Courtesy The Wesley Community
The Wesley Community has launched a capital campaign designed to meet the evolving needs of the older adult population for current residents and future generations.
The Campaign for Springs seeks to raise $5 million in funding, which will help the nonprofit senior care provider to embark on the second phase of improvements to the Springs building at the Wesley Health Care Center, which serves residents requiring long-term care, officials said.
The project will add approximately 5,500-square-feet to the building’s existing footprint, create an additional 19,500-square-feet within the building and renovate the second through fourth floors of the building, thereby increasing the number of private rooms available to residents by nearly 30 percent and creating a more home-like environment.
Additionally, officials said the project will allow The Wesley Community to update the dining room with more natural light and establish inviting and contemporary common spaces with electric fireplaces. The improvements will also enhance resident amenities by installing a shower and ceiling lift system in each room. The project is anticipated to cost approximately $20 million.
It is the first capital campaign for The Wesley Community in more than 40 years.
“This is an exciting time for The Wesley Community. This project will allow us to better serve aging adults who need our services,” said The Wesley Community CEO J. Brian Nealon. “The generous philanthropic support of businesses, organizations and individuals in our community will allow The Wesley Community to continue to evolve and bring high-quality care to our families and friends for generations to come.”
The Wesley Community has raised $3.2 million to date toward the Campaign for Springs, including a $500,000 donation from the Dake Family and Stewart’s Shops, a $500,000 contribution from the Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust and a $250,000 donation from Adirondack Trust Co.
“I went on the Saratoga Retirement Center Board 52-plus years ago as a Chamber of Commerce officer to help it get settled in Saratoga,” said Bill Dake, chairman of the board at Stewart’s Shops. “It was felt that it could provide employment in a resort community, as well as fill a growing social need. Looking at the Wesley Community’s success today, from a 50 years ago perspective, is truly amazing and certainly has fulfilled its potential for the community.”
“This project will transform the Wesley Community’s Springs Building and benefit the community for many years to come,” said Adirondack Trust Co. Executive Vice President Charles V. Wait Jr. “It will enhance the lives of our seniors and their relatives.”
Additional major donations for the campaign include $100,000 commitments from Angerame Architects PC, The Hedbring Foundation/Fort Miller Group, Marshall and Sterling Insurance, Raymond Martin, Elliott and Cathy Masie, Ruth Pouliot and John and A.C. Riley.
The first phase of renovations to the Springs building, which began accepting residents in the early 1970s, took place three years ago and included improvements to the main lobby area as well as the resident rooms and common spaces on the fifth floor of the building.
The early phase of the campaign has been led by a volunteer steering committee, co-chaired by Raymond Martin and Shelly Amato. Members of the committee include David Collins, C. Michael Ingersoll, Tara Anne Pleat, A.C. Riley, J. Thomas Roohan, Stephen “Sully” Sullivan, L. Clifford Van Wagner, Charles Wait Jr. and Nealon.
While the capital campaign exclusively supports the second phase of renovations to the Springs building, the project is one component of a multi-year development plan that will create 100 new senior housing units, a 50-unit state-of-the-art memory care center and a dedicated staff training facility at The Wesley Community.
Development plans for the project have received unanimous approval from the Saratoga Springs City Council. Pending individual site plan review and approval, groundbreaking on the initial stages of the project is expected to take place in late 2020.
Individuals interested in supporting the Campaign for Springs can make a donation at campaignforsprings.org. For more information about the project or the campaign, contact The Wesley Foundation via email at foundation@thewesleycommunity.org or by phone at 518-691-1420.