Fisher House Foundation
Encyclopedia
Fisher House Foundation is best known for the network of comfort homes built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. The Fisher Houses are 5,000 to 16800 square feet (1,560.8 m²) homes, donated to the military and Department of Veterans Affairs, where families can stay while a loved one is receiving treatment. Additionally, the Foundation ensures that families of service men and women wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan are not burdened with unnecessary expense during a time of crisis.
Located in close proximity to the medical center or hospital it serves, each Fisher House consists of between 8 and 21 suites, with private bedrooms and baths. Families share a common kitchen, laundry facilities, spacious dining room and an inviting living room with a library and toys for children. Fisher House Foundation ensures that there is no fee to stay in a Fisher House. Since inception, the program has saved military and veteran families an estimated $165 million in out of pocket costs for lodging and transportation.
Fisher House Foundation operates the Hero Miles Program, using donated frequent flyer miles to bring family members to the bedside of injured service members. To date Hero Miles has provided over 22,000 airline tickets to our military and their families. The Foundation also manages a grant program that supports other military charities and scholarship funds for military children, spouses and children of fallen and disabled veterans.
and his wife Elizabeth. The first "Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher House" was opened in Bethesda, Maryland at National Naval Medical Center on 24 June 1990. President George H. W. Bush
and Mrs. Barbara Bush
opened the second Fisher House at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. To date, the program consists of 54 houses located near Veterans Affairs hospitals and military installations across the country and at one United States
military installations in Europe
. From these locations, Fisher House serves more than 12,000 military families per year. The Fisher House program plans to build several more lodging facilities to complete its nationwide support network.
Fisher Houses are given to the United States Government as gifts by the Fisher House Foundation. Each house is designed to provide eight to 21 family suites. The houses accommodate 16 to 42 family members. They feature a common kitchen, laundry facilities, spacious dining room, and a family style living room with a library. Toys are provided for the younger children.
Fisher Houses are a temporary residence, not a treatment facility, hospice
or counseling center. They are normally within walking distance of a military or Veterans Affairs hospital. They are designed to be comfortable temporary home, manned by caring volunteers who help family members endure the stresses associated with serious long-term medical conditions or injuries. Fisher House enables families to stay together, cook meals, do chores, and relax in a home-like environment. The nominal service fee charged Fisher House guests is always lower than other military lodging facilities and much lower than commercial hotels. There is no charge to stay at any of the Fisher Houses.
Since Federal law prohibited the military from paying for the personal travel of service members and their families, Fisher House expanded its support to include airline tickets. Through a program call Operation Hero Miles, Fisher House now gives away free airline tickets to help military families reunite with hospitalized service members.
founded in 1990 by Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher. The Foundation funded construction of Fisher House facilities near military hospitals and Vertans Affairs medical centers. In addition to building new houses, the Foundation educates the public about the Fisher House program, raised funds to support and expand the Fisher House network, and helps individual military families in need. For example, families of patients at any military hospital can receive up-to-the-minute reports on a loved one by going to the patient's own customized web-page available through an on-line system called CaringBridge which is funded by the Foundation. The Fisher House Foundation and many individual Fisher Houses receive financial support from the Combined Federal Campaign
.
As a young man, Zachary Fisher was severely injured in a construction accident. When Japan
attacked Pearl Harbor
on 7 December 1941, he tried to enlist, but was rejected by the military due to his injury. Since he was unable to join the military, he decided to help the war effort by building coastal fortifications for United States Army Corps of Engineers
.
After World War II
, Fisher built a successful construction business. He also continued to look for ways to support America and its men and women in uniform. In 1988, in response to the attack on the USS Stark in the Persian Gulf
, Fisher and his wife Elizabeth established the Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher Armed Services Foundation, to provide financial assistance to needy members of the Armed Forces and their dependents. Since then, the Foundation has provided substantial direct payments to families of service members killed or injured in the line of duty. The Foundation also provides college scholarships for dependents of military personnel.
In 1990, the Fishers decided to build a comfortable home-like lodging facility to house families of patients undergoing treatment at a military hospital. The home was located in Portsmouth, Virginia, and was called the "Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher House". The Fisher House was designed to accommodate eight families and was fully furnished as a comfortable home. The current Fisher House program and its network of houses grew out of that initial project.
Fisher died on 4 June 1999, but the Fisher House Foundation continues to build Fisher Houses and carry on the Fisher legacy of helping military men and women and their families.
. The Fisher House Foundation plans to increase the number of facilities as resources become available.
For a complete list of Fisher Houses, their locations and contact information, please visit the Fisher House Foundation website at http://fisherhouse.org/houses/.
