The Cottages, an innovative community designed to transform the aging experience by promoting healthy living, independence and dignity, received a strong sign of community support in the sum of $1 million from the Pella Community Foundation and the Marion County Community Foundation.
The Pella Community Foundation is giving $600,000 while the Marion County Community Foundation is donating $400,000 for The Cottages, a $20 million development initiated by Hearthstone, a Ministry of WesleyLife. Groundbreaking for The Cottages is scheduled for April 17 on the 50-acre building site along North Main Street near Big Rock Road in Pella.
"We are most grateful for these extraordinary gifts, which are a strong endorsement of community support for The Cottages," says Hearthstone Executive Director Nancy Hamilton. "This transformational development will meet the urgent need for assisted living and skilled nursing with households designed as individual homes to promote independence and social engagement.
WesleyLife has committed $15 million to The Cottages and secured financing through local banks. A campaign to raise the balance of $5 million from the community is making steady progress with contributions totaling $3.83 million.
The three largest gifts to date for The Cottages campaign are from: Vermeer Charitable Foundation: $1.5 million Pella Community Foundation: $600,000 Marion County Community Foundation: $400,000
Jim Brandl, president of the Pella Community Foundation, says supporting Hearthstone and The Cottages is a perfect fit for the city's foundation. "That's because the foundation's purpose," he adds, "is to preserve the heritage and enhance the quality of life for the people of Pella by facilitating the transfer of funds from the hands of people who wish to help others into the hands of the nonprofit organizations that can do it most effectively. This grant represents a major and dramatic fulfillment of our mission statement. It is said, 'People do not give TO the Foundation, they give through the Foundation,' and that's precisely what happened in this situation."
Shirley Borgman, president of the Marion County Community Foundation, says providing support for The Cottages helps the organization "fulfill its mission to foster private giving, strengthen service providers, and improve the conditions of the community." Borgman noted that the need for services for older adults is at an unprecedented level because one in six Marion County residents is age 65 or older.
"The Cottages will meet the current and future demand for assisted living, skilled nursing and rehabilitation, making it possible for Marion County residents to stay near their loved ones. In addition, specialized memory support programming will be offered for those adults with early- and late-stage dementia," says Mary Van Zante, vice president of the Marion County Community Foundation and a director of the Pella Community Foundation. Regarding the grants, she added, "Special thanks to the Kuyper and Farver families whose extraordinary generosity make this $1 million combined gift possible. These are by far the largest gifts the foundations have been able to provide, and they will have a lasting impact on Pella and Marion County as The Cottages become a reality."
The Cottages, scheduled to be completed by the end of 2013, will provide 116 older adults a place to call home where there is an emphasis on abilities and living life to the fullest. Residents will enjoy both their independence and the benefits of being part of a close-knit community.
The six cottages will be filled with abundant natural light and have ample green space, including landscaped courtyards. The commons area will include a café-style bistro open to residents and their families, as well as the community.
About Hearthstone
Hearthstone, a Ministry of WesleyLife, currently serves Pella and surrounding communities with three community-living options (Pella Manor independent living, Fair Haven East catered-living and Jefferson Place skilled and long-term nursing services including memory support and rehabilitative services). Hearthstone is home to 150 older adults and employs 90 team members. For more information about Hearthstone, please visit www.wesleylife.org/hearthstone
About WesleyLife
WesleyLife is a non-profit organization with a Christian mission to support the independence, health and well-being of older adults wherever they call home. WesleyLife operates seven communities throughout Iowa (Wesley Acres in Des Moines, Halcyon House in Washington, Heritage House in Atlantic, Park Centre in Newton, The Village in Indianola, Hearthstone in Pella, and Edgewater in West Des Moines). In addition, WesleyLife serves older Iowans at home and throughout the community with Wesley Community Services (adult day centers in Des Moines, Newton and Washington; home care and health services in Des Moines, Ames, Indianola and Atlantic; Meals On Wheels in Des Moines; and hospice and palliative care in Des Moines, Ames and Indianola). For more information about WesleyLife, please visit www.wesleylife.org.
About Pella Community Foundation
Following a task force study in 1991, local leaders were charged with the task of forming a community foundation. Financial stability was provided by the Pella Rolscreen Foundation, the Kuyper Foundation, and the Vermeer Charitable Foundation. The grant process began in 1993 and has continued annually through the generosity of individuals, groups, and estate gifts. An endowment, combined with pass-through gifts, has enabled the foundation to support a wide variety of worthy organizations and projects. Several local organizations partner with and maintain their own endowments within the Pella Community Foundation. The foundation has awarded over 400 board-directed gifts totaling $1.322 million. To learn more, visit www.pellacommunityfoundation.org.
About Marion County Community Foundation
Marion County Community Foundation (MCCF) was formed in 2005 following creation of Endow Iowa, a legislative initiative, that provides annual grants to qualified county-wide community foundations to promote endowment building for the future while creating a stronger sense of community today. A dedicated Board of Directors is committed to building the MCCF endowment through donations from individuals, bequests, and businesses that understand the vital role philanthropy plays in ensuring a desirable quality of life in Iowa's rural counties. Support for Marion County is achieved through a network of service providers, educational institutions, and charitable organizations. More information is available at www.mccfiowa.org.
