On Tuesday, March 2, 2010, Mr. Reid S. Towler presented Hospice of Wake County with a gift of $1 million to support the Build Hospice campaign which funds the construction of a $14.5 million, 20-bed freestanding hospice home, an administrative center including the Horizons Grief Center, and a sanctuary that seats 50. The center is located on Trinity Road, just west of Interstate 40, on land donated by the state of North Carolina.

Mr. Towler, born and raised in Raleigh, attended Myrtle Underwood Elementary School, Needham Broughton High School and Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, VA. During World War II, Mr. Towler served in the US Navy in the Pacific theater. Upon discharge as a lieutenant, he returned to the University of North Carolina, graduating in 1947. Upon graduation, Mr. Towler pursued a career in insurance with New England Mutual of Boston, MA.

Of his philanthropic support to Hospice, Mr. Towler says, “It seems like every time I read obituaries in the newspaper, there is always someone I know who has passed away and they praise the services of Hospice. I see how Hospice of Wake County takes care of people, and I wanted to help in any way I could.”

Mike Blanchard, vice president of development at Hospice of Wake County said, “Mr. Towler’s generous gift has helped us surpass the $13 million mark in our fundraising campaign. His gift, the largest from an individual in the organization’s history, will be recognized by naming the Trinity Road Hospice site the ‘Reid S. Towler Campus’ of Hospice of Wake County.”

Your community hospice since 1979, Hospice of Wake County provides physical, emotional and spiritual care to those living with an advanced illness, their caregivers, and those who have lost a loved one regardless of age, race, religion, or financial circumstances.

For more information on Hospice of Wake County, call 919-828-0890 or visit www.hospiceofwake.org.