. This information was then used to recruit nine key informants who participated in semi-structured interviews. Through thematic analysis, the interviews identified that the organization’s geographic location, its relationship to the formal health care system, its ability to access funding, and issues regarding advocacy and awareness all played key roles in how it developed over the years, leading to its eventual decline. / Graduate