July 25, 2001
Volunteers make Hospitality House a home for guests
Hospitality House Week July 22-28
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
A continent and a hemisphere away from home, Fusaanta Eulacio has found a home away from home for her six-week stay in Traverse City: Munson's Hospitality House.
Eulacio is in town to support her 13-year-old daughter, Veronica, while she is attending camp at the Interlochen Arts Academy. Veronica has a rare, chronic illness that requires bi-weekly treatments, so her mother came along to make sure everything happened. Being able to stay at the Hospitality House made the trip possible for both of them, Eulacio said.
"I could not have afforded to stay at a hotel," said Eulacio, speaking through an interpreter.
Being so far from home with her son, Alexander, 2, is also a challenge but Eulacio has found a friend in Connie Nelson, the Hospitality House manager.
"I thought it was going to be difficult to stay here this much time," Eulacio said. "But I've had so much help with everything. Connie has paid a lot of attention to me and has been like a grandmother to my son. I am really grateful for all the help and support here, especially from Connie."
While all the stories and stays at the Hospitality House may not be as dramatic as the Eulacio family's, providing a safe haven for families facing medical problems is just what the doctor ordered.
Since it opened in November 15 of last year, the Hospitality House has had an occupancy rate of 59-70 percent. In the past month, that figure has jumped to 100 percent full and Nelson is glad they have not had a waiting list yet. The average stay there is just over two days and guests range from relatives of patients at Munson Medical Center to patients themselves. Outpatients can be people receiving chemotherapy treatments and families may include parents of premature babies staying in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
"Most people are very, very grateful," said Nelson, a registered nurse at Munson for 28 years. "Especially at night, if you don't feel like going out to eat, you can come down to the kitchen and have a bowl of soup and a sandwich or fix a piece of toast. You can walk around in your pajamas and robe and we don't ask our guests to do chores here, like they do at the Ronald Macdonald houses."
It is that home-away-from-home atmosphere that is the foundation of the Hospitality House. Its 30 rooms can accommodate up to 57 guests and four kitchens allow people to fix meals and snacks around their schedule at the hospital. Laundry facilities and two motor home parking pads round out the house's features.
Celebrating National Hospitality House week from July 22-28, Nelson reflected on the positive aspects of staying there. She noted that the shared kitchens, dining and television rooms really help the guests during their stay.
"The guests support one another, when they come in the dining room and eat at night, they talk," Nelson said. "They are a good support group."
Running what is essentially a 30-room motel with just a half-time administrative aid and two full-time housekeepers, Nelson has her work cut out for her. She has 20 volunteers to help her, working four-hour shifts at a time, to help and is searching for more. The volunteers help with everything from registration to luggage to lending a caring ear for a guest when needed.
Empathy for what the guests must be going through drew Sue Keller to volunteer one afternoon a week.
"I can just imagine what I would feel if I were in a situation and far from home," Keller said.
Living on site, Nelson is working to even out her workload and find a little time for herself. She is there alone with the guests from 8 p.m. until 8 a.m. when the volunteer shifts start again, so her days and nights have been long since November.
"I talked to the manager of another Hospitality House and she has 70 volunteers who help her with 14 rooms," Nelson said. "We are looking very hard for more volunteers."