In the months before Clara's House opened to guests in April 2012, Jean Jones and her husband, Larry, frequently dropped by to chat with Pam Hudson, M.Div., former Foundation staff member and FH hospice chaplain. Those early visits gave these longtime Foundation supporters an opportunity to witness firsthand how their generous charitable gifts were helping Clara's House fulfill its promise to provide a haven of respite, peace and hope to family members and caregivers of patients being treated at Moore Regional Hospital or at FirstHealth Hospice House. Jean and Larry saw how every guest who walked through the front door was warmly welcomed to their beautiful 'home away from home,' where normalcy, community, and healing were made possible by everyday miracles of kindness.
If anyone can empathize with caregivers struggling with the physical, emotional and spiritual challenges of a health care crisis, it was Jean Jones. She experienced great sorrow in her own life-her father's death when she was only eleven; the illness and loss of her first husband, Roy Lenz; and later the sudden death of her only child, the passing of her second husband, Larry Jones, and the death of her beloved niece over a short period of time.
A woman of strong, abiding faith, Jean attributed her survival to her belief in God and the power of prayer. "Each morning," she explained, "I thank the Lord because He's been good to me. Anytime anything is hard for me, I always say, 'Jesus, I need you and I need your help now.' It works."
Perhaps it was 'answered prayers' that guided Jean to return to Clara's House where she found solace and strength in her conversations with Pam Hudson. "Pam is my 'go to' when I'm sad," Jean affirms, "and my 'go to' when I'm happy. Pam and Clara's House are always here for me."
Clara's House became Jean's 'home away from home' where she felt loved and cared for by the Foundation staff, a group of people she's long considered as family. Through charitable gift annuities and a generous bequest to the Foundation of FirstHealth, Jean did her part to ensure that Clara's House could continue to fulfill its mission to patients and their families and caregivers for generations to come.
To learn more about planned giving opportunities such as bequests and Charitable Gift Annuities through The Foundation of FirstHealth, please call our office at (910) 695-7500.
