Valley residents help raise roof on Terry’s House

“Raising the roof” on Terry’s House got a little easier with the help of hundreds of Valley residents and businesses who pledged their help during the KMPH Fox 26 telethon on June 8. 

Sponsored by KMPH 26 and Pappas Telecasting, the telethon raised additional funds that pushed the total of contributions close to the $3 million mark. These funds will help in building Terry’s House, a home away from home for families with loved ones receiving care at Community Regional Medical Center. The facility will be located on the southwest corner of Fresno and R streets, within walking distance of Community Regional. 

Telethon hosts Monty Torres and Ashley Ritchie spent an hour and a half highlighting stories about families who were in need of housing and comfort while their loved ones were hospitalized. Many of these patients and their families were on hand to give accounts of how helpful a place like Terry’s House will be for those who might need it in the future.

KMPH 26 telethon hosts Ashley Ritchie and Monty Torres (l to r) greet Marie and Terry Richards during the live telethon on June 8.

Thanks to Community donor-investor Tom Richards and The Penstar Group, this dream has become a reality. Terry’s House is named after Richards’ brother, Terry Richards, who experienced a serious trauma at age 5 when he was in a car accident. For nearly five months his mother traveled about 80 miles a day to see him while he was recovering.

Tom Richards’ motivation is to alleviate some of the stress that families like his experience in difficult times. Terry’s House will offer convenient and affordable lodging – a suggested fee will be available for those who can pay, and waived for those not able to pay. An endowment is being set up to help cover those costs.

The facility is a 17,000 square-foot, two-story home and will have two stairways and an elevator, wide corridors and ample windows to offer an open, comforting and healing environment. Groundbreaking is set for summer and completion of the facility is targeted for this winter.

Telethon host Monty Torres (left) asks Chase, Summer and Darian Bourez, of Lindsay, about how Terry's House would have helped them when Chase was critically injured last year.

Other donor-investors who have stepped forward to help with Terry’s House include Bank of America, Lennar Homes, Weber BMW, PEAK Broadcasting, Howe Electric, The Pilobos family, Premier Valley Bank, Fresno Fire Chief’s Foundation, the Dan Lion family, G.L. Bruno Family Foundation, CBS Outdoors, United Security Bank, Michael F. and Melissa Der Manouel, Matty Matoian, Dr. Suzanne V. McDiarmid and The Shakers of Community Medical Foundation.

Services Terry’s House will support include burn, trauma, cardiac, neurology, high-risk pregnancies and deliveries and other areas that require extended hospital stays.

Construction of Terry’s House is entirely dependent upon private gifts and contributions.

For more information, visit TerrysHouseFresno.com – where online giving is now available – or call 559-459-2648.

This story was reported by Mary Lisa Russell. She can be reached at mrussell@communitymedical.org.

Monday, June 09, 2008