When 96th Air Base Wing Commander Col. Dean Clemons asked Tom Rice to help bring Fisher House to Eglin Air Force Base, Rice thought of the organization as a provider of housing for military families to be near recovering servicemen and women.
In the seven years since, Rice has learned that the organization does so much more.
“It’s really Fisher home,” Rice said.
For his work over the years, Rice has been named the Volunteer of the Year for Fisher House of the Emerald Coast.
“I’ve just been honored to be able to serve and to continue as an old NCO (noncommissioned officer),” said Rice, who owns the Magnolia Grill restaurant.
Rice, who is president of the Fisher House of the Emerald Coast’s board of directors, has been a volunteer since 2006.
He’s traveled throughout Northwest Florida as an ambassador for the organization and has escorted a number of acclaimed visitors through the facility.
The needs of the family go beyond simply shelter, Rice said.
“We’ve changed the focus from providing a nice room to serving the needs of families,” Rice said.
From making Christmas stockings to putting together a serviceman’s dress uniforms for a trip to the White House, Rice has helped where he can.
Rice echoed the words of Maj. Gen. C.R. Davis at the Fisher House’s ribbon-cutting: He hopes for the day the home will be empty.
“We will continue to ask the community for support and continue to support military families however we can,” Rice said. “As long as there’s a need, we will be helping.”
