10 UCH Communities Awarded Wishing Well Grants

Wishing Well recipients
United Church Homes recently awarded grants to 10 affordable housing communities through its Wishing Well program. Grant recipients and their communities are (front row, from left) Rosie Hughey, Glendale Commons; Rosalind Cation, Cottonwood Glen; Gina Erhardt, Salem Manor and Maple Leaf Commons; (second row) Cheryl Wickersham, vice president of Housing Services; Kathy Tooley, Concord Estates; Katie Davis, Laurel’s Edge; Gina Laine, Cypress Run and Sterling Place; (back row) Rev. Kenneth V. Daniel, president and CEO; Shawn Hoffner, HardinCrest and Shawnee Springs; Keri Hoffner, Cherry Arbors; and Phil Mallott, UCH Board of Directors, chair. Not pictured is Renee Kreemer, Harmony Apartments.

UCH presented Wishing Well awards at this year’s Housing Donor Appreciation Dinner on July 24, 2019.

The United Church Homes Wishing Well grant program is open to all UCH housing communities. It is a unique way to distribute annual philanthropic gifts given to support Housing Services. Participating in the program gives housing managers the tools they need to write grant proposals and provides an opportunity for leveraging additional funding from their local area.

This year, UCH received a total of nearly $31,000 in donations designated for affordable housing that contributed to the funds available for the Wishing Well grant program. United Church Homes matched this amount, bringing the grand total for Wishing Well applicants to $62,000.

For the first time, the Wishing Well committee was able to fund all of the applicants. The money will fund projects such as a pergola, new exercise equipment, updated furniture and the continuation of private transportation.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 Wishing Well Awards: Harmony Apartments, $2,999, Long Prairie, Minnesota; Concord Estates, $4,098, Fredonia, New York; Shawnee Springs, $7,500, Bellefontaine, Ohio; Laurel’s Edge, $6,700, Kennesaw, Georgia; Sterling Place, $3,381, Lakeland, Florida; Cottonwood Glen, $7,052, Greenwood, Mississippi; Cherry Arbors, $6,299, North Lewisburg, Ohio; Maple Leaf Commons, $5,810, Goshen, Indiana; Salem Manor, $7,500, Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Glendale Commons, $7,500, Covington, Tennessee.

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About United Church Homes: United Church Homes, headquartered in Marion, Ohio, has been “Celebrating the Spirit” of older adults for more than a century. The faith-inspired nonprofit organization is one of the nation’s largest providers of senior living services. UCH has more than 1,800 dedicated staff serving nearly 5,000 residents of all faiths in 75 senior living communities throughout 14 states and two Native American nations. UCH is in covenant with the United Church of Christ and welcomes residents of all faiths.