Evansville organization building House of Hope for families with ailing children
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By this time next year, families of children with life-threatening and terminal conditions in the Evansville region will have a place to go for support. Granted—a not-for-profit organization that serves southern Indiana, western Kentucky and southeastern Illinois—is building the House of Hope at 2200 Oak Hill Rd. in Evansville.
“When you get families together, it allows them to form relationships and bonds with other families who recognize their unique challenges and traumas. So we want to have an inclusive, loving environment that families can come to,” said Susan Washburn, executive director of Granted.
The organization raised more than $2 million in money, goods and services for the project in 2023 and held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility in April.
“They’re hoping to start framing in August, that the roof will be on by October and that everything will be completed and we’ll be opening in June of 2025,” Washburn said.
About Granted
Granted makes wishes come true for children ages 3 to 18 with life-threatening and terminal conditions. Washburn said the request for about 90% of the children is to go to Walt Disney World. The not-for-profit also hosts activities and provides resources for families.
“What makes our organization unique is that we recognize when the wish is over, the child is still sick or dying, and the family is still struggling on a lot of levels. So we do wishes, but the real magic happens in our Beyond the Wish programming and services that we have for our families,” said Washburn.
Granted holds various fundraisers throughout the year to pay for its services, including Swing into Wishes, a golf event in August, and Dishes for Wishes, a gala in September. The House of Hope idea stemmed from a strategic planning session a few years ago.
“It was sort of a pie in the sky. We did the typical sustainability and all the things you want to accomplish in your strategic plan. And we thought, ‘One of these days, it would be amazing if we had a facility for the families, and we could call it the House of Hope,’” said Washburn. “Then one of the board members and I were tasked with exploring the idea to see what it would take to make it happen.”
Washburn said they talked to a house designer and then approached an engineering professor at the University of Evansville to see whether a senior design class would be willing to take on the project in the future.
“The professor came back and said, ‘We love this idea. We love the mission of the organization. We want to do it this fall.’ And that was at the beginning of last year,” she said.
House of Hope plans
The House of Hope will offer various services to families to help relieve the physical, emotional and financial burdens created by life-threatening and terminal illnesses.
“We will provide childcare for children with complex medical needs and conditions. That frees up the parents to receive counseling or attend educational programs—like debt management and how to make money at home—because many parents have to stay home with their child,” said Washburn. “And there are a lot of insurance changes that happen all the time. We work closely with the hospitals who will send specialists to help navigate different things.”
Other amenities inside the house include a supply pantry, teen room, music room and quiet room.
“A place where families can come in the front door and take off their armor. They carry a lot of heavy stuff, and they’ll have a place to go where they can just be by themselves,” Washburn said.
Families will also enjoy a pavilion, playground, prayer garden and outdoor theater on the House of Hope grounds.
“We’re going to plant a dogwood tree on the campus for every child who has passed. And within our prayer garden, we’ll have a wish child memory wall. Each child will have a butterfly with their name and dates etched on it,” said Washburn. “We decided to have an outdoor theater in the woods with a stage. We’ll have show and tell, karaoke night and movie night. All kinds of things for the kids to be able to be center stage and to be celebrated.”
Donations
The facility will be named the Roy and Amanda Jorgensen House of Hope in honor of two major supporters, and the campus will be called the Briarpoint Development Campus after the company that donated the land. Washburn said the offering of the 12.5-acre plot met the organization’s criteria.
“It had to be in a safe area, it had to be easily accessible by our families and it had to be visible,” she said.
Roy Jorgensen and Jeff Purdue, vice president of Granted’s board of directors, organized a 25-person team to gather what was needed for the initiative.
“People donating the plumbing or heating, ventilation and air conditioning or electrical, plus asking the community for cash donations,” said Purdue.
Washburn said 100% of the labor to build the House of Hope was free of charge.
“We have over 120 contractors and unions and companies who have stepped up and said, ‘We believe in this so much that we’re going to donate our services or goods,’” she said.
‘We’re all going to be impacted’
Purdue said the House of Hope still needs a few goods and services to complete the project. The organization is looking for someone to build cabinets for the kitchen, Beyond The Wish program room and education center. They also need a lawn irrigation system, masonry blocks and dogwood trees.
Granted is also selling items to help fund the initiative, such as engraved bricks and personalized picnic tables, benches and parking stops.
“With the House of Hope, this won’t cost Granted anything. We’re not taking any money from Granted. This is basically a gift from the community to Granted,” said Purdue.
Washburn said the community embraced the organization’s dream of a home for the families it serves from the start.
“They realize that eventually we’re all going to be impacted,” she said. “Whether it’s a relative, a coworker or a neighbor. Everybody’s going to know somebody who has a child with a life-threatening condition because there’s a lot of need in our community.”