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Information > Fact Sheets > Campus for Families of the Fallen
CAMPUS FOR FAMILIES OF THE FALLEN
Posted 12/22/2011
Printable Fact Sheet
Mission
Ensuring families of our fallen service members are provided with care, service and support.
Overview
The Campus for Families of the Fallen consists of three main areas: the Center for Families of the Fallen, the Fisher House for Families of the Fallen and Meditation Pavilion. The facilities are designed to provide families with an area of privacy, comfort and support while they at Dover Air Force Base to witness the dignified transfer of their loved ones.
Center for Families of the Fallen
General and Mrs. Norton A. Schwartz attended a dignified transfer in June 2009 and recognized a need for a facility with enhanced support to families while awaiting a dignified transfer. Families were originally hosted at the Spiritual Operations Center on the residential side of Dover AFB, which was a chaplain's administration building.
In July 2009, the 436th Airlift Wing made a previous Army and Air Force Exchange Service facility, originally slated for demolition, available for the project. A contract for construction was awarded on Sept. 30, 2009 and construction began on Nov. 6, 2009.
Approximately 6 weeks later, the center was outfitted with furnishings and fixtures. The renovated facility included segregated areas and rooms for families to use for privacy and separation, a cafe area with snacks and beverages, a meditation room, baby changing stations in both restrooms, a private nursing area in the women's restroom, a children's activity room with a chalkboard wall, games and toys and a separate area with TVs and gaming systems for teenagers.
The Center for Families of the Fallen was dedicated by Schwartz Jan. 6, 2010. A Memorial Garden was gifted to the Air Force for the center by the Delaware Federation of Garden Clubs to provide an outdoor sanctuary for families.
The Friends of the Fallen, a private, non-profit organization, support the dignified transfer mission with volunteers who attend to the basic needs of a family while they await the dignified transfer of their loved one.
To date, more than 4,500 family and friends of our war fallen have passed through the center to observe a dignified transfer.
Fisher House and Meditation Pavilion
Identified by the Fisher Foundation as a complement to the CFF, the Fisher House for Families of the Fallen is the 50th House within the Fisher family of homes. The House was dedicated Nov. 10, 2010 and opened to the first family Dec. 9, 2010. The 8,426 square-foot lodging facility offers 9 guest suites and several common areas to include a kitchen, laundry room and all the other rooms and comforts of a full-service inn.
Adjacent to the Fisher House is a Meditation Pavilion. The 1,714 square-foot gathering place for families is the first and only one of its kind. In the Meditation Pavilion there is an office for a chaplain to be readily available to families staying in the house. The USO provides an assortment of fresh and frozen meals choices, drinks and snacks to make the family's stay on the Campus as comfortable as possible.
More than 1,300 family members and their accompanying military support staff have stayed at the Fisher House for Families of the Fallen since it opened in December 2010.
Contact Information
Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Public Affairs
The Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs
116 Purple Heart Drive
Dover AFB, DE 19902
302-677-2275
DSN 445-2275
Email: afmao.pa@us.af.mil
(Current as of December 2011)
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