Jim Deitch is both CEO of Teraverde and a board member of the MBA Opens Doors Foundation. The Foundation helps families with critically ill children to make a mortgage or rent payment while their child is being treated, reducing the financial stress for families when caring for a very ill child.
Deitch has seen firsthand the challenges of caring for a critically ill child, as his daughter Christina was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when she was three months pregnant. Christina carried the baby for 8 months, at which point Marie Grace Feuz was born. Shortly after, Christina began the first of 12 chemotherapy sessions, which took a heavy toll on her health.
“My wife Judy and I moved to Boston to help Christina and her husband with her chemo and to help care for her daughter, Marie,” Deitch said.
“Being literally across the hall from Christina let us be available to help any time of day. We were fortunate that we could move to Boston to help for a year. Not all families have the flexibility and are blessed with resources to do that. That’s why I am so passionate in our support of Opens Doors.”
That passion has made a tremendous difference for Opens Doors. “Jim joined the Board of Opens Doors in 2013, and he has been a prolific fundraiser and supporter on both a personal and Teraverde company level,” said Deb Dubois, president of the Opens Doors Foundation. “Jim and Judy received the 2015 MBA Opens Doors Foundation Community Champion Award in recognition of their support.”
In 2018, Deitch worked with the Professional Golfers Association and Ellie Mae’s CEO Jonathan Corr to establish Opens Doors as the beneficiary of the Ellie Mae Classic Web Tour’s Community Pro-Am event. The Pro-Am raised $40,000 for Opens Doors in its first year and will raise more than $100,000 in 2019.
“Teraverde has played a key role in establishing the PGA/Ellie Mae partnership with Opens Doors,” Corr said.
Deitch also pioneered another innovative opportunity for the Foundation by creating a $100,000 partnership between Opens Doors and the Christina and Marie Feuz Fund at Massachusetts General Hospital.
“This partnership will provide additional months of rent and mortgage payments for eligible Opens Doors families. We hope this partnership model can be adopted at additional locations throughout the United States,” Dubois said.
For Deitch, his commitment to the Foundation is personal.
“Opens Doors has a special place in my heart! There is no respite from the constant worry about a sick child, but in the midst of that, Opens Doors provides peace of mind that a mortgage or rent payment has been taken care of, allowing families to focus solely on their child.
“That little bit of relief means parents do not have to worry about whether they will have a home for their child to return to after treatment” Deitch said.
Opens Doors is just one of the charities that Deitch and Teraverde support with a focus on helping families with children. Others include Massachusetts General Hospital, Andrew’s Gift, Logos Academy, Hope International and the SHINE initiative.
“It’s a privilege for our Teraverde family to support families throughout the United States during their time of need,” Deitch said.
