Burnet County Republican Women lend hand to veterans facility
Mary Jane Avery (right) and Gail Teegarden of the Burnet County Republican Women present Walmart gift cards to Eric Zielinski, the Veterans Administration Fisher House program manager. Courtesy photo
Burnet County Republican Women members Gail Teegarden and Mary Jane Avery recently presented Walmart gift cards to Eric Zielinski, program manager of the South Texas Veterans Health Care System’s Fisher House in San Antonio. More than 30,000 families in 2019 relied on a Fisher House to stay close to a loved one undergoing care at a U.S. military or Veterans Administration medical center.
The Fisher House Foundation has saved military families more than $500 million in out-of-pocket expenses since the opening of the two initial Fisher Houses in 1991. Now, 88 facilities serve nearly 25 military installations and 27 VA medical centers.
The Burnet County Republican Women and Texas Federation of Republican Women help support The Fisher House through their statewide Caring for America Project.
Fisher Houses provide a place to stay for families of patients receiving medical care at a military or VA medical center. Without these residential facilities, family members might have to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on hotel or motel stays as well as transportation costs to be near their loved one.
Military members’ or veterans’ family members stay at a Fisher Houses for free.