George Mark Children’s House

I love this place. I recently started volunteering here and it’s just an amazing place. When you walk in, you instantly feel right at home. The staff is so friendly and the kids are amazing.
The entire atmosphere of the house is just happy. Kids that recieve respite care at George Mark just seem so happy to be there.
They provide end of life care for children and their families. The people there are so understanding and compassionate. It’s really a great place.

I Love this place. It’s so beautiful and the staff is really friendly.
I just started volunteering here recently, and I’m glad I did, because I feel like I fit right in. Hopefully after some training, I will get to work with the children and families in the near future.
Nothing feels better than to be around loving, caring people. :)

This fabulous facility cares for the children as well as their families. George Mark Children’s House is a nonprofit organization that provides the gift of time to both children and their families who are in a life-​limiting illnesses situation. This magical place lets just kids be kids and parents to be «mom. George Mark also offers a unique alternative to hospice, hospital, or home care. The George Mark Children’s House sets a new standard for pediatric palliative care, providing high-​quality medical care to children with life-​limiting illnesses and much-​needed support services to their parents and siblings in a home-​like setting.
The doctors and nurses who provide ²⁴⁄₇ medical care for children, and also has an Interdisciplinary Team also includes a licensed social worker, psychologist, child life specialist, and chaplain who address the emotional, social, psychological, and spiritual needs of the entire family. George Mark supports families from the time of receiving the prognosis that their child is unlikely to live into adulthood, through their journey of life, the child’s death, and beyond, with bereavement support that is not time-​limited.
Once you enter the GMCH you feel a sense of peace and serenity. The staff welcomes you with open arms and they have a hear of gold. The house is surrounded by lavish Gardens that attract the most amaziing butterflies and dragon flies. Its as if you just entered another world. The amazing part of this facility is that it resembles a typical home and not a hospital. I say you trade the sounds of a monitor for the sound of a bird chirping in the morning. The house bedrooms are theme oriented. They all have an extra bed so Mom or Dad doesnt have to leave their child alone. There are also 2 family suites used for families who are in «end of life» situations. The hyro therapy spa room provides a sence of peace for the patient and family as a therapist comes once a day to offer this treatment. The giant playroom equipped with all the video games, flat screen TV, pool table and games for children of all ages makes for a great way to entertain the little ones. These are just a few highlights of the house as it also includes a Sancuary, Basketball Court, Living room, Sensory Room, playground, and kitchen with dining room as sometimes volunteers prepare a home cooked meal.
I spent the majority of this summer at this amazing facility while my baby nephew lived his final weeks. My family was in a situation in which one would never want to be in but nonetheless, George Mark was their to help us along the way until our beloved Baby N took his last breaths. We till today have been in contact with those who have supported us through grief counsleing. Not only do they help the immidiate parents and sibilings but offer support to extended family. We think of the people of George Mark as our «Extended Family» now. They all are amazing people who have amazing hearts and will offer you all the support you need.

It’s like a 5 star hotel, people. Like a fairy tale place for parents who have medically fragile kids. This place is amazing.
We first heard about the George Mark Children’s House when we decided to not pursue a heart transplant for our very ill infant. Staff at our hospital mentioned it as an incredible resource if we were going to need end of life/​palliative care. I obsessively read their entire website and cried and cried at the stories of loving, peaceful endings that were made possible through this incredible place. VERY fortunately, we ended up not needing end of life care and I basically forgot about George Mark. Our child is now about 3 ½ and while basically doing very well, has a lot of residual issues, including lots of medications and a feeding tube. About 6 months ago, a teenager we know who volunteers there mentioned that we could use the George Mark House for respite– essentially leave our child there and go away overnight and know that he would be taken care of and that the folks there could handle all his medical issues.
We did a visit and Simon couldn’t get enough of the play room, the playground, the friendly staff, the themed rooms. He just ran around, excited and shouting, «gooooooooo George Mark!».
We stayed over with him for the first night in a large and comfortable room. We went in the hot tub with him and then at bedtime, gave him his meds and evening feed and then hung out in the big common room to give him time to go to sleep. One hard thing about GM, is that if you’re there just for respite, you will also be there with families who are there for end of life care. It can be a little awkward. There was a large family there who was clearly having a hard time and it felt strange for us to be bopping around, excited that we were going to get a night away to celebrate our anniversary the next night, while they were clearly there to send their child off to the next realm.
We left him the afternoon after we got there and came back 24 hours later (with a few calls to check in). When we came into the big common room, he was playing with a volunteer and barely looked up to acknowledge us. He had a GREAT time and still talks about his time there.
B/​c kids are technically «admitted», they have to stay a minimum of 2 nights and there are some strictish nursing protocols that have to be followed. It took a little while to work things out with nursing staff so we weren’t stepping on each others toes re: drawing/​giving meds and feeds. It was a hard adjustment to have to relinquish control over timing of things, etc after being out of the hospital for 3+ years, but may only come up for parents who are staying there with their kids.
Overall it was amazing. I still can’t believe we have this resource at our disposal. We can’t wait to have him stay there again.

