Gifts of Hope breaks ground on expansion
Gifts of Hope provides lodging to people from across the Permian Basin region and Eastern New Mexico who are undergoing cancer treatment.
Staff was joined by volunteers, board members, the Odessa Chamber of Commerce, medical professionals, the FMH Foundation, Fraternal Order of Eagles and Texas Oncology among others for the occasion.
Hope House, as it is also called, currently has four private rooms each with a separate en suite bathroom, living room, dining room, and kitchen. All offered at no charge, with the exception of the patient's food, the website said.
Patients are able to stay at Hope House in Odessa, with a referral from Texas Oncology-Odessa West Texas Cancer Center. Patients must live 30 miles or more from Ector County and be in active treatment, the website said.
Executive Director Brenda Medlock said the expansion will enable them to add four additional bedrooms, a new laundry room, refreshment bar, office space and a Look Good, Feel Good shop. Each bedroom can hold up to three people.
Last month, they had more than 15 requests to stay at Hope House, Medlock said. This week, they had nine requests. Some people are returning for treatment.
"That tells you the need in this community," she added.
The expansion has been in the making for more than four years, Medlock said. About a year and a half ago, they decided they could make the expansion work.
She said the project cost is about $900,000.
They hope to open the expansion in September of this year. Fletco is doing the construction.
Board President Blake Little said in remarks that the board had worked its tail off to get this project going. He believes strongly in the organization because they are helping people who can't help themselves.
"(They are) going through the worst time right now. Cancer is an awful thing. It's probably one of the worst things ... people can go through and us to be able to help people that literally can't take care of themselves go home and have the means to take care of themselves ... that helps me push for this every day," Little said.
Having the expansion start to become a reality is awesome and he is grateful for all the community support, he added.
"It's truly a blessing. It's a mess right now because of the way the construction is going, but it's going to be awesome with us doubling the size of it, (doubling) the amount of people we can help on a daily basis, which truly means a lot," Little said.
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