The guest speaker for the Southern Pines Rotary Club on Nov. 11 was Lorie Sutherland, from the Fisher House, located near Womack Medical Center at Fort Bragg. >

The Fisher House program is a unique private-public partnership that supports America's military in their time of need. The program recognizes the special sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and the hardships of military service by meeting a humanitarian need beyond that normally provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

Because members of the military and their families are stationed worldwide and must often travel great distances for specialized medical care, Fisher House Foundation donates "comfort homes," built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful times - for example, during hospitalization for an unexpected illness, disease or injury.

There is at least one Fisher House at every major military medical center to assist families in need and to ensure that they are provided with the comforts of home in a supportive environment.

Annually, the Fisher House program serves more than 12,000 families, and have made available more than 3 million days of lodging to family members since the program originated in 1990. By law, there is no charge for any family to stay at a Fisher House operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs; and Fisher House Foundation uses donations to reimburse the individual Fisher Houses operated by the Army, Navy and Air Force. No family pays to stay at any Fisher House.

Sutherland is a "Gold Star" mother, having lost her son to war.

The Southern Pines Rotary Club meets every Friday for lunch at the Mid Pines Country Club in Southern Pines. Visit www.southernpines rotary.org.