Greencroft Middlebury News

A small community in a small town, Greencroft Middlebury is perfect for those looking for a close-knit, intimate experience. Our community is a fixture in the town of about 4,000 and is a social gathering spot, not just for our residents but for the whole Middlebury community. Many of the residents who live on campus also grew up in this area and have strong ties to friends and family there. When we noticed a growing need to develop assisted living for this campus for those who needed a little bit more care, we began working on a Capital Campaign to make it happen. 
"The challenges of Covid and needing more availability really brought this project to fruition," said Timothy DeLuca, Greencroft Middlebury Campus Director. 

"The needs were clear, so we did a feasibility study and figured out that our sweet spot was 12-20 residents which matched well with what we had experienced in terms of inquiries about assisted living." 

Tim has been with Greencroft Middlebury for about six years, and it has been a challenge for him to see potential residents who grew up in the Middlebury community and who would like to stay in the area needing to go farther away from their connections, friends, and family for additional care. This Capital Campaign is a great opportunity to provide more options to those residents so they can stay closer to their family networks and the local community that they know so well. 
"Even beyond those who have grown up in the area, there are also many people who come and visit Middlebury as a tourist destination and come to fall in love with it," Tim explained. ''A lot of them decide that Middlebury is a fantastic place to retire, and being able to provide these additional options for elderly care is just a really great thing to be able to do." 

The campaign began taking place as a small house model starting with 12 units. As those in the community and on campus got to talking further, our focus for these units started to take shape in a way that included memory care - another significant need in our community. The team ended up designing a specialized small house concept with traditional assisted living on one side of the unit, and memory care on the other side, along with a secured courtyard and a lot of other great features that are specifically designed for those with dementia and memory care issues. 

The project officially started last fall, and key community influencers as well as lead donors have been solidified which has given the campaign a great start. Our goal is to reach $4 million dollars total, with $1 million of those funds going towards a resident assistance campaign. We are still connecting with those key community influencers and seeing who in the community has the passion for a project like this. 

"Memory care is a really neat piece to have as a component on our campus. The design and staff member training, as well as the programs, will make a really unique facility in such a small community. We can't wait to reach our Capital Campaign goal and really bring this project to life," said Tim. 

If you would like to be a part of this exciting campaign by making a donation, visit the Greencroft Middlebury Foundation website at www.Greencroft.org/GreencroftMiddlebury/Foundation or give us a call at 574-825-6756! Your dollars help us do more for our residents and the community.