What is a transplant house?
Why is it needed?
How many people could be served?
Are there other transplant houses?
Who is behind the effort to offer a transplant house in our area?
Who is managing the effort to make this House a reality?
Who is buying the house?
What is needed from individuals and the community to open the doors of Restoring Hope Transplant House?
What will it cost to operate the House?
What sponsorship opportunities exist?
When will the House open?

What is a transplant house?

A transplant house is a “home away from home” for patients who are in the Madison area for organ, bone marrow or other transplants. A transplant house is not a medical facility. It is a caring environment that offers high quality, affordable accommodations for patients and their adult family members/caregivers. In addition to physical housing, the House offers hospitality, compassion and hope to support the healing journey for the patient and family. The support is provided by a small core staff, many volunteers and through interaction between other families facing the same challenges.

Restoring Hope Transplant House will be designed to offer both private and community space. The facilities will foster and support independence by providing shared kitchen and laundry facilities. Each guest will have a private room but may share a number of common areas where they can interact with the other guests.

The House is designed to serve adults patients and caregivers only. While we would like to be able to accommodate whole families, infection risk is a concern while patients are healing. As a precaution we cannot accommodate family members under age 17.

Vision statement: Restoring Hope Transplant House will be a ''home away from home" for adult patients receiving organ or other medical transplants in the Madison area. This private 10-bedroom facility will offer hospitality, compassion and hope in a setting that will allow patients and caregivers to feel comfortable on their healing journey.

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Why is it needed?

Transplant procedures are complex and can involve considerable time away from home as patients await and prepare for procedures and recuperate afterward. Some of a patient’s time in the area is spent at the hospital, but some is spent at local hotels while receiving outpatient care. The scope of medical care and the out-of-pocket costs can create additional challenges during what is already a very difficult time for patients, their families and their caregivers. The House will offer patients and their caregivers a sense of community during an often long and difficult process.

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How many people could be served?

Approximately, 700 adult transplant procedures are performed in Madison each year. Since most of those procedures are performed for people who live outside the Madison area, at a minimum there is an estimated need for accommodations for days to weeks for patients and caregivers. Transplant surgeons and program staff in Madison have long seen a strong need for this type of facility to come to the Madison area and are eager to refer patients and help where they can.

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Are there other transplant houses?

Yes. There are houses like this around the country, but none serving Madison. Regionally, The Gift of Life Transplant House in Rochester, Minnesota supports families and transplant patients served at Mayo Clinic. Kathy’s House serves people in the Milwaukee area. Both organizations have been extremely generous in sharing their start-up strategies and operating cost information to help the Madison project get off to a healthy start.

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Who is behind the effort to offer a transplant house in our area?

The inspiration for ''Restoring Hope Transplant house" came out of a devastating diagnosis of multiple myeloma for Wes Herbst. The support and hope the Herbst family received at The Gift of Life Transplant House in Rochester gave the whole family hope and encouragement. It became the family's dream to bring such support to the Madison area to support the world-renowned transplant program available here. Wes Herbst’s son, Brian, and daughter in law, Cindy were moved to pursue a local House to share the gift of courage, hope and life with other families.

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Who is managing the effort to make this House a reality?

A non-profit corporation was formed in the name of Restoring Hope Transplant House, Inc., who purchased the house. The management team of Restoring Hope Transplant House, led by Executive Director Cindy Herbst, has surrounded themselves with an exceptional team to guide them, including a CPA with expertise in non-profit organizations and experienced attorneys. The board of directors for the House includes devoted members from the Madison area that have previous board experience as well as members involved in transplant and construction fields. They have the enthusiastic support of local transplant care providers.

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Who is buying the house?

The House, located at 7457 Terrace Avenue in Middleton, WI is being purchased through a non-profit corporation established in the name of Restoring Hope Transplant House.

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What is needed from individuals and the community to open the doors of Restoring Hope Transplant House?

The vision for Restoring Hope Transplant House is one of community serving community. Volunteer support will be an essential part of getting the House operational and maintaining it once the doors are open. The Herbsts envision the house “belonging” to the community in the best sense, giving as many people and businesses in the area as possible the opportunity to participate in supporting the community of transplant families.

Getting the House ready will be a monumental task, for this non-profit, its directors and volunteers. Cindy, in particular, based on her energy as well as her PR and hospitality industry experience, is well poised to coordinate the effort. The effort will require capital and in-kind donations of goods as well as services.

The goal of the development campaign is to raise the money needed to cover non-donated remodeling, appliances, furniture, fixtures and full fit-up of materials to make the House a warm, inviting environment and to support year one operation costs. While the Board is assessing and finalizing the components of the development campaign, informal fundraising has begun in earnest due to the ambitious timeline for occupancy. Donations may be sent to Restoring Hope Transplant House, c/o Capitol Bank, 710 N. High Point Rd, Madison, WI 53717.

The need is as follows and is being assessed:

• Property purchase
• Building renovation
• Addition of 6-10 more rooms depending on permits, zoning and advisement
• Core staff support (director and coordinator)
• Furniture, fixtures and equipment
• Operating expenses

The campaign will focus heavily on securing in-kind donations of goods as well as services both to prepare the House for occupancy and to manage and maintain the House. Those donation needs for start-up include:

Goods (for example and not limited to)

• exterior signage
• flooring
• lighting
• appliances
• furniture (with certain restrictions, e.g. new mattresses new, leather recliner in each of ten rooms, beds)
• vehicles
• phone system
• computers, printer, scanner, fax machine
• lawn furniture, gas grill, fencing

Services (for example and not limited to)

• wallpaper stripping
• floor refinishing
• in-kind services from concrete workers, plumbers, carpenters, tile workers, painters, electricians, landscapers, interior designers
• advertising, video, Power Point presentation, media and trade show display

Volunteer needs to manage the house include:

• phone answering and clerical
• cleaning
• gardening
• shopping as requested by families
• maintenance
• shoveling
• chaplain
• minimum of 6 people on site to serve families, coordinate media, manage direct mail, etc.

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What will it cost to operate the House?

Operating projections have been developed based, in part, on the operating experiences of two comparable transplant houses, The Gift of Life Transplant House in Rochester, Minn. and Kathy’s House in Milwaukee, in addition to costs tailored to this particular property and dwelling. A full budget pro forma will soon be available for review.

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What sponsorship opportunities exist?

These opportunities are still being defined, but include individual or corporate naming rights for various rooms and other donations in the House.

In addition to modest revenue generated from guests of the House, funding will be pursued through endowments, grants and aggressive local fundraising.

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When will the house open?

The opening date will depend largely on the success of the volunteer contributions and fundraising efforts.

• Find a property and put in an offer    Done: March 31, 2006
• Define need for transplant house    Done: April 2006
• Offer accepted on property    Done: April 5, 2006
• Obtain zoning change through
• Middleton Planning Committee    Done: April 11, 2006
• Form corporation    Done: May 2006
• Establish Board of Directors    Done: May 2006
• Establish non-profit status    Done: May 2006
• Close on the purchase of the House    Done: June 13, 2006
• Refine collateral materials In development   In development
• Determining sources of funding In development   In development
• Secure and coordinate efforts of volunteer teams and begin House remodeling    
  Begin: June 14, 2006

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