I have visited the George Mark Children’s House several time for work and it’s a sobering and sad place. The people who work here do such a great job in helping the patients and their families.

I have had the honor to take photographs of some of the children/​families there. The love, caring hearts and staff is amazing. THRILLED to hear they are back. Hopefully with people helping to support this wonderful place it won’t have to close again. If it does the people that need this the most, the children, will be the ones hurt by it. It’s a haven for families and their most important thing to them, their children.

This place is a godsend. If you have sick children, this place is heaven on earth for them. Warm and inviting, it is a place for sick kids and their families to have time together in a supportive environment. If you have never heard of this place, it is worth checking out and donating what you can. We need more places like this out there.

George Mark Children’s House is a hospice for children
with life-​limiting illnesses.
This fabulous facility cares for the children as well
as their families.
It is run on donations.
Sadly, money got tight and most of the staff was laid off.
:(
This is a tragedy and heartbreaking.
We can help via donations. As per the link below, you can
read about all of the wonderful things George Mark Children’s
House does for families and what they are all about.
You, yes YOU can make a difference by clicking on the
«Make a Gift» button and donate.
It does not have to be a lot of money; every little bit helps.
Online payments are processed via PayPal.
Other donations can be made by check and mailed to the
address provided on the site.
The other reviews posted for this fabulous establishment
are heartwarming and informative. If you have a minute,
please read those reviews.

I cannot say enough about George Mark Chidren’s House. My son Joey, who has Lowe Syndrome, is staying there now. This is his 3^rd visit to george mark. I love, love love this place. Everyone there is so friendly, kind and caring and they provide me with a break while I care for my 3 other boys. The house is immaculate and pleasant to visit. When I go to visit, I don’t want to leave! The care is top notch and the rooms are so cheerful and cute. I could go on and on, but I highly recommend this facility. I feel very fortunate to have a place for Joey like this.

I had the honor of working in this spectacular facility off and on for awhile and was greatly impressed, 1) by the staff, 2) by the facility and 3) the patients themselves. It was a first for me to do any sort of hospic work and having been a Childrens hospital nurse, I knew all too well the downside of working with children with end stage illness. This place gives the family as a unit dignity and respite and love. The entire place is for the family and the patient. The rooms are beautiful, the services provided outside of mere clinical services are awesome. I worked here the week after my mom died. I had fears of it dredging up emotions, but true to their colors I just told the staff my issue, they listened and didn’ t force my hand when one of the residents died that night. I couldn’t give higher praise to a facility.

Unlike any other institution that cares for children with serious and terminal illnesses, perhaps none is more singularly dedicated to helping the entire family before, during and after their child’s illness, and life, is over.
As the first freestanding children’s respite and end of life facility in the country, one might think the atmosphere here is less than uplifting. But nothing could be further from the truth. George Mark Children’s House is all about life. All the life that can be packed into a brightly decorated child’s room, a kitchen table, a garden, an afternoon in a music or art room, into a family apartment, and yes, even into a wake room and sanctuary.
George Mark Children’s House is unique in one other aspect, as well. Because grieving and loss have no time limits, neither do the House’s services. They are provided free of charge, for as long as the families need them, however long that may be. In other words, for life.
~GMCH
Legacy Committee