| Home | Junior Jaycees | Membership |
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
the Maryland Room
|
A
Welcome Mat for the Wounded ~
At Andrews Air Force Base,
medical evacuees from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan make their first stop
in the homeland. Andrews not only is home to the President's Air Force One, but is also the busiest military aeromedical staging center in the nation. Every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, medical staff members and volunteers carry litters off the plane after the transatlantic flight; doctors examine patients; buses arrive to cart the most seriously wounded to the region's military hospitals; and volunteers greet those staying briefly at Andrews before heading to a hospital closer to home. Local civic leaders were aware that Andrews Air Force Base was the first destination for all wounded service members returning from overseas. After a group of concerned civic leaders toured the hospital at Andrews two years ago, they decided to donate time and services to build a facility where wounded warriors could readjust and begin the healing process. With that thought, the Maryland Room was born. "Our board of directors was honored to create the Maryland Room.” said
M.H. Estepp, Greater Prince George’s County Business Roundtable President.
"We have a great deal of admiration and respect for the men and women who
bravely serve our country and nothing can compare to the looks on their
faces when they see a little bit of home in this special place.” |
|
|
|
The Maryland Room is nestled in the rear of the Aeromedical Staging Facility at Malcolm Grow Medical Center. The room offers comfortable chairs, a big screen TV, video gaming systems and six free phone stations and Internet connections where patients can call their loved ones. The patients (and visiting families) can watch movies and programs or play video games on on a 60-inch-wide screen TV or read books, magazines, and other printed material while seated in large, recliners. Snacks and beverages, which Fisher House provides, are also available in a small kitchen. The Maryland Room is maintained by American Red Cross volunteers and the ASF housekeeping staff. They serve nearly 350 patients per month. For some of these dedicated professionals, working in the ASF can be difficult to bear because of some of the patients’ conditions. However, the Maryland Room offers a space where young visitors can begin their road to recovery. Other worldwide organizations have donated snacks and toiletries as well as special breakaway-clothing which has Velcro at the seams to accommodate patient casts and bandages, and every patient is given a hand-made quilt from a volunteer. M.H. Jim Estepp, GPGBR president and chief executive officer, said the
Maryland Room is an example of what can be accomplished when the military
and community work together for a common cause. To make donations, please e-mail us or call the Greater Waldorf Jaycee Community Center (301-645-4546). |
||
Works cited:
|
||
P.O. Box 482 ▪ 3090 Crain Highway ▪ Waldorf, Md. 20601 ▪ Phone (301)645-4546 ▪ Fax (301)645-5255
|
Contact
Webmaster
with questions or comments about this website.
|
