Video: Regional Rehabilitation Center Reaches Milestone With Completion Of Capital Campaign

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – A non-profit that has served those in the area for fifty six years reaches a milestone. Tupelo’s “Regional Rehabilitation Center” is holding a celebration, to mark the completion of a successful capital campaign.

Each week Courtney Mullins brings her two year old son Carter, to the Regional Rehabilitation Center for therapy.

Although Carter was shy when our camera was on, Courtney says her toddler has seen a big improvement since he began speech therapy.

“At the beginning, he was just saying, no, little words like that, but now he’s saying a whole lot, his vocabulary has expanded, he talks all the time, I’m very grateful for it,” his mother said.

Last year, the Regional Rehab Center saw more than 1,500 people and 26,000 services, for clients throughout a 19 county area. None of those clients ever received a bill.

A few years ago, a multi-million dollar renovation began at the center, which was built in 1961 on Pegram Drive, behind the hospital. At the beginning of this year, a $350,000 capital campaign was launched, to pay off the remaining debt of the renovation, and fund new branding and logos for the RRC.

Scott Reed, who has been a patient and longtime volunteer, served as the campaign chairperson.

“In the medical society we live in today, people aren’t cured when their insurance money runs, out, that’s when people send you home and say, good, hope you do well. Here, they’re not encumbered by that, you actually get to stay here until you are cured,” Reed said.

Now that the capital campaign is complete and Regional Rehabilitation Center is debt free, the center is ready to celebrate. However, daily operational expenses still must be met. It takes about a million dollars a year to provide services, free of charge, to clients like Carter and his family.

“This is a big building, this is six acres of hope and it has maintenance issues on and on, so keep your cards and letters coming to the Regional Rehabilitation Center,” said Rep. Steve Holland, who has been a board member at RRC for more than three decades.

The community’s generosity means the world to RRC’s clients.

“To have a place like Regional Rehab where you are able to come and not have to worry about, am I going to have to pay this bill or that bill, and you are thinking, if my child needs the services, I can’t get it, well, they are here. I would encourage people to look into it, come by or try and figure out what’s going on so people like me can get the help we need,” Mullins said.

The Regional Rehab Center has a staff of 18 and numerous volunteers. For more information on its services, or how you can help out, go to www.regionalrehabcenter.com