It was a beautiful Saturday morning in September when a small group gathered to dedicate the newest property to come under the House of Hope umbrella – Bobbi’s House. Through the remarkable generosity of the McMillen Family Foundation, this house will provide additional beds for the Recovery Bridge Housing program, a three to six-month program for homeless women.

Perhaps the highlight of the ceremony was when the clients of HOH sang a moving rendition of “Mr. Wonderful,” to Karl McMillen, with the words of the famous song altered to honor this generous benefactor and founding member of the McMillen Family Foundation. This foundation has helped shape House of Hope as we know it today. It was Karl’s wish that this newest property be named “Bobbi’s House” to pay tribute to a remarkable woman, Bobbi Tschirgi, who has served House of Hope over the last 24 years.

Bobbi started as a volunteer at House of Hope in 1995 and was soon asked to join the Board. Her excellent business background made her an ideal candidate for this position. HOH was going through some dark times during this period; there were staffing problems, bills were not getting paid, its non-profit status was dropped and funding contracts were not current. Bobbi stepped down from the Board to assume leadership as Executive Director. Her experience as a small business owner enabled her to resolve many of the challenges that existed during this period, and she worked tirelessly.

During her tenure, she welcomed donors and grantors to become members of the House of Hope family. The “family” acquired two apartment buildings, the Adams Center Administration building and the Chris McMillen House. The acquired properties allowed the House to provide a larger range of services including Sober and Extended Living, Residential and Outpatient treatment, and Recovery Bridge Housing. Today House of Hope has 75 beds and 33 staff members helping addicted women to re-enter life as sober, dignified members of society.

Earlier this year, Bobbi retired from her Executive Director role, and has again joined the Board where she continues to provide support to the House. The naming of “Bobbi’s House” is a fitting tribute to this special woman who has provided years of service and love to House of Hope and whose vision spurred its remarkable growth in the past several years.