Industry playing major role in supporting Tupelo hospice
By Ray Allegrezza -- Furniture Today, February 19, 2006
Tupelo, Miss. — Sanctuary Hospice House, a not-for-profit organization here supported by a number of furniture industry executives and companies, plans to open a store here to sell used goods and raise funds.
Proceeds from the business, which is slated to open in April as the Sanctuary Village Shop, will support the hospice, which cares for the terminally ill.
Lisa Hawkins, a founding board member of Sanctuary Hospice House and owner of Tupelo furniture retailer Room To Room, said the organization is soliciting donations for the store in the form of market samples.
She said Tupelo Furniture Market CEO V.M. Cleveland, Furniture Brands International Chairman and CEO Mickey Holliman, and a host of Tupelo Furniture Market exhibitors have played key roles in transforming the hospice from a vision in 2000 to what it is today: a 14,000-square-foot home for ill patients.
Most of the home's residents are from rural areas of North Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama and have, on average, six months or less to live.
"In many cases, these patients have no appropriate caregiver, but need inpatient hospice care. We provide that care to those in need, regardless of race, religion, gender, age, national origin or disability," Hawkins said. "The demand for the care we provide has been such that we just opened the second wing of the house for patient care this week."
She said the industry's support has been crucial.
"V.M. Cleveland, for one, has been a major supporter of this project," Hawkins said. "V. M. provided for all the concrete work in the house, but most importantly, during October, he allows us to transform Building Five into Celebration Village, a huge market that offers items from vendors from all over the country.
Last year, the event drew 20,000 shoppers and raised $300,000 for the Hospice House.
She said Holliman has supported the house personally and as chairman of Furniture Brands. Tupelo exhibitors including Ashley, T.S. Berry, Bauhaus, Broyhill, Franklin, Kevin Charles Furniture, Hickory Hill, Largo International, Sunrise and others have helped furnish the Sanctuary Hospice House. Jackson, Miss., retailer Miskelly Bros. also has donated goods.
"So many generous people in the furniture business have helped us so much. I just want them to get credit for the wonderful things they've done to help us," Hawkins said.
For information or to make a donation, call the facility at (662) 844-2111.
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