Griswold Home Care, the non-medical home care franchise with 168 locations nationwide, is founded on the core value of “Griswoldness,” an emphatic and community-driven mindset held by all franchisees. Perhaps no one epitomizes that quality more than Michele Running, a Libertyville, Illinois resident and Griswold Home Care franchisee who recently hosted health care professionals at her home to raise awareness of the risks of lung cancer.
In 2017, Running was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer, which has recently progressed to stage 4. As a healthy, active nonsmoker, the diagnosis came as a surprise to Running, who eventually learned her cancer was actually a result of an ALK gene mutation, which is very aggressive and rare, representing about 3–5% of lung cancer cases. For the last four years she has undergone treatment at NorthShore University Health System’s Kellogg Cancer Center.
But Running didn’t let her health condition hinder her passion for giving back to those in need, and her eye-opening diagnosis showed her the importance of raising lung cancer awareness. In August, Running organized an event in her community by teaming up with Heidi and Pierre Onda from Colorado, the founders of The White Ribbon Project™, an advocacy organization dedicated to raising awareness of lung cancer.
“The White Ribbon Project was started when Heidi was diagnosed with lung cancer and her husband made her a wooden white ribbon to hang on her door and raise awareness,” said Running. “She posted a picture of it on a lung cancer awareness site, and people started to reach out to her to order their own. They've made about 600 ribbons so far. Since then, folks have offered to host events across the U.S. to make more ribbons.”
Running’s event brought 30 people — lung cancer patients, nurses, loved ones who have lost someone to lung cancer — together spending the day making over 120 ribbons. Those ribbons will be presented to newly diagnosed lung cancer patients, medical professionals and local organizations that serve cancer patients.
As a Griswold Home Care franchisee, Running’s recent lung cancer awareness event certainly isn’t the first time she has set out to help people in her Libertyville community. In fact, she says the ability to give back was one of the primary reasons she originally joined Griswold Home Care nearly two decades ago.
“I used to have a career in workers’ compensation, trying to help people get back to work after they were injured,” said Running. “I was helping a client get a job by searching in the paper and saw some home care franchise opportunities. I started researching all the agencies around at the time, and I loved that Griswold was all about serving people instead of just making money. I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Jean Griswold, and she is truly amazing. Her motto is ‘people before profit.’ She believed if you serve the community, everything will fall in place.”
Dr. Jean Griswold established this culture of caring when she founded Griswold Home Care in 1982, the first non-medical home care franchise in the country. Dr. Jean was a woman of deep faith, and as someone confined to a wheelchair due to multiple sclerosis, she understood firsthand the importance of quality in-home care and set out to help homebound clients across the country. While she passed away in 2017 at the age of 86, her core mission remains at the heart of the Griswold brand.
Today, Running owns two Griswold Home Care locations in Illinois. Over the past 20 years of ownership, she says her franchise has allowed her to honor Dr. Jean’s legacy and help better the lives of many members of her community.
“We had a client who was in hospice and given only two weeks to live, and we sent an amazing caregiver who gave her something to live for,” said Running. “That client ended up living for two more years. Everyday, we get regular calls from family members thanking us for the great work we do. A lot of agencies aren't willing to take cases with low hours, but we're willing to help whenever we can. We even sent a caregiver to a wedding because one of our clients couldn't go alone.”
The senior population is increasing rapidly in the United States, with the AARP reporting that about 20% of the population will be 65 years old or older by the year 2040. Today, with the COVID-19 pandemic creating an even greater demand for safe, comfortable and quality home care, Griswold Home Care’s differentiated and empathetic approach is more needed than ever. The brand uses a unique science-based assessment tool to measure and evaluate the client’s cognitive function to determine engagement steps and match them with caregivers, who provide homemaking, personal care, companion care, hospice care, respite care, live-in overnight care and more.
Now, as the Griswold Home Care franchise system continues to expand, compassionate and inspiring individuals like Running have the opportunity to join a proven brand, take control of their destiny and provide an invaluable service to their community.
“Griswoldness is not one single thing,” said CEO Michael Slupecki. “It’s an outlook. It’s about empathy. It means having the drive to give back to your community and to help people live their lives with dignity and respect. That’s what we look for in a franchisee candidate, and Michele Running is a great example of someone who takes that outlook even when times are hard.”
Franchise opportunities range from $108,181-$181,431, including a $49,500 franchise fee. For more information about franchising with Griswold, please visit: https://www.griswoldhomecare.com/franchising/investment-info/.
