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Groundbreaking ceremony held for expansion of SECU Family House at UNC Hospitals

The addition of a new wing for SECU Family House at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill is officially under construction!  A ceremonial groundbreaking kicked off the recent celebration, drawing a crowd of local leaders and community supporters, including officials and staff from State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) and the SECU Foundation.  In 2017, the Foundation provided a $2 million challenge grant to aid the non-profit’s campaign efforts for the much-needed expansion.

During the event, SECU Foundation Board Chair Cynthia Jolly formally presented a ceremonial grant check to SECU Family House, telling attendees, “It gives me great pleasure to highlight the Foundation’s grant to help Family House increase their capacity for what they do best – provide an affordable place to stay, supportive care, and warm hospitality to patients and families who travel great distances for life-saving treatment and care at UNC Hospitals.  SECU members’ support for this project illustrates their commitment to serving the citizens of our State.”

SECU Family House in Chapel Hill serves patients and families from the entire state that must travel to UNC Hospitals for specialized care such as burn treatments, bone marrow transplants, and cancer treatments.  Since opening in 2008, the facility has served 18,000 guests representing all 100 North Carolina counties.  Currently operating at full capacity of 40 rooms, the facility is only able to serve       1 out of 3 families who request assistance.  The Foundation’s challenge grant for the facility will help provide 35 additional guest quarters and increased amenities to support the growing need for Family House services.

“With the help of our long-term donors, including the SECU Foundation and a myriad of others, this groundbreaking gets us closer to our dream of serving more families – helping them rest, heal, and gather strength when they need it most,” says SECU Family House Executive Director Janice McAdams.  “In addition to increasing our number of rooms, we are creating a more flexible capacity, adding more family suites and redesigning the standard rooms.  The new wing will also include a common area, laundry facility, and maintenance area.  We are grateful for the incredible support from SECU Foundation to help us make this new wing a reality.”

Cynthia Jolly, SECU Foundation Board Chair (fourth from right) and Jama Campbell, SECU Foundation Executive Director (fifth from right), break ground with SECU Family House and UNC Hospitals officials.