Capital Campaign for Memory Care at Allen Brook
Memory Care Facility Secures Future with Capital Campaign
We are thrilled to announce that we reached our $1 million goal to pay off the debt for Memory Care at Allen Brook! Having affordable memory care is critically important to so many. We are grateful to everyone who donated to our capital campaign and ensured Allen Brook will remain sustainable into the future. Learn more about our plans for a therapeutic garden and ongoing support for our incredible staff.
Read the full press release here.
The History
In late 2017, with support from foundations, friends and families coping with dementia, Cathedral Square created Memory Care at Allen Brook. The goal: to provide equity of access to quality dementia care and services for those without means. Memory Care at Allen Brook became Vermont’s first (and its still only) nonprofit memory-care community exclusively for very low-income Vermonters on Medicaid.
It is a community in every sense of the word, providing a family-like atmosphere nurtured by our Best Friends™ approach to memory care, and providing the very best of care to those who otherwise might receive the worst. Our friends — that is how we refer to residents — guide their care, control their day-to-day lives, and always maintain their dignity.
The Need
The number of Vermonters age 65+ with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia is projected to increase by 31%, to 17,000, by 2025. While there are numerous private-pay memory care facilities in Vermont — for which costs exceed $10,000 per month — there are virtually no options for low-income Vermonters. Cathedral Square is committed to serving low-income Vermonters on Medicaid at Memory Care at Allen Brook.
The Campaign
Our deadline for purchasing 99 Allen Brook Lane was extremely tight. We met the immediate challenge quickly with grants, philanthropy and a small NEFCU loan. The Vermont Community Loan Fund filled the remaining gap with a short-term, $1 million loan so we could immediately renovate and move friends into the community.
It was always our intent to use operating revenues to pay off this loan by its 2024 due date. Alas, the extraordinary costs we incurred due to the pandemic, combined with the sky-rocketing cost of goods and services during this time of severe workforce shortages and record-breaking inflation, increased our expenses to the point that we could no longer can carry this debt and continue operating Allen Brook.
The Campaign for Memory Care at Allen Brook was created in October of 2022 to raise $1 million in order to pay off the loan so we can apply funds that otherwise would go to servicing this debt directly to our operating costs, thereby ensuring the continued operation of Allen Brook into the future.
The campaign launched thanks to support from the families of Holly & Bob Miller and Lois & J. Warren “Mac” McClure. The two families pledged to match every donation to the campaign, dollar for dollar, up to $500,000. Following this pledge, the campaign received generous matched gifts from the Hoehl Family Foundation, the Amy E. Tarrant Foundation, the M&T Charitable Foundation, Nancy Wright and Steve Lidle, NFP Property & Casualty Services, Inc., and the Fountain Fund. The Pomerleau Family Foundation capped off the campaign with a generous $250,000 gift, allowing Cathedral Square to keep Allen Brook open for the long term.
“We are overwhelmed by the support for Memory Care at Allen Brook and the model of care we provide,” said Cathedral Square CEO Kim Fitzgerald. “Clearly people understand how vitally important it is to provide equal access to quality dementia care and services for those without means.”
The Future
Now that the capital campaign is complete, Cathedral Square continues to raise funds to support our incredible staff at Allen Brook and create a low-maintenance garden for the grounds. “When the weather is beautiful and the sun is out, our friends love to go outside. It provides new stimulation and keeps the mind active,” shared Colleen Lee, manager of Memory Care at Allen Brook. You can make a secure, online gift today or contact Kim Fitzgerald, CEO, at fitzgerald@cathedralsquare.org.
Efforts are already underway to clear out the overgrown gardens and install low-maintenance greenery, thanks to Williston residents Ashley and Andy Mikell and volunteers from the Williston-Richmond Rotary. "If I had a family member who needed a memory care facility, I would want them to be here," shared Ashley. "The staff is so helpful and kind, it really is a special place." Andy added, "We like working in gardens and we like to help out. This has been a great way to give back to the community and spread joy."
