News at St. Catherine's
Durbin Gill Emerson '69 helping VA patients' families
Durbin Gill Emerson '69 along with her husband Trux's desire to help veterans ultimately led to a $10 million campaign for a new lodging facility for families in Charleston, S.C.
Article from the Charleston Post & Courier
Diane Knich
Trux and Durbin Emerson’s desire to help veterans ultimately led to a $10 million campaign for a new lodging facility for families near the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center.
Diane Knich
Trux and Durbin Emerson’s desire to help veterans ultimately led to a $10 million campaign for a new lodging facility for families near the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center.
The Fisher House, similar in concept to a Ronald McDonald House, could open as early as next year on the site of the former McAlister-Smith Funeral Home at 150 Wentworth St.
The Charleston VA hospital soon will build the Fisher House Charleston at 150 Wentworth St. The old funeral home at the site will be torn down to make room for the facility, which is like a Ronald McDonald House where patients’ families can stay. Brad Nettles/Staff Family members of patients at the hospital will be able to stay for free in the 14,000-square-foot facility, which will include 16 bedroom suites and common kitchen, living and dining areas, said Trux Emerson, who retired from a residential real estate career and now lives on Kiawah Island.
The house will help many families who can’t afford Charleston’s hotel rates, and it also will offer guests a supportive environment. “It will have a personality and life of its own,” Emerson said. “It’s very healing.” The idea to open a Fisher House originally came from U.S. Marine Corps, Maj. Gen. James Livingston, a Medal of Honor recipient. Emerson met with Livingston to brainstorm different ideas, and Livingston told him the area desperately needed a Fisher House. Emerson said he originally thought about organizing a golf tournament to raise about $30,000 for a good cause. But he ultimately got swept up into fundraising for the Fisher House and has helped raise $8 million of the required $10 million for the project.
The Fisher House Foundation operates 50 facilities in the U.S. and abroad, and five more are under construction, according to the foundation’s website. The foundation has recognized the need for 17 more, including one in Charleston, but the Charleston effort faced an unusual problem.
Fisher Houses must be built on federal land, and there weren’t any suitable parcels of federal land large enough near the city’s VA hospital, Emerson said. So the Emersons raised $4 million and purchased the land on Wentworth Street, which they are donating to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The Fisher House Foundation will build the facility, which is expected to cost about $6 million. Emerson said he currently is waiting for the federal government to officially accept the land, and he’s not sure how long that will take. After it’s accepted, construction can begin.
Spokeswoman Tonya Lobbestael said the Charleston VA hospital, which serves the coast from North Carolina to Hinesville, Ga., has hoped for a Fisher House for years. Currently, many family member have to make long daily trips to visit patients, while others rack up big bills at local hotels or simply stay in their loved one’s room. Emerson said he hopes the house can open its doors by Christmas 2017, but that might be wishful thinking.
“We’re ready to go as soon as we’re given the green light.”
Located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, St. Catherine’s School is a private, all-girls pre-K, kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school. We provide a well-rounded educational experience for girls from communities across Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico and all of central Virginia. St.Catherine’s all-girls educational experience is rooted in more than a century of history and tradition. From our revolutionary past to our dynamic present, St. Catherine’s has always focused on preparing students for a boundless future.
