Timeline
- October 2000: Fact-finding trip to Pittsburgh Family House
- September 2001: Commitment from UNC Board of Trustees for 25-year lease on 6.2-acre site next to Ronald McDonald House ($25 per year)
- January 2002-May 2005: Major financial commitments secured from Wachovia, RBC Centura, Dickens Foundation, and Reynolds Foundation
- May 2005: SECU Foundation of NC offers $2M challenge gift
- June 2006: Ceremonial Groundbreaking
- January 2007: Official Groundbreaking
- March 2008: Opening Day
The vision for SECU Family House was kindled in 2001 by a small group of volunteers who recognized the need for extending hospitality, hope, and support to families of critical care patients. The leading light was Dr. Mark Johnson who, as director of UNC Hospitals' Liver Transplant program, daily witnessed the critical need for such a facility. Mark's parents, Paula and Bob Johnson, together with a few other key organizers, visited similar hospitality houses in Pittsburgh and Atlanta, sought support from hospital and university administrators, and recruited prominent community members to help advance the cause.
The state of North Carolina, through UNC-Chapel Hill, joined the effort with a 20-year lease of $25 per year on 5.85 acres immediately adjoining the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill site. In May 2005, the members of the State Employee's Credit Union via the NC SECU Foundation made a $2 million challenge grant to Family House. Thanks to the time and energy of many dedicated and compassionate folks, that challenge was met and the dream began to take shape.
In addition to the SECU Foundation, major gifts have come from the State of North Carolina, William G. Clark III, UNC Hospitals, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, Amgen, the Duke Endowment, RBC Centura, Wachovia, UNC Hospitals' Volunteer Association, the Anna Family/Resolute Companies Charitable Fund, Wittenbach Business Systems, and many, many others.
Ground was broken in late 2006 and construction for SECU Family House was underway. Nearly fifteen months later, in March of 2008, SECU Family House became a member of the National Association of Hospitality Houses (NAHHH) and opened wide its front doors to the UNC Hospitals' medical community. Thousands of pre- and post- surgical patients from the oncology, burn, eating disorder, trauma, and transplant units, as well as their families and caregivers, now find a home-away-from-home while they receive extended-stay medical treatment.
Currently, SECU Family House is supported by a Board of Directors that is comprised of local community members, medical personnel, entrepreneurs, retirees, and volunteers. Four full-time staff, a live-in resident manager, and several part-time weekend managers ensure that there is support on site 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. More than 60 active volunteers help keep the House running, neat, and organized.
Join our mission and help us serve the patients and families who find a temporary home among us. Whether you are interested in serving as a volunteer, donor, or community supporter in general, Family House needs you. We look forward to welcoming you inside our front door!