FISHER HOUSE - HELPING MILITARY FAMILIES

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When Connie May’s son Tim was deployed along with 35 others from his Marine reserve unit, she needed something to take her mind off the situation. As a family readiness assistant for the military police unit from North Versailles, she was already involved in helping military families, and knew that many members of the Alpine Hunting and Fishing Club in South Fayette were interested in helping out and had done smaller projects in the past.

They decided to take on a bigger event and plan a military benefit that would contribute to the Fisher House Pittsburgh. The first annual Yellow Ribbon Military Benefit Dinner and Dance will be held at the Alpine Hunting and Fishing Club banquet room this Saturday. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the club is located on Alpine Road off of Washington Pike.

The $50 per person donation includes hors d’oeuvres, dinner, beer, wine, and beverages, dessert, dancing, and a brown bag auction. Prizes include golf foursomes, Steeler memorabilia, a flight in a private jet, and more.

“We have about 150 people coming right now, but the place can take up to 200,” said May. Tickets can still be obtained by contacting Connie at 412-341-4628 or cjmay2@aol.com.  

The Fisher House is a “home away from home” for military families who want to be close to their loved ones when they are receiving medical treatment in a VA hospital. Due to donations, no family pays for their stay and they also accommodate veterans receiving regular outpatient care.

Pittsburgh’s Fisher House is slated to be built on the property behind the medical center at University Drive and will be the first in Pennsylvania.

“The ground breaking is planned to happen by the end of the year,” said Lisa Fitzsimmons, social worker at the VA Hospital and Fisher House liaison.

The Fisher Houses vary in size and Pittsburgh's will have 9 suites with a common living and kitchen area to accommodate 18 people at a time. There’s currently 45 Fisher Houses that serve over 12,000 military families each year, saving them nearly $150 million in lodging fees, transportation costs, and more.

Half of the funding needed for a new house is provided by the Fisher House Foundation and they look to the local communities to raise the other half.

"We’re very grateful that they are having this event,” said Fitzsimmons. "I have talked to people who have stayed in Fisher Houses across the country and they are really grateful for the benefit."

Donations can be done online at www.fisherhouse.org or you can email Lisa.Fitzsimmons@va.gov for more information on the Fisher House Pittsburgh.

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