T. Boone Pickens Foundation donates $1.1 million to Fisher House Program

by PegNews wire

DALLAS — The T. Boone Pickens Foundation, the charitable organization of oil and gas industry leader and philanthropist T. Boone Pickens, today announced a $1.1 million donation to the Fisher House project in San Diego, California.

"We try to concentrate foundation awards to programs that make a difference," said Pickens, who announced the gift with his wife Madeleine, at groundbreaking ceremonies today at the San Diego Naval Medical Center. "The Fisher House project directly improves the lives of those who have sacrificed in service to this great country."

The Fisher House Foundation program is a unique private-public partnership that supports America's military in their time of need. The program meets a humanitarian need beyond that normally provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

Because members of the military and their families are stationed worldwide and must often travel great distances for specialized medical care, the Fisher House Foundation donates "comfort homes," built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful times -- during the hospitalization for an unexpected illness, disease, or injury.

The foundation has constructed 38 Fisher Houses across the nation and overseas in Germany. There is at least one Fisher House at every major military medical center to assist families in need and to ensure that they are provided with the comforts of home in a supportive environment. Annually, the Fisher House program serves more than 10,000 families, and have made available more than two million days of lodging to family members since the program originated in 1990.

T. Boone Pickens Foundation donation will help complete construction of a second Fisher House on the grounds of the San Diego Naval Medical Center.

Pickens previously donated $600,000 donation to a fundraising drive to build a $2.5 million Fisher House near the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The Texas facility will include 21 suites, a communal kitchen and laundry facilities for families of military veterans receiving aid at the Dallas VA hospital.

Source: T. Boone Pickens Foundation