A MEMORIAL DAY MESSAGE FROM FISHER HOUSE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
About noon on March 29 eight families were comfortably settling down for the weekend at our Long Beach Fisher House when an alarming call came into the manager’s office. Apparently, the gas line servicing our house on the adjacent construction site had been cut and all residents needed to be evacuated immediately. The manager of the House knew where to turn for help on short notice. She remembered hearing at a Fisher House Southern California Board meeting that we were providing overflow housing when needed at a local hotel. She called, not the VA or the Medical Center, but me, President of Fisher House Southern California.
“Can you find our families a place to stay tonight?” she asked, “like you do when we have an overflow?”
“We can,” I answered, “what’s up?”
When she told me what had happened, I immediately put her in touch with coordinator for these activities and she was able to accommodate all eight families for the night. Luckily they had room. Staff packed up the families and got them transferred to the hotel, where they settled in for the night, out of harms way and at no cost to them, since we paid the bill.
It is support like yours that has enabled us to assist our Fisher House families in such times of emergency. Whether it’s a shortage of room in one of our Houses, a shortage of food, clothing or toiletries; whether it’s books or games or toys for the kids. Each year we are able to provide such assistance to our Fisher House families in Long Beach, Camp Pendleton and San Diego, but we can do it only with your help.
As we remember our courageous military families this Memorial Day, I hope we can count on you again to support our Fisher House families here in Southern California – you can donate online by clicking the “Donate Now” button above, or by submitting a check to the address below. Your support makes a huge difference in the safety, comfort, convenience and camaraderie of the families in our Houses. On behalf of the thousands of Fisher House guests you help support here in Southern California every year, I send our genuine appreciation.
Sincerely,
Steven T. Kuykendall, President/CEO and
The Board of Directors of
Fisher House Southern California, Inc.
400 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 2403
Long Beach, CA 90802
