Froedtert pledging $6 million for Kathy’s House
Froedtert Hospital has pledged $6 million toward the cost of a new building for Kathy’s House, a nonprofit hospitality house for hospital patients and families who don’t live in the Milwaukee area.
Kathy’s House, which opened in 2001, now leases a building on the campus of St. Camillus, a retirement community at 600 N. 103rd St. in Wauwatosa. Its lease expires in 2021.
The new building, estimated to cost $7 million, will have 24 guest rooms, up from 18 now, and include a special wing for long-term guests, such as patients who have received a bone-marrow transplant and are receiving outpatient care.
About 1,400 people stayed at Kathy’s House last year and it has operated at close to capacity for several years.
The organization hasn’t found a site for the new building but hopes to find
one within three miles of Froedtert Hospital.
“One of the things we hear from our guests is they really appreciate the close proximity,” said Patty Metropulos, executive director of Kathy’s House.
Kathy’s House is open to patients and family members of any hospital; about 94% of its guests are patients or family members of patients at Froedtert Hospital.
Cathy Buck, president of Froedtert Hospital, said the decision to support the new building was easy.
“They have helped many, many of our patients over the years,” she said, “and they provide exquisite service.”
Froedtert Health’s staff is expected to oversee the construction of the new building.
“That’s an additional substantial gift,” Metropulos said.
People who stay at Kathy’s House are not charged for the rooms but are told that the average donation is about $40 a night for those who can afford to contribute.
The organization has three full-time and four part-time employees and an annual budget of about $500,000.
It also relies on volunteers who prepare dinners for the guests two or three times a week.
The current site has a communal dining room, living room, kitchen, library, computer center, fitness center and free laundry facilities. Each room also has its own bathroom and television.
Kathy’s House was founded in 2001 by Judy and Dick Vogel, the parents of Kathy Vogel Kuettner, who died at the age of 39 from a rare form of cancer in 2000.
The organization still needs to raise $1 million for the new building.
“For a nonprofit of our size, it’s still an ambitious campaign,” Metropulos said.