Record-Breaking $17.5 Million Gift Launches New Fund for Growth, Supports Innovative Programs and Services at United Church Homes

MARION, Ohio (March 25, 2021) – United Church Homes announces the creation of the Fund for Growth upon receipt of the largest single gift in its 105-year history of $17.5 million.  An anonymous donor made the gift as part of the organization’s Campaign for Abundant Life.

The Fund for Growth will support continued innovation in programming and services for more older adults. Specifically, it will:

  • Expand UCH’s ability to provide innovative technology and connectivity for current and future residents
  • Grow service coordination and personal care programs to UCH owned and client communities
  • Support much-needed enhancements to UCH communities over the next five years and fund construction of new older adult communities
  • Provide the resources for strategic acquisitions of middle-market independent living communities for active, older adults.

In 2017, United Church Homes kicked off a five-year, $20 million comprehensive Campaign for Abundant Life at its Fairhaven Community campus rededication in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. With this new gift, the campaign has essentially doubled its original goal with two years remaining to receive other donors’ gifts.

“This is a transformational gift that will help our organization reimagine life for older adults,” said Rev. Dr. Kenneth V. Daniel, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Thanks to this generous donation and the establishment of the Fund for Growth, we will be able to expand our mission more rapidly and provide more people with the ability to live in community and experience an abundant, purpose-filled life.”

“We are humbled by the commitment of these lifelong donors who are standing with us in our mission,” said Gloria Hurwitz, Vice President, Advancement. “These funds will help us create a lasting impact on all of those we serve for years to come.”

“Our goal is to help UCH serve more people in more places,” said Terry Spitznagel, Senior Vice President and Chief Growth Officer. “This new Fund for Growth will not only allow us to support current needs through the adoption of leading-edge technology but also to conduct research into the future needs and wants of older adults and build out programs and services to support them as their needs evolve.”

“We believe this gift will be as transformational for United Church Homes as its founding gift from a family was in 1920. That gift propelled the ministry forward and continues to shape our organization even today.  This new gift will carry us along new pathways of service for decades if not another hundred years,” said Rev. Daniel.

United Church Homes’ founders in 1916 embodied a spirit of generosity that led them to provide for others. This tradition of giving continues to be a crucial part of the mission. By matching donors’ wishes with the organization’s needs and goals, generous gifts such as this historic one ensure the UCH mission will be alive and well for another generation of older adults. To learn more about United Church Homes and its initiatives, visit https://www.unitedchurchhomes.org.

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About United Church Homes

United Church Homes is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit providers of senior living and healthcare services for older adults, ranking as the 25th largest sponsor of market rate and affordable housing units on the 2020 LeadingAge Ziegler list of the 200 largest not-for-profit multi-site senior living organizations. United Church Homes operates 79 senior living communities in 14 states and two Native American nations. As a faith-inspired, inclusive organization, United Church Homes maintains a covenant relationship with the United Church of Christ denomination.