By By KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER
Lifestyles & Features Editor
A Washington native and his wife have been recognized by Hospice of Union County for their fundraising efforts.
Rob Kreisher, a 1976 graduate of Washington High School, and his wife, Jean, were honored recently for raising more than $900,000 for the organization. In recognition of this achievement, the newest hospice house was named for them.
“We were just stunned,” said Rob Kreisher. “It was the most incredible, kind and humbling thing anybody could have done for us. This is the first time they’ve name a house after anybody. It’s truly humbling.”
Making the moment even more memorable was the fact that several of the Kreishers’ relatives were on hand, including their two sons, Matt and Phillip, and Rob’s mother, Nancy Kreisher, and sister, Ali Woolard, both of whom reside in Washington.
“It was a huge surprise for them,” Woolard said. “They were presented with a framed print of the sign for the house. The director had arranged for as much family to be there as possible.”
Rob and Jean Kreisher, who live in Charlotte, began a benefit golf tournament for hospice 14 years ago. Along the way, the couple became enthusiastic fans and supporters of the organization.
“Hospice of Union County actually has a campus for people who cannot be at home during the dying process,” Rob Kreisher said.
The golf tournament was successful from the start. The Kreishers’ initial goal was to eventually raise a total of $50,000 over the course of several years.
“The first year we had 68 players, and we raised a little over $17,000. We were just thrilled,” Rob Kreisher recalled. “It has grown every year. We have space for 128 golfers and it’s always a sell-out, and we have a reception and a silent auction.”
The silent auction features such items as vacations in Acapulco and Italy, he added.
This year’s tournament raised just over $71,000, according to Pamela Collins, community relations and volunteer services coordinator for Hospice of Union County.
“That brings the total to over $912,000, and we fully expect to break a million dollars raised next year,” Collins said. “So much of that is due to Rob’s role. Some of the golfers have played every year there has been a tournament, due in no small part to Rob’s presence and leadership. He and Jean come back every year with the same energy and enthusiasm.”
Kreisher is determined to meet the goal of raising at least $88,000 during next year’s 15th-annual tournament. It’s a personal challenge.
“We’ve vowed to get to one million, and I’m very confident we’ll do that,” he said.
Kreisher said he and his relatives have personally experienced the services provided by hospice.
“Unfortunately, or fortunately, both of our families have been taken care of by hospice. They are wonderful people,” he said. “We always said that if we were ever in a position to give back, we would. And that’s why we started the golf tournament.”
Volunteers like the Kreishers and fundraising activities like the tournament make it possible for hospice organizations to continue their work, Collins pointed out.
“For an independent, nonprofit organization, you can’t overstate the impact that an event like this has on our ability to care for those patients who cannot meet their own end-of-life needs,” she said.
Anyone wishing to help Kreisher and Hospice of Union County meet the fundraising goal may make a contribution by visiting www.houc.org.