By Larry Dandridge
Miracle on Wentworth Street. The story of Fisher House Charleston is the story of miracles. It was a miracle that Trux and Durbin Emerson were found to lead the effort to raise the $4.5 million to buy the land to build the Fisher House Charleston.
It was a miracle that a core of influential supporters like USMC Major General (Retired and Medal of Honor Recipient) Jim Livingston, the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center (RHJVAMC) Past CEO/Director Carolyn Adams, and the RHJVA Medical Center (Past) Customer Service Manager Joy Fealy-Kalar volunteered to help lead the effort to bring a Fisher House to Charleston.
Finding the last piece of available property near the VA Medical Center to purchase was a miracle. Raising $4.5 million to buy 150 Wentworth Street and donating it to the VA was a miracle. And it was a miracle that Fisher House Charleston opened for business in January of 2018.
What is Fisher House Charleston?
The RHJVAMC Fisher House is a beautiful, three-story, and free home away from home for the eligible families of veterans (and some military members) receiving care at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center and Health Care System (RHJVAHCS). It is the first Fisher House built on private land, which was purchased by the 501c3, The Friends of Fisher House Charleston, Inc., and donated to the VA.
Location and Manager
The Fisher House Charleston is located at 150 Wentworth Street, Charleston, S.C. 28401. Erik Zielinski is the Fisher House Charleston Manager. Contact him at 843-805-8200 or erik.zielinski@va.gov.
Amenities
The Fisher House Charleston creates a warm and compassionate environment for families to find support from others in similar situations. Caring staff and volunteers are available to assist guests. It is a 15,000-square-foot home that offers 16 spacious guest rooms, each with a private bathroom.
Each room has a TV, DVD player, alarm clock, hair dryer, internet connection, and telephone for local calls. Guests share a fully-equipped kitchen, dining room with seating for 22, living room, family room with a flat-screen TV and toys for children, and outdoor patio. Other features include lighted and spacious parking, modern laundry facilities, Wi-Fi, and wheelchair accessibility.
Fisher House guests
The Fisher House Charleston welcomes guests who:
- Have a loved one receiving care at the RHUVHCS.
- Live 50 miles or more away from the medical facility.
- Can stay in a non-medical, unsupervised setting.
The guests stay there “free of charge,” for as long as necessary, while a family member is being treated at the RHJ VA Medical Center
Space-available guests
On a space-available basis, this facility is also available to veterans accompanied by family members while the veteran receives treatment at nearby hospitals through VA community care.
Making arrangements to stay
Families and veterans seeking Fisher House lodging should contact the veteran’s social worker or VA provider for a referral. Every veteran enrolled in VA healthcare has a VA Social Worker assigned to them. Learn about VA Social Workers in The Island News article dated July 21, 2021, by Larry Dandridge, at https://tinyurl.com/4vyen6jz.
When Fisher House Charleston is full
When the Fisher House is full, the wonderful local 501c3 non-profit “Friends of Fisher House Charleston” provides hotel nights and convenient transportation services.
More about the Friends of Fisher House Charleston
Not everything our veterans and their families need is supported by government-appropriated funds. It was the Friends of Fisher House Charleston who raised $4.5 million to buy the land on which Fisher House Charleston was built. They also raised more than $500 thousand to refurbish the Fisher House carriage house.
The Friends of Fisher House Charleston continue to raise money to support Fisher House Charleston. It will also be the Friends of Fisher House Charleston who will lead the way to find land and raise the funds to buy the land so that a second Fisher House Charleston can be built.
How to donate to the Friends of Fisher House Charleston
To make donations go to www.friendsoffisherhousecharleston.org and donate online or make checks payable to Friends of Fisher House Charleston, Inc. Mail donations to: Friends of Fisher House Charleston, Inc., P.O. Box 1678, Charleston, S.C. 29402-1678.
Other ways to Support the Fisher House Charleston
The Fisher House Charleston relies on support from individuals and groups to provide for the ongoing, daily needs, enhance the stay of guests, and expand programs. To support our military and veterans’ families at the Fisher House as a volunteer or with a donation, call 843-805-8200. If you want to cook a meal or provide a gift card for Fisher House guests, go to https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/986m8v
Wish list
Items on the RHJVAMC Fisher House Wish List reflect items that are either one-time needs or ongoing needs of the house. To drop off donations, call 843-805-8200.
Checks should be payable to the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System Fisher House with the memo section of the check indicating: Fisher House.
Gift Cards allow ease in picking up items needed for the Fisher House. Consider Wal-Mart, Harris Teeter, Publix, Target, Kohl’s, Home Depot, Lowes, or general VISA or MasterCard gift cards for Fisher House Charleston. Fisher House Charleston has an Amazon wish list at https://tinyurl.com/4xy2hcbz.
The Fisher House Program
The Fisher House Program is a unique private-public partnership between the Fisher House Foundation, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Defense that supports America’s military members and veterans. The Fisher House Foundation builds, furnishes, and donates these comfort homes.
Fisher Houses are located on or near major military and VA medical centers. The local community raises a portion of the construction costs, and the Fisher House Foundation contributes the rest.
Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher first recognized the need to provide “homes away from home” for families of hospitalized military men and women in 1990. Learn more at Fisher Foundation and the 96 current Fisher Houses at https://fisherhouse.org.
The Lowcountry needs another Fisher House
In 2023 the RHJHCS Fisher House maintained the third-highest occupancy in the VA system out of 45 other VA medical centers. The RHJVA Fisher House was also included in the top two VAs for total veterans’ families accommodated and served 1,246 veterans’ families.
The need for Fisher House rooms has outgrown availability. Our “Miracle on Wentworth Street” has been full for the past three months, with the Friends of Fisher House having to find hotel accommodations for many families of veterans in the RHJVA Medical Center.
Read more about Fisher House Charleston at https://www.va.gov/charleston-health-care/programs/fisher-house/ and https://fisherhouse.org/programs/houses/current-houses/.
Continued next week.
Larry Dandridge is a Vietnam War wounded warrior, disabled veteran, ex-Enlisted Infantryman, ex-Warrant Officer Pilot, and retired Lt. Colonel. He is a past Veterans Service Officer, a Patient Adviser at the RHJ VA Hospital, the Fisher House Charleston Good Will Ambassador, and the VP for Veteran Affairs for the local Army Association Chapter. Larry is the author of the award-winning book Blades of Thunder and a contributing free-lance writer with the Island News. Contact him at LDandridge@earthlink.net or 843-276-7164.
