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Doug Whitaker, formerly of Rutherford County and current owner of Whitaker Transportation in Spartanburg,SC and Bristol, TN, made a promise to his mother when she died in 1989. He promised that he would make something of himself and do something so everyone would remember the impact his mother, Annette Cash Whitaker of Forest City, had on his life. Doug did just that in 1995 committing to a $250,000 pledge to name the new Hospice of Rutherford County Center of Living the Annette Cash Whitaker Center of Living on Hudlow Road. The capital campaign to construct the facility was completed as the result of Doug's donation and many others in the community who supported the effort. The Annette Cash Whitaker Center of Living was completed in 1996 and has served as the grief counseling facility and corporate office for Hospice since that time.
In 2017, Doug's father Charlie passed away, and the family wanted to do something in his honor and memory. They felt renaming the Center of Living in both parents name was a perfect match. Two weeks ago, Doug decided that he would once again make a commitment to Hospice with a $150,000 pledge to rename the building the Charlie and Annette Cash Whitaker Center of Living. "My family, my sister Debbie and brother Mark, have been blessed by having such Godly parents who taught us all the values of hard work and always giving back," Doug said.
The sign at the entrance to the facility on Hudlow Road was recently installed with the new Hospice of the Carolina Foothills logo and the new name. "We are so thankful to Doug and the Whitaker family. It was an honor to serve this family, and we are proud to rename our facility to recognize the impact Charlie and Annette had on their family and the community," Rita Burch, Hospice of the Carolina Foothills CEO said.
Hospice of Rutherford County merged with Hospice of the Carolina Foothills in May 2016 and began marketing its services as Hospice of the Carolina Foothills in August 2017 to recognize the expanded service area. The organization now serves patients in Rutherford, McDowell, Polk, Henderson, Spartanburg, Cherokee and Greenville counties. Hospice of the Carolina Foothills is a nonprofit organization. Donations to the organization ensure anyone can receive care regardless of their ability to pay, and also enable Hospice to offer services that are not reimbursed by insurance. The corporate office is located at 374 Hudlow Road. In addition to providing home hospice and palliative care, the organization also operates the Smith Phayer Hospice Inpatient Unit in Landrum and the State Employees Credit Union (SECU) Hospice Inpatient Unit in Forest City.
For information about Hospice of the Carolina Foothills, visit hocf.org.
