Our Story
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.
While Compassionate Touch started as a program, it became an official 501(c)(3) organization in 2005 as it continued to expand and offer more funding to struggling hospital patients and caregivers. And now, in 2022, Compassionate Touch celebrates its 25th anniversary. Over the past quarter century, we have given out over $5 million in the form of hotel rooms, meals, travel expenses, gift cards, and rent supplements to those struggling to survive.
True to our roots, we continue to depend on our #PartnersInCompassion – wonderful hospital social workers and generous donors who allow us to do immeasurable good in this world. Hospital social workers in Houston, Dallas, Ft. Worth, and Austin are the frontline screeners for Compassionate Touch as they connect us to the patients and families most in need of financial assistance. Our donors are friends who compassionately see the tremendous need surrounding us in some of the largest medical centers in the world, and they give with beautiful joy and bountiful generosity. These friends are made up of foundations, families, and individuals who know that the thrust of what we share is an unexpected gift of love. This network of social workers and donors is a beautiful conglomeration of individuals who truly desire to make a difference and to shape a world with compassion. We are ever grateful for these faithful partners!
As we step into the next quarter century, we look forward with hopeful anticipation to continue the profound vision and experiment that Bill Love implemented and upon which Barry, Rosa, Bill Hutson, and Jerry expounded. Today, with Justin Thompson (Executive Director), Carri Hill (Director of Advancement), Carol Pauley (DFW Community Liaison), and Andrea Bruna Morgan (Applications Administrator), we will build upon the tremendous foundation laid by our predecessors, striving to provide compassionate support for the most basic human needs (shelter and food) to hospital patients and families in need during very difficult and complex times.