WesleyLife has announced a campaign to generate $2 million to help fund a 36-suite addition to one of its Communities for Healthy Living, Hearthstone in Pella. The addition will help Marion County retain care capacity that was lost when the organization’s Jefferson Place campus closed earlier this year.
Thirty-six percent of Pella’s total capacity for short-term rehabilitation and long-term care for older adults was lost when a water-main break flooded the Jefferson Place campus on February 20. The evacuation affected 34 residents, for whom Hearthstone leaders secured housing with nearby communities or with family, and displaced 31 team members.
Chad Vogel, Vice President of Philanthropy for WesleyLife, said the organization is moving quickly to secure the needed private funding so that the availability of care and services for older adults won’t continue to be compromised. The initiative carries a projected total cost of about $9 million, Vogel said.
“It’s our hope that the funds raised during this campaign, paired with a $7 million commitment from WesleyLife, will enable us to begin construction as soon as possible,” he said, adding he hopes site work can begin this fall. “We are gravely concerned with the dramatic loss of capacity for Marion County residents who desire care close to home.
“There is an urgency to this project that reflects the needs of the greater community.”
Plans for the addition to The Cottages were announced in August. If sufficient funds are secured, the addition will be constructed to include 36 suites separated into two homes of 18 residents each.
Programming will be based on a “household” model similar to the current Cottages design and will offer a way of life that provides enhanced meaning and purpose with team members who are familiar with residents’ histories and preferences.
So far, $1.025 million has been raised through the campaign, Vogel said. The effort is being championed locally by honorary campaign chairpersons Bob and Lois Vermeer, Stan and Gayle Poortinga, Mark and Kay DeCook, and Sandy Heerema, and steering committee members Paula and Jeff Allen, Jim and Julie Mueller, Sam and Lisa VanMaanen, and Bob and Charlie Zylstra.
“We are honored to be supported by individuals who not only are leaders in the greater community, but who have long believed in the mission of Hearthstone and of WesleyLife,” Nancy Hamilton, Executive Director of Hearthstone, said. “We are grateful for their willingness to strengthen and inform our efforts as we continue to serve those who have placed their trust in us.”
To learn more about providing a gift to help fund the program, contact Vogel at cvogel@wesleylife.org or (515) 271-6703.