The Visitor Who Became A Volunteer

By Jan Howard

The Fisher House at Fort Hood, just outside of Killeen, Texas, was the beneficiary of the volunteer talents of a Newtown woman for three months last summer.

It all began with a call from Lorraine Hurley’s daughter, Cara Wallen, a first lieutenant and an Army nurse at Darnell Army Community Hospital at Fort Hood, who was expecting her first child. Because her husband, Capt Ben Wallen, is pursuing his master’s degree at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, Lt Wallen needed some help.

“She asked me to come down to help her out for three months,” Mrs Hurley said. “She was still working full time.”

Mrs Hurley not only went to help out her daughter, but while there, she also helped out some other families as well through volunteering at Fisher House.

During a medical crisis, the Fort Hood Fisher House, operated and maintained by Darnell Army Community Hospital, is a home away from home for military personnel, active and retired, and their families. Similar to the concept of a Ronald McDonald House, the house provides a place to stay and other amenities for families of military personnel that have been hospitalized. It is a place where volunteers, staff members, and families help and nurture one another.

 “I went to the Red Cross and received two days of training,” Mrs Hurley said. She chose volunteering at Fisher House because she was acquainted with its philosophy. When she had visited her daughter in 1998, she had read about the opening of the 23-bed facility that year. It was officially dedicated on February 5, 1999.

Following an interview with Fisher House manager Isaac Howard, she was welcomed as a volunteer.

“It was three wonderful rewarding months,” Mrs Hurley said. “Not only was I helping my daughter, but I was volunteering at Fisher House.

“It was a wonderful volunteer experience. It was such an up-beat feeling I got.”

The house manager and volunteers enable the families to devote their energy to their loved one’s medical condition and progress, Mrs Hurley said, without having to worry about the requirements of everyday living, such as laundry facilities and cooking.

“Most of the people are spending their time at the hospital with their loved one,” Mrs Hurley said.

Mrs Hurley worked the evening shift because her daughter worked nights at the hospital. She would drop her daughter off at work and then go to Fisher House, a short distance from the hospital.

The people staying at Fisher House were “wonderful people, wonderful families. I met so many fine people there,” she said. “I was honored to work there. It was a wonderful experience for me.”

While the Fisher Foundation provides the furnishings and household necessities for the Fisher House, volunteers conduct programs and activities for Fisher House occupants.

Volunteer organizations on the base conduct fundraisers to purchase items for the families staying at the home. Local corporations also make donations, and military companies often contribute on behalf of a member whose family is staying at the house. “They go all out,” Mrs Hurley said.

Volunteers prepare meals, decorate the house for holidays, host craft nights, and perform many other functions to help the guests.

One of Mrs Hurley’s responsibilities was to receive visitors, who could arrive at any time, day or night. “The house is open 24 hours a day. The light is always on,” she said.

She also answered the telephone, conducted tours of the facility for new military arrivals or special visitors, such as the Washington Redskins cheerleaders. “They were there for a base show for the soldiers,” she noted.

She also helped prepare rooms and snacks and arrange for birthday and anniversary celebrations. She also assisted the families with directions around the base or any requests they might have.

“I learned my way around the base quickly,” she said.

“I did a lot of tours of the facility,” she said. “When new soldiers would arrive on the base, their wives would have a coffee hour to see what they could do for Fisher House.”

Everything went well with the birth of Mrs Hurley’s first grandson in early September and after spending some time with him and her daughter, Mrs Hurley arrived back home on September 29.

Before she left Fort Hood, however, Mrs Hurley was invited to a Red Cross luncheon on September 28, and she decided to attend to say goodbye to everyone.

She was surprised to find it was the annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon. “I was stunned when they called my name,” she said. “They gave a special award to me.” She said someone even asked if there was some way to keep her plane from taking off the next day.

 “They couldn’t thank me enough,” she said, proudly showing the Red Cross volunteer pin and certificate of appreciation she received. The certificate reads: “Your dedication to duty is a credit to the American Red Cross and has made Fort Hood a better place to work and live. Thank you for your demonstration of the spirit of volunteerism.”

Mrs Hurley said the Army is also very appreciative of the help it receives from volunteers. During the Recognition Luncheon, Col Gerald Cross, hospital commander, spoke of the many volunteers who serve at the hospital in diverse ways.

Since her return to Newtown, Mrs Hurley said she has been in touch with Red Cross Director Sue Beckman. “She said, ‘When are you coming back?’”

A Military Family

 Mrs Hurley and her husband, Mike, have lived in Newtown for 30 years. They will eventually have four members of the Army in their family. In addition to Lt Cara and Capt Ben Wallen, her daughter Micaela Hurley is a first lieutenant stationed in Germany. Micaela is engaged to Capt Jason McMurrough. Both are West Point graduates, as is Capt Wallen. Cara was involved in ROTC while a student at Widener University. The Hurleys also have another daughter, Maura, who is married to Rusty Kuehling.

“I had a good feeling about the families because of having family members in the military,” Mrs Hurley said. “It’s very hard for these people.

“The volunteers are really appreciated. You’re there, and you show them a caring attitude. It’s important to keep an upbeat attitude and the spirit of giving. It’s a difficult time for the families.”

Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher of New York gave the Fisher House as a gift to Fort Hood and Darnall Army Community Hospital.

The Fishers founded the Zachary and Elizabeth M. Fisher Armed Services Foundation, which is committed to the care and well-being of military families in crisis. Since 1991 Army Fisher Houses have served military families in times of need. There are now Fisher Houses affiliated with hospitals at 25 military bases in the United States.

The Fisher House solves some very important problems for families whose military family member is critically ill or injured and may have been evacuated to a hospital thousands of miles away from his or her home station. Because of the Fisher House, the problems of where the family will stay and how much it will cost are solved. The most that is asked of a family is a service fee of $10 per night.

Mr Fisher, who is deceased, and his brothers formed Fisher Brothers, which built some of the most prestigious international corporate office buildings in New York City.

“He was so grateful for his success,” Mrs Hurley said, “that he wanted to give something back.”

Mrs Hurley said she hopes to visit other Fisher Houses in the future, two of which are located nearby in New York State. “I also hope to volunteer there again sometime.”