Retired MSU Employee Given Priceless Wish

COLUMBUS, Miss. (PRESS RELEASE) – A former employee of the Mississippi State University maintenance department was recently honored with a Priceless Wish that would brighten up the day of any dedicated MSU fan – a basket stuffed full of MSU themed items, including a football autographed by former MSU and now Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

Charles ‘Kevin’ Carouthers of Starkville has a deep love of MSU, so deep that he continues to visit the campus as his health allows, even after retiring from the university’s maintenance department in 2014 after 25 years of service.

Since coming under the care of Baptist Hospice Golden Triangle, the staff recognized Carouthers’ passion for MSU and his dedication for helping others and nominated him to receive a Priceless Wish.

Funded through the Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation, the program provides an end-of-life wish to hospice patients. While some of these wishes may be small – a last anniversary dinner with a loved one, a family portrait, a birthday party or a fishing trip – they can also be incredibly meaningful to the patient and their family.

Most hospice patients realize that this may be their last special celebration, which makes the occasion bittersweet. But the impact it can have on them and their family by creating a lasting memory is incredibly meaningful.

“Our hospice staff recognized Mr. Carouthers’ deep love for MSU and wanted to do something to help him celebrate that. The idea was to give him items that reminded him of the place he called his ‘work home’ for more than 20 years,” said Amy Williams, RN, marketing and referral development coordinator for Baptist Hospice, Golden Triangle. “We were able to do that through the generosity of Dak Prescott and others with ties to MSU,” she added.

Carouthers’ basket contained the autographed football, a MSU trailer hitch for his truck, a MSU blanket and MSU mug, along with items related to his hobby of collecting aluminum cans.

“I am so surprised and honored and can’t believe you all thought of me,” he said when presented with the gift basket by the hospice staff on July 22 at his home in Starkville.

The Priceless Wishes program is made possible through the support and contributions of many. To make a donation that will impact Baptist Hospice patients, you can do so through the secure website https://www.bmhgiving.org/foundation-donate or mail a donation to the Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation, 350 Humphreys Blvd., Memphis, TN 38120 and specify it is to go to the Priceless Wishes program.