HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — There are very few people who have the dedication to do something for a single year— let alone ten. That's exactly the situation Stacey Pierce, Executive Director of Our Promise has found herself in.
Our Promise is a group focused on helping cancer patients in any way possible.
A big focus of theirs for the past decade has been building the Our Promise House, a space dedicated to providing a place to stay for patients getting treatment at Hot Springs hospitals.
"Gonna be perfect for the patients, I just hate that it's going to take this long and have such negativity around such a positive thing that we're trying to do," she said.
The negativity she's referring to has been an annoying and costly setback.
"Went up the wall and started cutting this wiring here very roughly," she said, pointing out damaged wiring inside one of the rooms. "They think it was maybe done with some kind of saw, maybe pliers."
It hasn't been just once that this has happened— three times now, someone has come and stolen copper wiring from them.
"It hurts, I mean, I cried," Pierce said. "Like it made all us all cry, everybody's mad about it and we really, really want it to stop."
The damage they've done isn't cheap, and as a non-profit, it has made things even harder for them.
"They're gonna have to replace what has been done, and put all new in," Pierce said. "So about seventeen to twenty thousand dollars worth of damage."
Multiple companies have donated time and labor to help build the house, which has left Pierce feeling bad that she even has to ask them to come back at all.
"This is their way of wanting to give back and give a little piece of that thankfulness and grief that they go through with this cancer journey," she said. "It hurts."
At the time cameras weren't installed, because an inspection had not happened yet. Security measures – including cameras – are now up on the property.
Despite the setbacks, Pierce explained that they have no plans of not finishing the house.
"This is a house of hope and respite for patients," she said. "No matter what happens, whoever steals whatever they want to, it's still going to happen for these patients.
Hot Springs Police said they are looking into whoever continues to break in and steal that wiring.