Located in close proximity to the medical center or hospital it serves, each Fisher House consists of between 8 and 21 suites, with private bedrooms and baths. Families share a common kitchen, laundry facilities, spacious dining room and an inviting living room with a library and toys for children. Fisher House Foundation ensures that there is no fee to stay in a Fisher House. Since inception, the program has saved military and veteran families an estimated $165 million in out of pocket costs for lodging and transportation.
Fisher House Foundation operates the Hero Miles Program, using donated frequent flyer miles to bring family members to the bedside of injured service members. To date Hero Miles has provided over 22,000 airline tickets to our military and their families. The Foundation also manages a grant program that supports other military charities and scholarship funds for military children, spouses and children of fallen and disabled veterans.
Military care
The Fisher House program was established by Zachary FisherZachary Fisher
Zachary Fisher was a prominent Jewish American philanthropist in the New York real estate community and a major philanthropic benefactor for the men and women in the United States Armed Forces and their families, as well as numerous other not-for-profit organizations.He founded the Fisher House...
and his wife Elizabeth. The first "Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher House" was opened in Bethesda, Maryland at National Naval Medical Center on 24 June 1990. President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
and Mrs. Barbara Bush
Barbara Bush
Barbara Pierce Bush is the wife of the 41st President of the United States George H. W. Bush, and served as First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993. She is the mother of the 43rd President George W. Bush and of the 43rd Governor of Florida Jeb Bush...
opened the second Fisher House at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. To date, the program consists of 54 houses located near Veterans Affairs hospitals and military installations across the country and at one United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military installations in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. From these locations, Fisher House serves more than 12,000 military families per year. The Fisher House program plans to build several more lodging facilities to complete its nationwide support network.
Fisher Houses are given to the United States Government as gifts by the Fisher House Foundation. Each house is designed to provide eight to 21 family suites. The houses accommodate 16 to 42 family members. They feature a common kitchen, laundry facilities, spacious dining room, and a family style living room with a library. Toys are provided for the younger children.
Hospice
Hospice is a type of care and a philosophy of care which focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's symptoms.In the United States and Canada:*Gentiva Health Services, national provider of hospice and home health services...
or counseling center. They are normally within walking distance of a military or Veterans Affairs hospital. They are designed to be comfortable temporary home, manned by caring volunteers who help family members endure the stresses associated with serious long-term medical conditions or injuries. Fisher House enables families to stay together, cook meals, do chores, and relax in a home-like environment. The nominal service fee charged Fisher House guests is always lower than other military lodging facilities and much lower than commercial hotels. There is no charge to stay at any of the Fisher Houses.
Since Federal law prohibited the military from paying for the personal travel of service members and their families, Fisher House expanded its support to include airline tickets. Through a program call Operation Hero Miles, Fisher House now gives away free airline tickets to help military families reunite with hospitalized service members.
Foundation
The Fisher House Foundation is a non-profit organizationNon-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
founded in 1990 by Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher. The Foundation funded construction of Fisher House facilities near military hospitals and Vertans Affairs medical centers. In addition to building new houses, the Foundation educates the public about the Fisher House program, raised funds to support and expand the Fisher House network, and helps individual military families in need. For example, families of patients at any military hospital can receive up-to-the-minute reports on a loved one by going to the patient's own customized web-page available through an on-line system called CaringBridge which is funded by the Foundation. The Fisher House Foundation and many individual Fisher Houses receive financial support from the Combined Federal Campaign
Combined Federal Campaign
The Combined Federal Campaign is a program allowing certain charitable organizations to solicit contributions from employees of the federal government of the United States...
.
Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
attacked Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
on 7 December 1941, he tried to enlist, but was rejected by the military due to his injury. Since he was unable to join the military, he decided to help the war effort by building coastal fortifications for United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Fisher built a successful construction business. He also continued to look for ways to support America and its men and women in uniform. In 1988, in response to the attack on the USS Stark in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
, Fisher and his wife Elizabeth established the Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher Armed Services Foundation, to provide financial assistance to needy members of the Armed Forces and their dependents. Since then, the Foundation has provided substantial direct payments to families of service members killed or injured in the line of duty. The Foundation also provides college scholarships for dependents of military personnel.
In 1990, the Fishers decided to build a comfortable home-like lodging facility to house families of patients undergoing treatment at a military hospital. The home was located in Portsmouth, Virginia, and was called the "Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher House". The Fisher House was designed to accommodate eight families and was fully furnished as a comfortable home. The current Fisher House program and its network of houses grew out of that initial project.
Fisher died on 4 June 1999, but the Fisher House Foundation continues to build Fisher Houses and carry on the Fisher legacy of helping military men and women and their families.
Locations
Currently, there are 54 Fisher Houses located on military installations and near veterans hospitals throughout the United States plus two at an American military base in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The Fisher House Foundation plans to increase the number of facilities as resources become available.
For a complete list of Fisher Houses, their locations and contact information, please visit the Fisher House Foundation website at http://fisherhouse.org/houses/.