…to an open house event on Sunday, October 2, 2011, to introduce the new facility at 611 Fortune St., in Charlotte, NC. Participants were impressed by the attractive curb appeal, welcoming environment, calming décor, generously sized kitchen, and overall appearance of cleanliness and tidiness. Folks that were familiar with the old house on Park Rd. commented on how much bigger and brighter the new house looked.
Samaritan House Board members were on hand to greet open house guests and tour them around the house. The board also provided delicious snacks and punch for guests (along with a gift of cookies from Nona’s Bakery and flowers from Doo-A-Little Florist). Volunteers Carol Lillard and Dana Woodward decorated the house with fall colors and also helped serve the food.
Michael Rose, of the Carolinas Medical Health Care Foundation, was present for the formal dedication of the Carolinas Medical Health Care Foundation Sunroom, and also represented the Levine Foundation for the dedication of the Levine Foundation Dining Room. Samaritan House Director Brad Goforth thanked both of these organizations for generous grant support which made the purchase of the house possible.
During the dedication of the sunroom, Brad noted that many of our guests with cancer need to be in bright light. The sunroom makes this possible even in winter when it’s not comfortable to be out on the deck. This is a big improvement over the old house which was quaint, but quite dark.
During the dedication of the dining room, Michael Rose remarked, “ A lot of people come through my office with good ideas, but most aren’t going to go beyond the planning stage.” He remembered meeting Ruth Woodend and Freda Schlaman for the first time in 2004, two ladies with a good idea. He told us all how very glad he is personally and on behalf of the CMC Health Care Foundation to partner with Samaritan House now and in years to come.
The new Samaritan House is able to accommodate guests on crutches and in wheelchairs. This has contributed to a large increase in the number of guests being served, from an average of 190 guests nights per month to more than 225 guests nights per month.
