Gift of Life Howie's House

Transplant House, d/b/a Gift of Life Howie's House, is a tax-exempt Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation formed in september 2008 for the purpose of providing temporary lodging and supportive services to adult and pediatric Transplant patients and their family members who travel to philadelphia for their lifesaving and life-enhancing Transplant treatment. Its caregiver lifeline program also provides education to Transplant professionals and Transplant community members, including Transplant patients and their caregivers, in support of the Transplant journey regionally and nationally.continued on schedule o.gift of Life Howie's House is affiliated with two other Pennsylvania nonprofit corporations, both of which have been recognized as tax-exempt under section 501(a) by reason of being described in section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code: greater Delaware valley society of Transplant surgeons, operating under the name Gift of Life donor program, and Transplant foundation.gift of Life donor program (Gift of Life) was established in 1974 to improve the efficiency of recovering and sharing kidneys to its constituents in the tri-state area comprised of the eastern half of Pennsylvania, southern new jersey, and the entire state of Delaware. During the past three decades, Gift of Life expanded its services to support the donation of all organs and tissue. Since 1974, Gift of Life has coordinated more than 58,000 life-saving organs for Transplant, and more than 2 million tissue transplants have resulted from the generosity of donors and their families.in 1998, Gift of Life's board of directors established Transplant foundation as the charitable arm to support its programs through education, research, services to donor families and recipients and as a steward for broader community awareness and fundraising activities regarding organ and tissue donation.one initiative identified at the time of incorporation was the creation of a ronald mcdonald House type of program to serve the families of patients awaiting transplants and receiving follow-up care in the philadelphia region.both Gift of Life donor program and Transplant foundation boards approved moving forward with the purchase of property at 401-415 callowhill in june 2007 for the future site of Gift of Life Howie's House. Funds for the land purchase were provided by a grant from Transplant foundation.construction of Gift of Life Howie's House commenced in the fall of 2009 and its doors officially opened to Transplant patients and their families in july 2011.gift of Life Howie's House features thirty-two guest rooms, serving up to four family members per room, and provides a place where families undergoing similar experiences can share time together while their loved ones are awaiting or undergoing their life-saving Transplant. A large communal kitchen and dining room allow families to interact with each other and find the support and strength they need to help them navigate this extremely challenging situation. Additional Gift of Life Howie's House services include shuttle transportation to/from the hospitals, secure parking, laundry facilities, an indoor activity center, fitness center, wireless computer/internet access and library and learning resources. No medical services are provided at Gift of Life Howie's House; it is intended to be a comfortable and supportive environment for family members. Gift of Life Howie's House primarily serves out-of-town families living more than 25 miles away with a family member who is a patient awaiting a Transplant or receiving follow-up care at one of the following philadelphia-area Transplant centers:- albert einstein medical center- children's hospital of philadelphia- st. christopher's hospital for children - temple university hospital- thomas jefferson university hospital- university of Pennsylvania health system program statistics for 2023:in 2023, Gift of Life Howie's House provided the following support:- 8,855 lodging nights of care to 585 unique families- 1,943 hours of support from guest service volunteers- 1,307 trips to and from area hospitals- 31,776 meals to families through the home cook heroes program- 319 hours of direct counseling to Transplant caregivers and patientspopulation served: Gift of Life Howie's House hosts solid organ Transplant candidates, recipients, living donors, and their families who live at least 25 miles away from the facility. Many guests reside in counties located in pa, nj, de, and even ny, but others have traveled from across the country, and even internationally, to receive Transplant care in philadelphia.in 2022 Gift of Life family House was renamed to Gift of Life Howie's House in honor of its visionary founder, howard m. nathan. After serving as president and ceo of Gift of Life donor program for 38 years, howard m. nathan is now the executive director of Transplant foundation.programs:1) caregiver lifeline programthe Transplant journey can be an extremely difficult and overwhelming process including having to manage extensive medical and travel expenses during an already lengthy period of diagnosis, treatment, and waiting for "the call." "the call" that a live saving organ is available for Transplant. Caregiver lifeline program was formed to provide these families with much needed education and support as they navigate through the Transplant process. Caregiver lifeline program is broken in two parts: internal support for families staying at Gift of Life Howie's House and external support for caregivers and Transplant patients throughout Gift of Life's region and beyond. Internally, a full-time social work team is available on-site for individual counseling, support groups, resources, referrals, and advocacy for financial, employment and insurance concerns. Externally, this program offers an online informational library addressing the above concerns, educational webinars on Transplant topics, various virtual and online support groups for Transplant patients and caregivers, and community outreach programs through the regional Transplant hospitals and regional support groups.in 2023, the social work team provided 319 hours of counseling to 115 unique families staying at the Gift of Life Howie's House as well as 32 in-person support groups with 129 attendees. Virtual programming continued in 2023 which included 14 webinars with 1,175 participants in attendance and 49 virtual support groups with 345 participants. Participants spanned Gift of Life's region, nationally and internationally. Gift of Life's Howie's House's social work team continued to manage the program's closed online Transplant caregiver support group through facebook and ended the year with nearly 400 Transplant caregiver members and over 1,000 interactions.lastly, in 2023, the social work team through the caregiver lifeline program also provided resources and programs for Transplant professionals by hosting three continuing education programs with 701 Transplant and dialysis social work participants.2) home cook heroes programthe home cook heroes program at Gift of Life Howie's House provides Transplant patients and their families with a home-cooked meal prepared and served by volunteers, and access to a full-service kitchen and dining room, and fully stocked pantry. Guests are encouraged to eat together in the dining room to share their experiences. Guests can also use House resources to prepare their own meals or grab a snack on their way to the hospital. In 2023, Gift of Life Howie's House provided 31,776 meals to Transplant families.3) adopt-a-family programgift of Life Howie's House offers its accommodations, programs, and services to guests all for a highly subsidized fee of $40 per room per night, despite the actual operating cost exceeding $200. Gift of Life Howie's House will further subsidize this $40 fee if a family cannot afford it ensuring that an eligible family is never turned away due to an inability to pay. The adopt-a-family program fund helps bridge the gap between the modest, subsidized fee families are asked to pay each night and the actual operating cost to provide them. In 2023, Gift of Life Howie's House provided 8,855 nights of care and supplemented $1.4 million worth of services.