History

For several years, it was the dream of Pam Gabel and Pam Lee to open a hospitality house. That house, Friendship Inn - Kansas City, honors the memory of Chip Gabel, Pam Gabel's husband, and Pam Lee's parents, Joan and Jim Lee, who passed away all too soon. Both women had experienced traveling to hospitals far away from home and the many issues with navigating unfamiliar places and health facilities, in cities where the idea of hospitality houses had not yet become a reality.

In June 2000 and after many years of fundraising, a suitable house was purchased only one and one-half blocks from the University of Kansas Hospital. This beautiful, hand-crafted, turn-of-the-century home in historic Hanover Heights was fully restored after one year with a benevolent grant from the Victor Speas Foundation. On March 15, 2001, it opened as Friendship Inn. Support from generous donors allows us to maintain and operate this “home away from home,” that has served hundreds of people since 2001.