Griswold
SPONSORED
Michele Running displays the type of inspiring commitment and empathy Griswold Home Care franchisees show to their communities, even when they are struggling themselves.
Griswold Home Care, the non-medical home care franchise with 168 locations nationwide, is founded on the core value of “Griswoldness,” an emphatic and community-driven mindset held by all franchisees. Perhaps no one epitomizes that quality more than Michele Running, a Libertyville, Illinois resident and Griswold Home Care franchisee who recently hosted health care professionals at her home to raise awareness of the risks of lung cancer.
In 2017, Running was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer, which has recently progressed to stage 4. As a healthy, active nonsmoker, the diagnosis came as a surprise to Running, who eventually learned her cancer was actually a result of an ALK gene mutation, which is very aggressive and rare, representing about 3–5% of lung cancer cases. For the last four years she has undergone treatment at NorthShore University Health System’s Kellogg Cancer Center.
But Running didn’t let her health condition hinder her passion for giving back to those in need, and her eye-opening diagnosis showed her the importance of raising lung cancer awareness. In August, Running organized an event in her community by teaming up with Heidi and Pierre Onda from Colorado, the founders of The White Ribbon Project™, an advocacy organization dedicated to raising awareness of lung cancer.
“The White Ribbon Project was started when Heidi was diagnosed with lung cancer and her husband made her a wooden white ribbon to hang on her door and raise awareness,” said Running. “She posted a picture of it on a lung cancer awareness site, and people started to reach out to her to order their own. They've made about 600 ribbons so far. Since then, folks have offered to host events across the U.S. to make more ribbons.”
Running’s event brought 30 people — lung cancer patients, nurses, loved ones who have lost someone to lung cancer — together spending the day making over 120 ribbons. Those ribbons will be presented to newly diagnosed lung cancer patients, medical professionals and local organizations that serve cancer patients.
As a Griswold Home Care franchisee, Running’s recent lung cancer awareness event certainly isn’t the first time she has set out to help people in her Libertyville community. In fact, she says the ability to give back was one of the primary reasons she originally joined Griswold Home Care nearly two decades ago.
“I used to have a career in workers’ compensation, trying to help people get back to work after they were injured,” said Running. “I was helping a client get a job by searching in the paper and saw some home care franchise opportunities. I started researching all the agencies around at the time, and I loved that Griswold was all about serving people instead of just making money. I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Jean Griswold, and she is truly amazing. Her motto is ‘people before profit.’ She believed if you serve the community, everything will fall in place.”
Dr. Jean Griswold established this culture of caring when she founded Griswold Home Care in 1982, the first non-medical home care franchise in the country. Dr. Jean was a woman of deep faith, and as someone confined to a wheelchair due to multiple sclerosis, she understood firsthand the importance of quality in-home care and set out to help homebound clients across the country. While she passed away in 2017 at the age of 86, her core mission remains at the heart of the Griswold brand.
Today, Running owns two Griswold Home Care locations in Illinois. Over the past 20 years of ownership, she says her franchise has allowed her to honor Dr. Jean’s legacy and help better the lives of many members of her community.
“We had a client who was in hospice and given only two weeks to live, and we sent an amazing caregiver who gave her something to live for,” said Running. “That client ended up living for two more years. Everyday, we get regular calls from family members thanking us for the great work we do. A lot of agencies aren't willing to take cases with low hours, but we're willing to help whenever we can. We even sent a caregiver to a wedding because one of our clients couldn't go alone.”
The senior population is increasing rapidly in the United States, with the AARP reporting that about 20% of the population will be 65 years old or older by the year 2040. Today, with the COVID-19 pandemic creating an even greater demand for safe, comfortable and quality home care, Griswold Home Care’s differentiated and empathetic approach is more needed than ever. The brand uses a unique science-based assessment tool to measure and evaluate the client’s cognitive function to determine engagement steps and match them with caregivers, who provide homemaking, personal care, companion care, hospice care, respite care, live-in overnight care and more.
Now, as the Griswold Home Care franchise system continues to expand, compassionate and inspiring individuals like Running have the opportunity to join a proven brand, take control of their destiny and provide an invaluable service to their community.
“Griswoldness is not one single thing,” said CEO Michael Slupecki. “It’s an outlook. It’s about empathy. It means having the drive to give back to your community and to help people live their lives with dignity and respect. That’s what we look for in a franchisee candidate, and Michele Running is a great example of someone who takes that outlook even when times are hard.”
Franchise opportunities range from $108,181-$181,431, including a $49,500 franchise fee. For more information about franchising with Griswold, please visit: https://www.griswoldhomecare.com/franchising/investment-info/.
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