United Church Homes Embarks on 5-year, $20-Million Campaign to Transform Aging

The Rev. Ken Daniel

United Church Homes leadership from throughout Ohio gathered Nov. 17 at its Fairhaven Community in Upper Sandusky to kick off the public phase of a 5-year, $20-million Campaign for Abundant Life.

The campaign, which already has raised $12 million in gifts and pledges, will support affordable housing, benevolent care, and pastoral care initiatives for senior citizens at all 72 United Church Homes’ service areas, including two Native American nations. It also will support the new Ruth Frost Parker Center for Abundant Aging, an initiative to transform aging through education, outreach, and advocacy, and build a culture of community, wholeness and peace.

The occasion for the announcement was the re-dedication of the Fairhaven campus, which recently underwent significant renovations, including new resident rooms, a memory support neighborhood, a therapy center, plus a renovated auditorium, chapel and outside courtyard.

The Rev. Kenneth Daniel, president and CEO of United Church Homes, introduced the campaign, which is focused on transforming the lives of people in UCH communities and in the greater community. He sees the campaign as a necessary part of United Church Homes’ ministry.

“Over the past three years, United Church Homes has expanded its ministries significantly by almost 1,000 new residents. We have invested over $10 million in modernizing our existing campus communities,” said Daniel. “Today, UCH is on the threshold of additional investments to expand our facilities and services so we can impact even more people.”

United Church Homes’ vision is to develop by 2027 a continuum of residential settings that support independence and abundant life for people at all income levels. To that end, the campaign is focused on four areas:

• Abundant Living — providing charitable care for individuals who have exhausted their financial resources, pastoral care programs; leadership training and staff development, helping the Ruth Frost Parker Center share its resources and innovations; and providing inclusive affordable housing and health care services.
• Affordable Housing with Support Services — providing capital upgrades and programs that enhance quality of life, provide access to community resources, and respond to urgent needs; and sustainable programs that serve Native American nations.
• Renewed Campuses — providing more independent living options, technology-driven products and services, and support services that preserve independence.
• Transformed Healthcare Communities — providing appealing accommodations and more private rooms; coordination of short-term therapies and acute care; and providing increased memory support and behavioral care.

“United Church Homes has addressed the causes of senior poverty, health and housing insecurity, and discrimination by our society,” Daniel added. “This continues to be our mission, to bring the experience of community, wholeness, and peace to those we serve.”