The Doorways isn’t a hotel. It’s not a hospital. And it’s not just a place to stay. It’s something far more powerful: a home away from home for patients and their families during some of life’s most vulnerable moments.
Founded over 40 years ago by the MCV Women’s Auxiliary, The Doorways began with a simple but urgent mission: provide a place for out-of-town families to stay while their loved ones received medical care in Richmond. Since then, it has grown from a 28-bed dormitory to a 117-room facility that serves guests from across Virginia and beyond, many of whom stay for days, or even weeks, months, or years if that is their need.
The Doorways operates 24/7, 365 days a year, and has welcomed nearly 10,000 guests in 2025 alone. Thanks to generous donations, every guest stays for a small suggested contribution of $15 per guest per night, but no one is ever turned away for an inability to contribute. That means volunteers are essential, not optional.
Creating a feeling of comfort and home
SPARK employees spent a day in October supporting The Doorways by helping refresh and clean up the spaces that make a difference for guests. From pruning overgrown shrubs to mulching garden beds, from sweeping the parking garage to unexpectedly tackling a long-forgotten alley, the team helped make the property feel safer, more welcoming, and more like home for those staying there.
And creating that feeling for guests is very important to the dedicated team at The Doorways.
“We want this to be a place where people feel safe, where they feel comfortable, and where they can get access to healthcare that they vitally need,” said Jessica Brucker, the organization’s Marketing and Communications Manager.
Shared spaces foster connection
Shared spaces, like the ones SPARK helped to clean and tidy, are very important to the experience at The Doorways. Because guests find more than just shelter – they find connection and restoration. From quiet moments in nature, to meals cooked and shared in the communal kitchen, to friendships that stretch across treatments and follow-up visits, guests at The Doorways become a kind of chosen family.
That’s one reason volunteers are such an important part of the organization’s ecosystem. In fact, volunteers contributed almost 8,000 hours in 2025.
“Our volunteers are part of the family,” said Kelly Lindquist, Volunteer and Outreach Manager. “They provide meals, clean shared spaces, and help with tasks our small staff simply doesn’t have time to take on. And they do it with such heart.”
“Dolly’s Garden” in particular, a small green space dreamed up by one of The Doorways’ co-founders, was in need of attention. “It’s not a huge space,” said Jessica, “but it’s a really important one. Guests go out there to read, have lunch, or just take a breath. It’s a quiet, peaceful place in the middle of everything.”
“Having it look lovely and welcoming is a meaningful way for it to feel like an oasis,” she added. “And the SPARK team did a beautiful job.”
More than one way to help
Later this spring, SPARK will return to host a “Windex party” to help clean the building’s exterior-facing windows and balconies (just in time for allergy season). And there are plenty more ways for anyone – individuals or groups – to get involved.
The most immediate need is meal support. The Doorways provides food and snacks to guests, many of whom are too ill or too overwhelmed to shop, cook, or venture far from the building that becomes their sanctuary when far from home.
“Dinner is where the magic happens,” Kelly said. “It’s where guests connect, volunteers connect, and people who are going through hard things get a moment to just be together.”
But, even if all you know how to make is cereal, there are plenty of other ways to help, and they are all important:
Organizing donation drives (snacks, toiletries, paper goods)
Assembling grab-and-go kits
Hosting activities
Helping with seasonal cleaning or building projects
To get involved, visit thedoorways.org/volunteer and fill out the individual or group interest form. From there, Kelly and her team will guide you to a project that fits.
And to hear more about The Doorways, Stacy Brinkley, President and CEO of the organization was recently interviewed by the Richmond Leadership Lab podcast. If you are interested in community, empathy, and nonprofit work, it is absolutely worth a listen.
Supporting a place that supports so many
Whether someone is staying for a night or a year, The Doorways is more than a building. It’s a rare kind of place, where meals are shared, relationships are formed, and people are supported during some of the toughest times a human being can experience.
SPARK was honored to lend a hand this fall, and we look forward to coming back soon.
“They really made a big impact here,” said Jessica. “And it means a lot.”