Fair Haven Foundation

06/04/2026

Rueben has faced cancer more than once, and he talks about it with a steady, grounded confidence that comes from years of choosing faith while walking through the unknown.

“I never believed I was done. Even when I heard the word cancer, I never thought that was the end of my story,” he said. “God is good, all the time. If He brought me to it, He’s going to bring me through it.”

After being diagnosed with prostate cancer, Rueben was facing surgery at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center in Indianapolis, more than 100 miles from his home in Robinson, Illinois. He and his wife Chelsey and their three children planned to travel together as a family. But the obstacles were overwhelming.

“We didn’t even know how we were going to get there,” Rueben said. “Rides were falling through, insurance wasn’t confirmed until the morning we were supposed to leave. It felt like everything was breaking down.”

Read the rest of Rueben's story of faith and perseverance, including how God came through for them at every step of the journey and what his kids had to say about staying at Ada's Place at Fair Haven, at https://fairhavenfoundation.org/story/still-carrying-us-through/

06/02/2026

Your generosity and partnership made a real difference for patients and families last month. Check out these numbers to see who found hope at Fair Haven in the month of May:

- 102 different families, including 39 brand-new families, stayed with Fair Haven during a difficult medical journey

- Those 102 families totaled 756 nights of stay across all Fair Haven environments (Ada’s Place, apartments, hotel program, and Nancy’s Place)

- Patients and families from 12 different states found a home away from home

- Hoosier hospitality was on display, serving guests from 38 of Indiana’s 92 counties

To all those who partnered with us last month to provide a refuge in the storm for families experiencing a medical crisis far from home, thank you! To donate or find out more information about Fair Haven go to fairhavenfoundation.org.

05/28/2026

For most of her life, Paula kept moving.

As a truck driver, long days were normal. Twelve to fourteen hours behind the wheel, pushing through fatigue, getting the job done. But over time, something started to shift. The exhaustion felt different. Heavier. Walking from the couch to the kitchen left her out of breath. Even small, everyday movements became difficult.

Her daughter noticed first. Worried about diabetes because of their family history, she urged Paula to get checked. Paula agreed, expecting something manageable.

Instead, just days after her appointment, the call came. Her hemoglobin was dangerously low. She needed to go to the emergency room immediately and was told not to drive herself.

Read the rest of Paula's miraculous journey through not one but TWO bone marrow transplants at https://fairhavenfoundation.org/story/a-second-chance-at-healing/

Franciscan Health

05/27/2026

STAFFING UPDATE: Today marks the last day at Fair Haven for Emily Alfs, our Operations Manager since 2021. We are grateful for the influence she has had on so many here at Fair Haven, and we wish her all the best as she starts a new chapter of life in Florida!

Read below for a note from Emily and a note from Amanda Milner, Fair Haven's Founder & Executive Director:

A note from Amanda:

"It's with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to Emily as she and her husband Zach start a new chapter of their lives in Florida! Emily has served on staff at Fair Haven as an Operations Manager since Ada's Place opened in 2021. Over the past 5 years, so many of our guests have been welcomed by her friendly face and blessed by her kindness and compassion! She has been such an incredible part of the operations team that works so hard to keep our facility clean and beautiful and ready to welcome hundreds of families each year. We will miss her dearly! Join us in praying for Emily and Zach as they begin this new season! Be sure to comment here to share your love and your memories!"

A note from Emily:

"It has been an honor and a privilege to serve our guests for nearly 5 years. Working for Fair Haven Foundation has fundamentally changed who I am today. Every guest who has walked through our door has left a profound and lasting mark on my heart, and I will carry each of their stories with me forever.

Thank you for the countless moments that reminded me of the strength of human connection. While this chapter is coming to a close for me, the mission of Fair Haven will continue to change lives, provide comfort, and bring hope to families for years to come!

With great love and gratitude,

Emily"

05/26/2026

Did you know that you can support Fair Haven by shopping from our wish lists from Amazon, Target, and Walmart? Shop online and it will ship directly to us! Help keep our kitchen, pantry, laundry room, and storage shelves stocked with needed items for guests and their families! You can support Fair Haven's mission from your phone or computer, what a win!

To see the wish lists, go to https://fairhavenfoundation.org/make-it-a-home/

05/25/2026

Some gave years of their lives in service. Some gave all of them.

Today, we remember the men and women who never made it home, and the families who learned to carry both pride and heartbreak at the same time.

The freedoms we enjoy were not cheaply won. They were entrusted to us by people willing to lay down everything for someone they would never meet.

We remember them, we honor them, and we live in gratitude because of them.

05/24/2026

You may have heard about this little get-together that our neighbors down 16th Street are throwing later today. 350,000+ people are descending on our neck of the woods for the Indianapolis 500 in just a few hours!

As the Indianapolis Motor Speedway prepares to welcome guests from out of town this weekend, at Fair Haven we're reminded of why we love being in this city and hosting out of town guests, albeit for much different reasons. We're grateful to be in a community that truly embodies hospitality, caring, being helpful to strangers, and showing love to those that need it. Around here we welcome those who travel far, whether for a sporting event or a much more important medical journey.

You might not think that Fair Haven and a racetrack have much in common, but more than sharing a street, we share this commitment to welcome guests with hospitality and kindness!

Enjoy the weekend, give yourself extra travel time if you're driving to Fair Haven or the downtown hospitals today, and remember that in this city we welcome outsiders, no matter their reason for coming here!

05/22/2026

⚾ Guest Story Spotlight: "Staying In The Game"

It was a routine physical at the doctor’s office before the next school year that changed everything for Aiden and his family.

“They said it was cancer, AML, a blood cancer,” he said. “That first night, I cried a little. I was in shock because I knew it could be life altering.”

Then he made a decision.

“I told myself I was going to wait for the doctors to explain everything and follow the plan,” he said. “I was not going to speculate or Google things on my own.”

It was the same approach he had learned in baseball.

“You just focus on what is in front of you,” he said.

Read the rest of Aiden's incredible story of mental fortitude here in the face of a tough medical journey: https://fairhavenfoundation.org/story/staying-in-the-game/

05/20/2026

Big thanks to some compassionate and loving volunteers from People's Church who came to Ada's Place this past Saturday to bake for our guests! We are grateful for their time and energy (and of course delicious treats) that showed the love of Christ to our guests and their families. Thank you!

Your work group, church group, friend group, neighborhood group, or any kind of group can serve at Fair Haven like this. We have a number of avenues for volunteering with us to serve families who are far from home during a medical crisis. Check out the link in our bio to get started today!

05/19/2026

Proud of you, Kelly! It was our pleasure and joy to have Kelly with us during her recovery, and we're cheering her on as she takes steps toward her next chapter!

She drove herself across country, trusting the care she would receive at IU Health.