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Debbie Carter, a schoolteacher for 37 years, calls Floyd, Virginia, her home. Debbie was teaching her regular high-school culinary arts class in 2014 when she received a phone call that changed the course of her life – her mammogram showed irregularities. Subsequent testing revealed that Debbie had breast cancer. Debbie sought care one and a half hours away from home at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem with oncologist Dr. Susan Melin, who guided Debbie and her husband, John, through the treatment plan. Debbie would require two surgeries, eight weeks of chemo, and six weeks of radiation. Knowing they were from out of town, the oncology team told the Carters about the SECU Family House. When they arrived, the Carters described the Family House as “clean, peaceful, and it had everything you could need.” They appreciated the friendly sta and the on-site amenities, namely the well-stocked kitchen, shuttle service, and library. Debbie and John felt blessed to have their adult daughters come to stay in their room for a few days at a time. But when they weren’t surrounded by family, they shared meals and conversations with other guests staying at the Family House. John said, “I met so many people who understood what we were going through.” Whether sitting across the table at bingo or in line for dinner, the Carters felt encouraged by their new friends, who came to feel like family. This sense of community and mutual support led the Carters to make their rst donation to the Family House. John described their reason for giving: “We are helping each other, helping our family. I suppose that’s why it is called the Family House.” Debbie added, “The last thing people need to think about when going through a medical crisis is the nancial burden of where they are going to stay. That’s why I give. It’s a worthy cause.”The Carters have been House Heroes--donors who give on a monthly or quarterly schedule--for six years. Their generosity ensures that patients and caregivers continue to have a safe, aordable, and comforting place to stay while receiving medical care in Winston-Salem. These days, Debbie is doing well. Her cancer is in remission, and she continues to come to Winston-Salem for regular checkups. People of faith, Debbie and John say, “We are blessed. And God bless you for considering a donation to the SECU Family House.” The Carters: From House Guests to House HeroesH USE MATTERS Spring 2023 “I met so many people who understood what we were going through.”
Serving in her sixth year on the board of the Family House, Heather Bolt Mikeal, Board Chair, has a personal connection to the Family House. When her cousin was in a bad car accident in 2014, she was airlifted from Heather’s hometown of Hillsville, Virginia, to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem. Family members rotated through Heather’s home while they anxiously awaited her cousin’s recovery. “I was like the Family House for my family,” Heather recounts as she shares about the numerous family members who stayed in her home in Winston-Salem. “Not everyone has a niece they can stay with. That’s what I tell people, and it really starts to sink in for them just how important the Family House is. It can be that home away from home for people. Everything is taken care of. There are meals, shuttle transportation, and volunteers to lend a helping hand or listening ear.”Heather has enjoyed attending previous Men Who Cook events, even hosting a private dining experience in her backyard when the pandemic changed plans for the event in 2020. She’s looking forward to another wonderful year of Men Who Cook, her favorite non-prot event of the year. “I’ve been to a lot of nonprot events, and I can say for sure that ours is the most fun. It’s a great time to socialize and, most importantly, our biggest fundraiser of the year. It shows you how important hospitality is to the fabric of Winston-Salem, and the Family House is such a good example of that.”Join Heather this year at our annual Men Who Cook event presented by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and HanesBrands on August 19 from 6:30–9:00 pm at Legacy Stables & Events in the Forsyth Barn. This unique fundraiser brings together local male amateur “chefs” and their cooking teams who battle it out to please the taste buds of nearly 400 hungry attendees. Participating chefs come from all sectors of the Winston-Salem community, from banking to clergy, lawyers to realtors, higher education to local media, and everything in between. Tickets are $100 for single admission and $1,250 for a reserved table (admits 10). Men Who Cook: More Than Just an Event 2022 HanesBrands team Steve Bratspies and Joe Cavaliere “Not everyone has a niece they can stay with. That’s what I tell people, and it really starts to sink in for them just how important the Family House is.”- Heather Bolt Mikeal, pictured at left with husband Peter MikealThank you to our presenting sponsors
SECU Ambassador volunteers from State Employees Credit Union (SECU) branches across the region have gone above and beyond to support guests at the Family House for over a decade. As one recent guest said, “Volunteers help us feel like we have a little bit of home with us that we left behind.”In the past year, SECU Ambassador volunteers devoted roughly 140 hours to leading in-kind donation drives at more than 20 SECU branches, and they delivered truckloads of supplies to the Family House. Thanks to their enthusiasm and generosity, we were able to oset signicant expenses for the rest of the year, and we are grateful for their passion and dedication.The Family House in Winston-Salem is a 501(c)3 nonprot, and we have received grants from the SECU Foundation, including a $2 million challenge grant to help fund construction. The Family House is not governed or funded by the SECU or SECU Foundation. SECU Ambassador Volunteers: Providing a Little Bit of HomeThe SECU Ambassadors have 35 volunteers in total, but only 8 of them are pictured. These volunteers from SECU branches have been providing exceptional support to guests at the Family House for more than 10 years.Since February 2021, Rev. Marilyn Hedgpeth has oered unwavering hospitality with warmth and generosity by providing homemade meals and serving as a dinner host. She has also broken new ground. In 2022, Marilyn worked with Lindley Curtis, the Family House’s Volunteer & Community Outreach Manager, to develop a new volunteer opportunity at the Family House, the Spiritual Care Volunteer. Marilyn, a recently retired Presbyterian Church (USA) minister, oered her expertise and gathered important information. Marilyn interviewed professional chaplains in hospitals and hospices, and she researched models and best practices to oer spiritual care and support through volunteers. Lindley reects, “Thanks to Marilyn’s many hours of research and her wealth of connections and expertise, this new volunteer role is one more way that the Family House is caring for the whole person—body, mind, and spirit.”Recognizing the signicance of Marilyn’s contribution and the potential impact of this new volunteer role, the Family House nominated her for a Forsyth County Volunteer Service Award, and we are thrilled that Marilyn won in the category of Faith-Based Volunteer for her service in 2022. Are you interested in learning more about the Spiritual Care Volunteer opportunity? Contact Lindley.Curtis@familyhousews.org or call 336-569-8339 for more information. Marilyn Hedgpeth: Building a Strong Foundation with New Spiritual Care Volunteer Program
Providing dinner means one less decision for a busy patient or caregiver! Please help us extend hospitality by signing up to provide a dinner today! Meals provided are recognized as tax-deductible, in-kind donations. Learn more by scanning the QR code!Volunteer Carol Wilkinson serves dinner at the Family House.Non-Prot Org.U.S. PostagePAIDPermit No. 999Greensboro, NC1970 Baldwin Lane Winston-Salem, NC 27103336-793- 2822 www.familyhousews.orgProvide a MealPurchase Wish List ItemsAre you looking to make a signicant impact right from the comfort of your home? Purchase items directly from our Amazon wish list! These staples help us keep the Family House stocked with essential snacks and other items needed to make guests feel supported while they’re away from home. Scan the QR code for a link to our wish list.Scan this code for a link to our wish list and for more info on all articles!Former guests Glenn (pictured)and Sonja Honaker collected items through their church and dropped them o in March! “Wow, I feel so very blessed and loved, I can’t believe how much love and care is in everything here. I am resting so well and I am so nourished by the food I was provided! I was sitting here weeping in tenderness at such care there is here. Hand on my heart I thank you deeply for caring for me, it has touched the deepest part of me. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Love you.”- Emily, Family House guest