OUR IMPACT Keeping military and veteran families together
2020
keeping families connected For 30 years, Fisher Houses have provided a home away from home, at no cost to military and veteran families, allowing them to be together while their loved ones receive medical care at military and VA medical centers around the world. Front cover: Afghanistan veteran Alec Alcoser recalls being medically evacuated to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and being reunited with his working dog, Alex. Both were presented Purple Hearts after being injured in a firefight in 2018. Photo by Craig Orsini.
Love is good medicine Because of your support, there are 91 Fisher Houses operating around the world. Since 1990, we’ve served more than 413,000 military and veteran families, saving them more than $525 million. On any given night, more than 1,200 families can now stay in a Fisher House. Thanks to you and despite the challenges of 2020, military and veteran families could rely on Fisher House to help them stay connected and together during a medical crisis. Even with capacity restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 13,000 families stayed at Fisher Houses. Your continued generosity saved families more than $25 million. You kept families together virtually by gifting 236 Facebook Portal systems, serving thousands of veterans at 113 medical facilities. Throughout the pandemic, our Hero Programs remained active, providing flights and hotel rooms when Fisher Houses were not available. When someone walks through the door of a Fisher House, we want them to know the American public appreciates their service, honors their sacrifice, and is there to help them in their time of need. Fisher House is here for our military heroes and their loved ones, now and for generations to come.
Navy Petty Officer Aashis Luitel and his wife, Bivasha Saroj, celebrated their first anniversary and welcomed their son, Aaron, at Brooke Army Medical Center Fisher House.
The Gaspar Family
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FISHER HOUSES
In November 2019, Air Force Maj. Ian Gaspar’s wife, Kimberly, was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. Ian, Kimberly, and their three children left Kadena Air Base, Japan, for what they knew would be a lengthy stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The Gaspars spent the first half of 2020 at Fisher House enduring the challenges of being away from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kimberly was able to receive her treatment while having her husband and children nearby and the children were able to know that their mother was safe. Despite the challenges of 2020, Fisher Houses across the country were still there for military and veteran families. Safety precautions merged with the comfort of a home away from home throughout the Fisher House network for our guests, staff, and volunteers. “A safe, warm and supportive, communal household where we could keep our family intact and persevere while my wife received her much-needed care at the hospital, which was a few minutes’ walk
Since 1990, Fisher
away,” said Ian. “For that, we will always be grateful for the support
Houses have saved
given by Fisher House Foundation.”
more than 413,000 military and veteran families over $525 million.
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COVID-19
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the Department of Veterans Affairs instituted its pandemic plans at all hospitals, leading to the temporary closure of some Fisher Houses. As leaders shifted staff to help veterans in the hardest hit areas, they asked if the closed Fisher Houses could temporarily be converted to support healthcare workers caring for our veterans. Fisher House Foundation quickly agreed, allowing nurses like Ed Roberts to keep their families safe while working the long hours necessary to support veterans and their families. Ed is a registered nurse who was supporting elective procedures at the VA’s Jamaica Plain facility in Boston, Massachusetts, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Because his wife was in the middle of a tough cancer fight, he reluctantly planned to use saved leave and sit out the first wave of the COVID-19 fight. When he was told that he could still Sixteen VA Fisher
the Fisher House, he leapt at the chance. His work there helped prevent
Houses pivoted
infections within the hospital by supporting incoming patients as they
to support
were tested.
frontline health care professionals
“I definitely wanted to fight COVID-19 with everybody else,” he said.
providing more than
“So, I’m proud to do it. And I was only able to really, because of the
3,168 nights of lodging
opportunity here at Fisher House.”
during the pandemic.
