Terry’s House in Fresno is celebrating its 10-year anniversary with a fundraiser. Image via Terry's House

It’s been ten years since Terry’s House — a home-away-from-home for families who have patients in critical care at Community Regional Medical Center — was founded.

Located across Fresno Street from Community Regional in Downtown Fresno, Terry’s House provides a comfortable place for families away from home and visiting loved ones at the hospital. The home derives its name in part to one of its founding donors, Tom Richards, who contributed to its building after recalling his own experience of driving with his mother and sister to see his brother Terry. This resulted in an 80-mile, daily commute for the family.

Since opening 2011, the 17,500-square-foot, 20 room home has been at capacity almost from the beginning. This translates to 8,530 families from 34 countries and all 50 states being served.

“Terry’s House is really a very special place in Downtown Fresno,” said Katie Zenovich, Community Medical Foundation senior vice president of development and external affairs. “It is a home away from home for families to stay while their loved one may be recovering or in critical care across the street at Community Regional Medical Center.”

Now, in order to continue to commitment to CRMC patient families, the Community Medical Foundation is rolling out a new initiative to keep the lights on at Terry’s House for many more years to come. The house itself is funded entirely through donations from the community.

According to Zenovich, this means they’ve rolled out their Porch Light Endowment program. Through this campaign they hope to receive portions of donations to CRMC, which they can then invest in operations. Zenovich says it takes $500,000 annually to keep Terry’s House going. She added that interest from a $5 million endowment would help them cover expenses for years to come.

Those interested in making a donation can do so at 559-274-4343. Business sponsors are also being sought.