Rathgeber House Celebrates 20 Years
The Rathgeber Hospitality House in Wichita Falls, Texas is celebrating 20 years. On March 24, 1999, Rathgeber Hospitality House had the official groundbreaking ceremony preceding the grand opening, which was held April 4, 2000 with a mission “to provide a home-away-from-home in a safe, secure, affordable, caring environment to families of patients at United Regional and other medical facilities in Wichita Falls.”
Kim Tomlinson, Executive Director, has been with Rathgeber since opening its doors in 2000. She credits the success of the House to a strong engaged Board of Directors, hard-working committed staff members and volunteers that have the passion to provide excellent service on a daily basis to families facing medical crisis.
According to Rathgeberhospitalityhouse.org, the Rathgeber Hospitality House was a “community project of the United Regional Foundation. It is a 26- room “hotel-like” facility designed to provide family members a place to stay while their loved one is hospitalized in any medical facility in Wichita Falls.”
Since its establishment, the House has been beneficial to not only to patients’ families in the Wichita Falls area, but also to patients’ families in the nearby communities like Olney. “Approximately 40% of patients come from outside the immediate Wichita Falls area.”
The board and staff of the Rathgeber Hospitality House tout that, “It has been proven that patients heal faster when their loved ones are near.”
A resident from Brownfield, Texas said, “Just when I felt my life had changed forever and that there was only despair, I found some peace of mind at the Rathgeber Hospi tality House. What a wonderful staff, such sweet people. My husband and I slept great knowing that my mom was just across the street.”
A Petrolia, Texas resident extended gratitude to the Rathgeber Hospitality House, stating, “The birth of my first grandson didn’t go as planned and he had difficulty breathing. We needed to stay close to the hospital and came here.”
The Rathgeber Hospitality House board and staff expressed gratitude in the thankyou newsletter that was mailed to its supporters. “We are very proud of our accomplishments, which would not have been possible without all the wonderful individuals, churches, civic groups, volunteers and foundations continuing to support us and believe in our mission.” The Rathgeber Hospitality
The Rathgeber Hospitality House is located at 1615 12th Street, Wichita Falls, Texas. There are many ways you can support this hospitality house; monetary donations, in-kind donations and memorial gifts included as part of estate planning. Please visit the website for additional details about the current wish list and ways to contribute. www.Rathgeber-HospitalityHouse.org.