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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CRAIG ORSINI.
join the effort at the West Roxbury VA just six miles away, and stay at
healthcare heroes 7
Added in 2020 ★ ★(2) ★ VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System; Ann Arbor, MI
VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System; Omaha, NE
★ ★
★(2) ★(2)
★
VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System; Aurora, CO— replacement house
★
Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center; Richmond, VA—second house
★ ★ ★ ★(2)
★
★
★ ★ ★
New Orleans VA Medical Center; New Orleans, LA
★(4)
★(2)
Hershel Woody Williams VA Medical Center; Huntington, WV
★(2)
(3)★★
★
★(2) ★
★
★
★
★(2) ★(2) ★
★
★
★
(5)★★
★★(2) ★ ★
★
★
★★ ★ ★ ★ ★
91 FISHER
HOUSES (and counting*) ACROSS 35 STATES, THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND EUROPE
★ ★
★
★★
★(3)
★
★(2) ★
★
★
★ ★Birmingham, UK
★
★★(2) ★ = existing houses ★ = houses under construction ■ New states in the Fisher House network Numbers in parentheses indicate multiple houses at one location.
★ ★
★(2)
Landstuhl, Germany
* As of May 1, 2021
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SCHOLARSHIPS
Students across the country had to reckon with a tumultuous end to the 2019-2020 school year as the COVID-19 pandemic hit. They faced uncertain conditions when they entered or returned to colleges, either remotely or in-person. Fisher House Foundation’s scholarship program was there for them regardless of the location. Heroes’ Legacy Scholarships and Scholarships for Military Children helped students like Morgan State University sophomore Dexter Carr, Jr. (center, bottom row) with financial assistance to meet their educational goals. “This scholarship means a lot to me because it significantly helps me to further my education and my progress to becoming a physical therapist. When I become a physical therapist, I want to help people, especially people who have served in our armed Fisher House Foundation awarded over $2.3 million in scholarships in 2020, helping more than 1,150 students achieve their educational goals.
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forces.”
students across the
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The Chandler Family 12
HERO PROGRAMS
Erica and Nathan Chandler were looking forward to the birth of their little boy when they learned Erica would need an emergency cesarean section at just 35 weeks. The premature birth caused a few health problems for their baby, Henry. Most alarmingly, he would sometimes stop breathing when eating or sitting in a car seat. Erica and Nathan stayed at a hotel as they waited to take Henry home, but they were spending a lot of money to stay 20 minutes away from him. Fisher House’s Hotels for Heroes program stepped in and was able to get them a new, closer room at no cost to them. “I had gotten a room and check-in was at 3 p.m., and I called the hotel at noon, crying because I was so tired,” Erica said. “And the woman was like, ‘Honey, come now. We have a room for you. Just
Hotel for Heroes,
come.’ They didn’t care that we were early. She even had a nice
which uses donated
setup for me in the room with water and snacks.”
hotel points, and Hero Miles, which uses donated frequent flier miles to purchase airline tickets, have saved nearly $116 million for military and veteran families since inception.
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Because of you, families stayed connected through an unprecedented year, even if that meant finding new and creative ways to do so. Honoring the service and sacrifice of all those who have served in our nation’s uniform is a sacred responsibility, and the loved ones who serve by their side deserve our unwavering support.
thanks to you...
At Fisher Houses across the country, you showed up with donated groceries and cleaning supplies. You provided gift cards and individually packaged meals. Despite the difficulties of being physically separated, we still found a way to wrap our arms around the Fisher House community. We know that you will be there as the need grows. You give the necessary resources to ensure this program will be here for generations to come. Thanks to your support, in 2020, we expanded the Fisher House network from 86 homes to 91, giving a home away from home to veterans and their families in Michigan, Nebraska, Louisiana, and West Virginia. Your generosity has helped families reach the bedsides of injured service members, helped caregivers stay with their veterans during long hospital stays, and helped children reach their educational goals. We met challenges together step-by-step, and we look forward to the opportunities that await.
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HOUSES UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND IN DESIGN: Kansas City VA Medical Center—Kansas City, MO Bay Pines VA Healthcare System—Bay Pines, FL Columbia VA Health Care System—Columbia, SC Lexington VA Health Care System—Lexington, KY
Fisher House Foundation, Inc. 12300 Twinbrook Pkwy Suite 410 Rockville, MD 20852 (888) 294-8560
www.fisherhouse.org