Our Roots

The roots of Compassionate Touch date back to 1997. The first Director of Development for Lifeline Chaplaincy (Compassionate Touch’s sister organization), Dr. Bill Love, kept hearing stories of hospital patients and families lacking resources to get a hotel room or to pay for parking or food. As a result, he envisioned an experiment: raise $10,000 dedicated to one-time emergency patient gifts, collaborate with hospital social workers on how to identify the neediest of recipients, and deliver funding or prepaid hotel rooms into the hands of these struggling patients or families. The needs at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center were indeed overwhelming, and this simple program generated extensive excitement. Wonderful individuals, including Barry Curtis, Rosa Winfrey, Bill Hutson, and Jerry Courington, joined with Bill in securing additional funds that would be placed in the lives of those who needed a “hand-up” while being treated medically.