Guest/Donor Spotlight - Terry Family (and Friends)

November 9, 2011

By: An example of how to "love thy neighbor"

Last month, a large van arrived in the large circle in front of SECU Family House. What emerged was not only a team of joyful volunteers from the Highland Baptist Church in the Cumberland County town of Hope Mills, NC, but also a wonderful mid-summer replenishment of supplies and "chefs" for a dinner that night for House guests.

Leading the coordination of the church’s "Mission Month for SECU Family House" were Jacquie Terry and Billy Terry, both former guests and relatives, who often stayed at the House at the same time while facing the daily challenges of their spouses’ treatments. Billy’s wife (and Jacquie’s sister), Lisa, passed away in April, 2009, after nearly a year of intermittent stays at SECU Family House and a 5 ½-year-long fight against leukemia. Jacquie’s husband Danny (Billy’s brother) passed away in May, 2009, after several months of treatment for pancreatic cancer at UNC Hospitals.

Although the extended Terry family had been supporting Family House from afar since Danny and Lisa had passed away, Jacquie and Billy encouraged their fellow church members to devote May’s "Mission Month" to in-kind support of Family House, a place that had been such a welcome retreat at a painful time in their lives. Earlier in the year, Jacquie invited Yvonne Knutson, our director of marketing and community relations, to speak at her church. Yvonne says that, when she arrived that Sunday evening for her presentation, she "quickly realized it was more of a family than a group of church members." Billy shared his story about what Family House meant to him when his wife Lisa and his brother Danny needed treatment far from home.

What started as an initiative to collect a few toiletries for guests became a much larger venture, including a sizeable collection of welcome bags, pantry staples including boxes of Splenda, sugars, baking goods, Ziploc bags, toilet paper and paper towels, a blender and a food processor. It was an added treat that these good folks from Hope Mills prepared a meal that night for Family House guests and stayed to visit with the families.

The Terry family’s continued involvement exemplifies the positive impact families have on Family House even after they have left. The generosity and kindness shown by this group is remarkable and will make a difference for many families who need Family House this summer and into the fall. This church embraces its call to love their neighbor.

If your church or community group would like to conduct a collection of Wish List items on behalf of Family House or invite a Family House staff member to share more information about what we offer, who we serve, and how you might help, please contact Yvonne Knutson, director of marketing and community relations, at Yvonne@secufamilyhouse.org or 919-932-8001.

Comments

No comments have been posted.

View all articles from SECU Family House at UNC Hospitals

Return to the overview page for SECU Family House at UNC Hospitals