GARCC APPEAL: A LETTER FROM CHAIRWOMAN ELENI BOUSIS

 

​January | 2025

​

Dear Members and Friends of Our Community,

​

Happy and Blessed 2025! I wish you health, happiness, and joy. I have drafted this letter to the Members and Friends of the Greek American Rehabilitation and Care Centre because our home—YOUR HOME, an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) Not-for-Profit corporation ("GARCC")—is facing an existential crisis, including ubiquitous competition.

​

GARCC is dealing with deteriorating rooms that urgently need our attention. These rooms have not been remodeled in 25 years. Being elderly and fragile, our residents face challenges; they bang on furniture with their wheelchairs, pull on drapery until it rips apart, and wear out medical bedding. We have approximated the cost with our vendors for necessary replacements:

​

• 200 hospital-grade blankets at $3,200

• 200 sheet sets at approximately $900

• 200 eating bibs at approximately $600

• 200 gowns at $900

• Draperies to be replaced by shades (cost to be determined after assessing their effectiveness in reducing damage)

• 200 bath towels at $1,000

• 200 pillowcases at $4,000

• 600 bed underpads at $3,800, which are used temporarily and changed frequently.

 

As you can see, to remain competitive and consequently to survive, this life-sustaining, quarter-century-old building—created by the sweat, tears, and perseverance of the Greek American Community of Chicago—must be updated. We continue to face crises as a result of the difficult recovery from the outrageous costs of medical equipment, nursing staff salaries, overtime, medications, pharmacy needs, and many other requirements of the home.

​

Currently, GARCC is a 106-room skilled care nursing facility with 188 licensed beds. We care for 135 public aid residents, funded by the government at approximately $250 per day, while the actual cost of care is approximately $350 per day per person, depending on their medical needs. This results in a loss of over $100 per day per person. We began our campaign to update our rooms and, with exhaustive efforts, were able to secure the funds necessary to upgrade and refurbish 14 of our rooms, including private showers; these rooms are indeed beautiful. Hopefully, you have had the chance to visit these gorgeous rooms.

​

However, there are an additional 10 rooms that also need to be upgraded and refurbished, including private showers, for GARCC to remain competitive in the skilled care, short-term, and rehabilitation marketplace. We reached out to three contractors and architects to bid on each room, resulting in bids of $35,000 - $40,000 per room, excluding cabinetry. During this process, a generous friend of mine who represents a prominent Asian American national corporation was visiting, and I invited him to see our impeccable nursing home. He was so impressed by the love and the treatment of our residents that he offered to donate all the cabinetry for all the rooms. I was astounded by his proposal and knew I had to act now.

​

Unless these rooms are renovated to accommodate Medicare short-term rehabilitation and private residents, we will not be able to compete with our competitors and offset part of our deficit. I have forwarded a letter to His Eminence to pass on to our priests, Philoptochos presidents, and parish councils to discuss the collaborative effort for each parish to sponsor one room. We need to honor those who have served our parishes and organizations in our community. I hope the letter was received by every parish.

​

In reference to our mortgage amount: we have reduced our mortgage to approximately $9 million. We pay approximately $60,000 per month for the mortgage and interest. We need to eliminate this tremendous expense if this home is to stabilize itself for the future of its people. I AM APPEALING TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU to give now and act with urgency for the sake of your home. From the beginning of my tenure as president and chairman, I have raised millions to stabilize this home. Unfortunately, if the community does not unite to support our efforts, I will seriously consider stepping down and having the community step up. My beloved friends, this home does not belong to me, Eleni Bousis, but to the entire community.

​

I believe that we have a holy responsibility to take care of our vulnerable, elderly, sick, and destitute in our community. This is the true sense of Christianity, faith, and love.

​

Leviticus 19:32: “Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly, and revere your God. I am the Lord.”

​

It is our duty and obligation to our residents who served our Greek Orthodox Churches and the Greek Community at large to help with the survival of GARCC because of their immense sacrifices. As a humble Christian, I and few of us, do not want to live to witness our public aid elderly and destitute of our community being displaced. We owe it to them, to all the individuals and businesses who made this institution a reality, and to future residents. The survival of this world-class institution is at your mercy. Please see the attached proposals from contractors familiar with this kind of medical buildout project. As an Illinois Not-for-Profit Corporation exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, if a non-Greek corporation is willing to make such a huge and generous donation to GARCC, is it not incumbent on us, as Greeks, to rise to this challenge? Your consideration and action to assist GARCC in this critical time are urgently requested.

​

Today, the GARCC Women's Auxiliary, who have worked diligently in purchasing many of our wish list items, have graciously and generously offered to raise funds necessary to rehabilitate one room. With humility, love, and respect, I deeply thank each and every one of these individuals who have always found a way to support the needs of our home.

​​

Respectfully,

​​​

The Greek American Rehabilitation and Care Centre, Inc.
an Illinois Not for Profit Corporation By:
Chairwoman Eleni Bousis