Richmond Fisher House Celebrates Six Years of Serving Veterans and Families

The house opened in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, expanding lodging available to families and caregivers of Veterans receiving care at the Richmond VA Medical Center. Despite the challenges surrounding its opening, the Fisher House team continued its mission of providing families with a comfortable home away from home while their loved ones received care.

That mission, and the people behind it, took center stage during a recent sixth anniversary celebration.

Caregivers and guests shared firsthand what Fisher House has meant to them during some of their most challenging days.

One caregiver recalled how quickly life changed after her husband fell in their backyard and suffered a serious injury. As he underwent surgery and rehabilitation, Fisher House gave her a place to rest while allowing her to remain close to him.

“It’s like I’m at home, but it’s just a different home,” she said. “I cannot thank Fisher House enough.”

Another caregiver travels from West Virginia while her husband receives treatment for a spinal cord injury. For her, knowing there is a comfortable place waiting nearby has helped ease some of the burden that comes with being away from home.

“This place right here, I’m telling you, I don’t know what I would have done without having the Fisher House,” she said.

An Army captain recovering from injuries sustained in an accident while on active duty in Jordan also shared his experience. Before arriving, he admitted he pictured Fisher House as something closer to Army barracks.

What he found instead was a welcoming home where he and his family could focus on what mattered most — his recovery.

His experience also inspired him to help raise awareness about programs and resources available to wounded service members so others know support is there when they need it.

Behind every family who walks through the doors is a team working to make that support possible.

Richmond Fisher House Manager Cynthia Young thanked VA leadership, social workers, Engineering staff and employees throughout the medical center whose work helps keep the houses operating and families comfortable.

“It truly takes a village,” Young said.

From responding quickly to maintenance needs to helping families navigate their stay, Young said each person plays a role in creating the welcoming environment families experience.

The celebration also honored those who helped build the Richmond Fisher House program, including former staff members Wayne Walker and Willie “Mac” McDonald.

Walker, an Army Veteran who retired after 43 years of federal service, reflected on his years helping develop the Richmond Fisher House program and opening its two houses. While retirement has given him more time with his family and grandchildren, he said Fisher House was one of those rare jobs where he misses both the people and the work.

Current team members were recognized as well, including Program Support Assistant Samantha Abram and Environmental Management Service staff Don Williamson and Rachelle Golden.

Young praised the team for looking beyond individual job duties and doing whatever is needed to ensure families arrive to a clean, comfortable and supportive place.

Representatives from the Fisher House Foundation also joined the celebration, recognizing the partnership between the foundation and Richmond VA employees that helps make the program possible. They thanked staff for the many pieces they put together each day in service to Veterans and their families.

Employees and partners received certificates of appreciation recognizing their dedication, compassion and continued support of Veterans, active-duty service members and their families.

Even as the team celebrated six years of Fisher House 2, attention is already turning toward the program’s next chapter.

Fisher House 1 is undergoing refurbishment and is expected to reopen, once again joining Fisher House 2 in providing lodging and support for families who want to remain close to their loved ones during care.

Six years after Fisher House 2 opened its doors, the anniversary represented more than a building or a milestone.

It celebrated the caregivers who find comfort within its walls, the Veterans and service members whose families can remain nearby, and the employees who work behind the scenes to make each stay feel a little more like home.

Most of all, it celebrated a simple idea that has remained at the heart of Fisher House from the beginning: when Veterans and service members face difficult times, their families should not have to be far away.