Humanitarian Relief
CA1 – USA
Dear Ed,
Since receiving the matching grant from the Lions Clubs International Foundation, an amazing amount of progress has been made. Thanks in part to this funding, we purchased and renovated a vacant building in 2018, and then hired an architect to help us design a Comfort Care Home. Our team studied other comfort care homes in NY and learned what things work and what things don’t. We were able to completely redesign what had served in its last iteration as an office building for Corning’s Hospital, into a beautiful two-bedroom facility with a kitchen, living & dining room, two ensuite accessible bathrooms, a director’s office, volunteer room and laundry. Our home also has a training room, a bedroom/bath for guests of our residents and soon to be, a library. Each of the resident bathrooms opens to a private deck to allow for a hospital bed to be wheeled outside.
We finished an incredible renovation of the old (1878) historical building in early 2020. The renovation required a complete re-wiring of the old knob tube electrical system; replacement of an ancient old boiler with three new HVAC systems; replacement of 50 old single pane windows; repairs to fallen ceilings; a new roof and so much more.
And then COVID came. We decided to open our doors to one new resident in September 2020. This was about the same time that local nursing homes had to close their doors.
But our house design with the private decks allowed us to have family members enter directly into their loved one’s room without utilizing the remaining parts of the home. So, we were able to open our doors to end-of-life residents while also maintaining strict COVID protocols.
As the pandemic subsided, we were able to serve residents in both rooms and have their families utilize all the rooms that the home has to offer. Families may cook meals in our kitchen with our fully stocked pantry, relax in our living room or even stay overnight if they are from out of town and don’t have a place to stay.
We recently celebrated our 3rd anniversary of opening our doors and are proud to report that we have served over 80 residents and their families, and over 750 visitors have come through the house to visit their loved ones. We have recruited and trained over 50 care-giving volunteers, and we operate 24/7, around the clock every day of the year with a very limited staff and volunteers who supplement the hospice care provided by our local agency. We have established a program with a local college for osteopathic medicine to train their students on end-of-life and in return their students volunteer with us. We are working on similar programs with our local community college and BOCES.
From our initial dream in 2016 to today, we have held over 35 fundraising events, written over 40 grants, and sent out appeal letters to community members, once a year, for many years. This approach has allowed us to not charge any of our residents for our services. Our priority is to help those who cannot
be cared for in their own homes regardless of their race, religion, or financial status.
We are very thankful for the Corning Lions Club and LCIF for being among the very 1st to support our efforts. Having their support and being able to communicate that to other donors early in the fundraising process, opened doors for us that might not have been opened otherwise. Together, we have brought
an alternative solution for end-of-life care to people who are treated with dignity, respect, and love. Thank you sincerely for your own personal dedication and hard work in making this happen for our community.
Warm Regards,
Joan Wilson
And the entire Board of Bampa’s House