QoLA Helps Us Bring CHF Family House Closer to Reality
We at the Chris Hope Foundation are extremely grateful for our partnership with Quality of Life for All (QoLA) Kids. Through QoLA social workers, we constantly learn how we can best help families in their time of need — families whose children are battling life-threatening illnesses.
It became clear that one way CHF could rise to the occasion to help is by creating a safe place for families to live when they don’t qualify for hospital-provided housing. Eight months ago, with that realization, we embarked on the creation of the first CHF Family House.
The CHF Family House is in Midtown Memphis and is in close proximity to the children’s hospitals QoLA serves, LeBonheur and St. Jude. The CHF team has been working hard to prepare the Family House for opening this year — and yesterday, QoLA stepped up to help us out!
Seven volunteers from the QoLA team pitched in to make progress on the home’s renovations. To us, this was such a beautiful effort because, for the most part, the CHF Family House is a QoLA house! QoLA social workers will identify the families who will live in the home, one family at a time. QoLA nurses and social workers will provide care to the families during their time in the CHF Family House.
In addition to much-needed labor inside the house, the chaplain from QoLA even led our group in prayer over the home. It was an amazing day for all of us to come together and think about the families we will help.
QoLA’s clinical manager, Charlie Young, shared his thoughts about this joint effort between QoLA and CHF: “I don’t know what many of our families would do without the resources the Chris Hope Foundation has provided. I’ve already seen so much in the difference that this foundation has made in the lives of the patients of both Le Bonheur and St. Jude. This house is a great thing that’s happening and I’m looking forward to other houses and other projects like this because this foundation makes a huge difference in our community.”
Those words make the long journey to open the CHF Family House even more meaningful to us. And, when we think about the families who will call this space home, we know they will be in good hands with QoLA.
“I can’t wait to come and help care for the families here.” – Paige, QoLA nurse
I’ve been a social worker for the Quality of Life team for five years now. In that time, I’ve encountered numerous families who did not know where they were going to lay their head. Being part of this awesome project is great because we know we’re going to have a place for these families in the future. – Deanna, QoLA social worker
