Hearts in the Community

Proud Supporters

Money Shot Golf Tournaments

The Edens family knows the real meaning of patriotism, the pain of sacrifice, and the love of Fisher Houses. For the 6th year, their Money Shot Golf Tournament is paying it forward as a major contributor to the Tennessee Fisher House Foundation.

The Edens were the first family helped by the Tennessee Fisher House Foundation Board, even before the house was built. Jason, their son, was an Army infantryman known for his skill with a rifle. But in 2012, he was severely wounded during an attack. He was evacuated through Germany to Bethesda, Maryland, where he passed away. The Fisher Houses in Germany and Maryland provided rest and comfort for the Edens along the way. Members of the Tennessee Board traveled to the funeral home to witness the unloading of the casket and to comfort the family. Later, dinner was delivered to the home.

Jan, Jason’s stepmom, has served on the board of the TFHF and looked for a way to share the love she felt from Fisher Houses with new generations of guests. The Edens organized the Money Shot Golf Tournament to honor Jason’s memory and have donated over $100,000 of the proceeds to Fisher Houses.

Charleston Day School Read-A-Thon

Third graders at the Charleston Day School in Charleston, South Carolina engaged in their annual Read-A-Thon for the 2019-2020 school year and collected $7,400 for charities and nonprofits. Some of the children read for more than 500 minutes during the event.

The children were allowed to choose charities that matched their monthly “watchwords.” In November, with the watchword of “gratitude,” they chose their local Fisher House at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center to receive one of the eight $927 checks that their reading enabled.

The December charity donation was Toys for Tots, the famous program started by Marine Corps Reservist Maj. Bill Hendricks.

Corporate and Foundation Giving

Fisher House Foundation is the beneficiary of many generous gifts. Here, we highlight companies that continue to support the Fisher House program.

United Airlines connects military families to Fisher Houses across the nation

Story by David Nye

United Airlines has been supporting Fisher House Foundation for 16 years with what Tish Stropes, the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, calls "360 degrees of giving.”

“United Airlines is a phenomenal partner that provides the Three Ts of giving: time, treasure, and talent,” she said. “They give us their time as their staff volunteer at events and local Fisher Houses, treasure as they donate money towards the construction of Fisher Houses, and talent as they help us get families where they need to be.”

The heart of United Airlines’ support is through generous donations to the Foundation’s core mission: the construction of Fisher Houses such as those in Houston, Texas, and Palo Alto, California.

But United Airlines didn’t stop there. Since the 2004 inception of the Hero Miles program, the airline has supported with 15,000 tickets — more than 20 percent of the tickets issued under the program — to military and veteran families, saving those families more than an estimated $20 million.

United Airlines allows its customers to donate their miles to Fisher House’s Hero Miles program to keep families together during medical care because “a family’s love is good medicine.”

The airline encourages its staff to volunteer at Fisher House events such as when the company’s staff comes to Warrior Games and other events to barbecue food for families. The barbecue team helps feed military and veteran families more directly by providing food for those barbecues and at other events.

Finally, United Airlines is always quick to answer the phone and help amend flight itineraries when families are traveling through Fisher House programs.