At United Church Homes, We've Been Celebrating Older Adults for Over 100 Years
Our History
Since the early 1900s, our organization has worked to create living communities for older adults based on our core values of compassion, respect, safety and warm hospitality. This created the solid foundation for our focus today on holistic, person-directed care.
For decades, our calling has been to foster an environment of purposeful living. Today, United Church Homes extends this hospitality to people of all faiths, gender expressions and sexual orientations. Our more than 70 senior living communities reflect a welcoming spirit buoyed by our relationship with the United Church of Christ. This means we believe that no matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you’re welcome here.
The vision started in 1916 with a committee of five Toledo church leaders who saw a need for housing for the oldest members of their congregations. By 1918, they opened a home for six residents in Toledo. They did so thanks to support from individuals and congregations in Ohio and extending as far west as Nebraska.
On May 25, 1920, the staff and residents moved to what would later be called “Fairhaven” in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, far from the noise of the big city life. It was here that our vision solidly began to take root. Today, United Church Homes serves the mind, body and spirit of thousands of older adults, including at Fairhaven Community, an important example of how we have evolved our commitment to the changing needs of older adults over a century of service.
United Church Homes will continue to transform how people think about aging as we expand our services for a new generation of older adults leading active, abundant lives long into retirement.
Our history spans more than a century. Here's a look back at some of the milestones we've celebrated along the way.
1916
March 14, 1916
Members of the German Reformed Churches in Toledo begin organizing and soliciting donations for their “Home for the Aged”.
Read more1918
March 14, 1918
The first home is opened in Toledo under the supervision of Rev. and Mrs. Ruf.
Read more1920
March 14, 1920
Thanks in part to a bequest from Jane Smith and her brother, Matthew, staff and residents move “The Home for the Aged” from Toledo to Upper Sandusky.
Read more1963
March 14, 1963
The Board renames the “Home for the Aged” as it forms United Church Homes in anticipation of adding new communities to the organization.
Read more1964
March 14, 1964
Chapel Hill, a Life Plan Community, is dedicated on June 21 after a gift of land from Mr. and Mrs. Clarence J. Swallen of Canal Fulton, beginning an era of intentional expansion to other communities in Ohio.
Read more1974
March 14, 1974
United Church Homes opens its fifth residential and healthcare community with the ribbon cutting at the Trinity Community of Beavercreek.
Read more1992
March 14, 1992
Parkvue Place, a Life Plan Community, opens its doors in Sandusky, Ohio. This is made possible by the care and support of Parkvue’s benefactress and founder, Mrs. Ruth Frost Parker. The Community at Parkvue, a healthcare center, opens in 1995.
Read more2000
March 14, 2000
The communities of Four Winds in Jackson, Ohio, and Trinity Community at Fairborn (formerly Patriot Ridge) in Fairborn, Ohio, join the UCH network.
Read more2011
March 14, 2011
The Rev. Kenneth Daniel becomes president and CEO of United Church Homes. An ordained UCC minister as well as an experienced senior living leader, Rev. Daniel’s vision is to align the organization’s goals with long-term financial viability, while affirming the spiritual heritage of UCH.
Read more2015-2016
March 14, 2015
Glenwood and Harmar Place in Marietta, Ohio, and the Trinity Community at Fairwood join the UCH network.
Read more2019
September 19, 2019
Trinity Community of Miami Township joins UCH. Patriot Ridge Community transitions to Trinity Community at Fairborn and a new regional brand, Trinity Communities of Greater Dayton, is launched.
Read moreWhat began in Toledo, Ohio, and grew through generations of support, is today a vibrant network of over 5,000 residents in more than 70 communities across 14 states and two Native American nations. We look forward to serving countless older adults in the years to come.
We're Changing the Conversation Around Older Adults and Senior Living
It’s time to change the conversation around senior living. In our communities, older adults enjoy abundant living, with onsite services and amenities that nourish the body, mind and spirit.
But we don’t just talk the talk; we walk the walk. Our faith-inspired communities ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect no matter how you worship or whom you love. At United Church Homes, we focus on experiencing all that life has to offer — physically, emotionally and spiritually. We call this aging abundantly. Choice. Flexibility. Freedom. It’s all yours — in abundance — at a UCH community.