Fisher House Foundation is best known for a network of comfort homes where military and veterans’ families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment.
These homes are located at major military and VA medical centers nationwide, close to the medical center or hospital they serve. Fisher Houses
have up to 21 suites, with private bedrooms and baths. Families share a
common kitchen, laundry facilities, a warm dining room and an inviting
living room. Fisher House Foundation ensures that there is never a
lodging fee. Since inception, the program has saved military and
veterans’ families an estimated $282 million in out of pocket costs for
lodging and transportation.
Fisher House Foundation also operates the Hero Miles program, using donated frequent flyer miles to bring family members to the bedside of injured service members as well as the Hotels for Heroes program
using donated hotel points to allow family members to stay at hotels
near medical centers without charge. The Foundation also manages a grant program that supports other military charities and scholarship funds for military children, spouses and children of fallen and disabled veterans.
http://www.fisherhouse.org/site/assets/files/2887/fish_onepagefactsheet.pdf
From the hand of USAF Retired Major Kathryn M. Fiddler
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| Mother and daughter take a water break after the race "Running on Insulin 2015" in Salisbury, MD. |
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| Majors Kathryn Fiddler and Bill Mills of Dover AFB cross the finish line in the 2008 Marine Corps Marathon. The two officers were running to raise funds for Dover AFB Team Fisher House. |
Why we run…..
In the 70s and early 80s my mom ran with her best friend Linda. They ran in rain, sleet, snow. They talked, they solved life’s mysteries and figured the key to world peace. They ran each Thanksgiving in the Manchester Turkey Trot…. They were renegades, running with sneakers, before there were multiple brands, colors, styles. They ran to see what they could do together. They planned to run a marathon, the Marine Corp, one of the only ones available near us, until my mom got a stress fracture and had to take a break. After all that planning, life then got in the way. After a long break there were kids to get to college. These two incredible women put job changes, life changes and their plans to run the marathon on the back burner.
Fast forward to 2008. Samantha Davies, granddaughter of Mary Agnes, left home to join the USAF and attend the USAF Academy. I had just started running as a 40 year old woman who needed to get in shape, inspired by my mom’s efforts 30 years ago. After a few months of running 3 miles a day, a friend in my unit at Dover asked “would you be interested in running in a marathon?” We have a team for Fisher House. We can run together. After a long laugh at the impossible, I learned that Fisher House is similar to Ronald McDonald House, a non-profit charity that allows our injured military members a place to recover and a place for their families to stay, a home away form their home. Fisher Houses are located throughout the country and the world. This was a charity that was part of me, something that may be a resource for my daughter and her family. I was in.
I decided to join the team. I know you all may be questioning my sanity, but I thought, if my daughter can make it at the Air Force Academy for a year, surely I could run for a few hours, right? I was now a military mom, and wanted to make sure my daughter had the support and the resources for her and her family should she ever need them.
The first year I ran I had the greatest support system known to man, a husband, daughter, mother and father cheering me on. After months of dropping me off far from home, leaving water alongside the road, and meeting me at the Allen finish line for long runs, I ran the marathon, 26.2 miles.
After year one, my mom joined the team as well. With her lifelong desire to run in the Marine Corp Marathon, she signed up for the race as well. As the oldest yet most committed team member, Mary Agnes ran the 10k with Team Dover 512 AW. She trained with us, raised money with us and showed her stuff! She was a team inspiration for all of us, for the next three years!
So here we are 2015! On October 25, 2015, Mary Agnes is running in the Marine Corp Marathon 10K and I am running the 26.2. At every turn in our lives we have veterans, retires, and active duty officers we look to support through this race. We are doing all this to support Fisher House and each of our family members who served in the military.
What we need from each of you, the loyal blog readers, is your support. We would love words of encouragement, prayers, wishes for nice weather, and limited blisters. We are also asking that any of you who have the resources to support us financially, as we raise money for Fisher House please do. Any and all donations to support this amazing resource for our American military members and their families would be greatly appreciated.
This is a great event held in Washington DC. We are thrilled and honored to be running for ourselves, for our families, our veterans and active military! Thank you for your support and feel free to cheer us on in DC if you are in the area!
To Support Mary Agnes please go to her website
http://www.teamfisherhouse.org/goto/Mfiddler
In the 70s and early 80s my mom ran with her best friend Linda. They ran in rain, sleet, snow. They talked, they solved life’s mysteries and figured the key to world peace. They ran each Thanksgiving in the Manchester Turkey Trot…. They were renegades, running with sneakers, before there were multiple brands, colors, styles. They ran to see what they could do together. They planned to run a marathon, the Marine Corp, one of the only ones available near us, until my mom got a stress fracture and had to take a break. After all that planning, life then got in the way. After a long break there were kids to get to college. These two incredible women put job changes, life changes and their plans to run the marathon on the back burner.
Fast forward to 2008. Samantha Davies, granddaughter of Mary Agnes, left home to join the USAF and attend the USAF Academy. I had just started running as a 40 year old woman who needed to get in shape, inspired by my mom’s efforts 30 years ago. After a few months of running 3 miles a day, a friend in my unit at Dover asked “would you be interested in running in a marathon?” We have a team for Fisher House. We can run together. After a long laugh at the impossible, I learned that Fisher House is similar to Ronald McDonald House, a non-profit charity that allows our injured military members a place to recover and a place for their families to stay, a home away form their home. Fisher Houses are located throughout the country and the world. This was a charity that was part of me, something that may be a resource for my daughter and her family. I was in.
I decided to join the team. I know you all may be questioning my sanity, but I thought, if my daughter can make it at the Air Force Academy for a year, surely I could run for a few hours, right? I was now a military mom, and wanted to make sure my daughter had the support and the resources for her and her family should she ever need them.
The first year I ran I had the greatest support system known to man, a husband, daughter, mother and father cheering me on. After months of dropping me off far from home, leaving water alongside the road, and meeting me at the Allen finish line for long runs, I ran the marathon, 26.2 miles.
After year one, my mom joined the team as well. With her lifelong desire to run in the Marine Corp Marathon, she signed up for the race as well. As the oldest yet most committed team member, Mary Agnes ran the 10k with Team Dover 512 AW. She trained with us, raised money with us and showed her stuff! She was a team inspiration for all of us, for the next three years!
So here we are 2015! On October 25, 2015, Mary Agnes is running in the Marine Corp Marathon 10K and I am running the 26.2. At every turn in our lives we have veterans, retires, and active duty officers we look to support through this race. We are doing all this to support Fisher House and each of our family members who served in the military.
What we need from each of you, the loyal blog readers, is your support. We would love words of encouragement, prayers, wishes for nice weather, and limited blisters. We are also asking that any of you who have the resources to support us financially, as we raise money for Fisher House please do. Any and all donations to support this amazing resource for our American military members and their families would be greatly appreciated.
This is a great event held in Washington DC. We are thrilled and honored to be running for ourselves, for our families, our veterans and active military! Thank you for your support and feel free to cheer us on in DC if you are in the area!
To Support Mary Agnes please go to her website
http://www.teamfisherhouse.org/goto/Mfiddler
To Support Kathy
http://fhf.convio.net/goto/kfiddler
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