Welcome Home Chattanooga receives $50,000 donation

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (WDEF) — A local non-profit hospice organization received a hefty donation that is expected to help hospice volunteers as well as make improvements to the home where the hospice care is administered.

On Monday, Welcome Home Chattanooga received a check for $50,000 from the Multifamily Coalition for Affordable Housing; an organization based out of Detroit.

"We are so grateful and so happy. This just came as a burst of energy for us," said Welcome Home Chattanooga Director Sherry Campbell.

Welcome Home Chattanooga began providing hospice care back in the spring thanks to a three-year grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield. It’s located inside a four bedroom home that is used to help terminally ill patients die in a comfortable setting. The majority of it’s clients are homeless or people who have no families to be with.

The hospice organization also just became a part of the AmeriCorp organization that has a program aimed at helping veterans. The non-profit hospice is currently housing three terminally ill clients; two of which are military veterans. It just so happens that the man who presented the check is also a veteran who understands the plight many homeless veterans are facing.

"No one should die alone. We like the fact that Welcome Home Chattanooga help us to fulfill our mission. Plus I’m a retired Navy man and Welcome Home gives priority to veterans," said Multifamily Coalition for Affordable Housing Board President Jack Zollinger.

Zollinger also told WDEF he was impressed with the work the Hospice volunteers were doing over the past six months.

"From everything I can see, it’s a complete success. We’re hoping that this publicity will encourage other individuals and companies around area to pony up and donate also," Zollinger said.

Campbell told WDEF the donated money will go to good use.

"It enables us to give some of our volunteers a small living stipend as well as educational money if they serve a certain amount of time. It also provides us some money for revamping our bathroom to make it more handicapped accessible," Campbell said.

Campbell told WDEF the hospice currently has more than 80 people who volunteer to help take care of terminally ill clients, but they could always use more volunteers.