Commemorating the Roles of Women in the History of Brio Living Services

March is Women’s History Month, a time to reflect on the important contributions of women throughout the generations. This year’s theme is “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations.” At Brio Living Services, we are honored to celebrate just a few of the women over our first 120 years who have made our organization and our mission what it is today and who have inspired generations of care for older adults.

In 1904, Methodist pastors and laymen challenged the Detroit Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church to consider the needs of the “lonely aged.” Local stove manufacturer Frank Porter Glazier donated 33 acres from a former county fairground site to the Detroit Annual Conference. In October 1906, a “sod-turning” event took place in Chelsea, Michigan to offer a new way of caring for our aged saints.

Frank named the home after his mother, Emily Glazier. In January 1907, Mrs. Glazier participated in the cornerstone laying ceremony, using a cake server as her construction tool of choice. In October 1907, The Methodist Episcopal Old People’s Home opened in Chelsea with 10 residents, most of whom were widowed spouses of Methodist pastors. It contained 36 rooms and offered housing, meals, and basic care services to its residents. The “Old People’s Home” (eventually, United Methodist Retirement Communities) offered care with dignity to its residents and assured the same quality care even if their savings ran out. Mrs. Harriet Reed was appointed as the home’s first Superintendent; her husband, Rev. Seth Reed, served as Counsellor and Chaplain. The couple used their own belongings to furnish the home.

Mrs. Glazier lived at the home named for her for a number of years until she died in 1927. Today, Glazier Commons is the name of our Assisted Living center on our Chelsea campus.

On the west side of the state, members of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids were looking at the possibility of building a “home for the aged” as early as 1956. In 1960, church member Harold Hartger spoke regarding the church’s mission, including the need for a retirement community. Immediately following, Mrs. Marion P. Steketee approached Mr. Hartger and said, “Young man, why don’t you do something about it?” With that, a committee was formed to explore the idea more fully.

Ruth Porter met her husband, Don, at Westminster Presbyterian Church, and the church was an important part of their lives. When they learned of plans to build a retirement community in the area, the Porters wanted to help. Ruth offered to donate 35 acres of her father’s farm, which he had left to Ruth and her brother, to make this project possible. Located on rolling hills, this property was the perfect spot. This faith-based project now had a location and a name—Porter Hills—which officially opened in 1970.

Many of its early residents were women who had been residents of the Isabella Home for Aged Women in Grand Rapids. The Isabella Home had no land to expand, and it became unfeasible to

remain open. With a gift of $300,000 in seed money toward Porter Hills’ construction costs, the agreement was made to provide life-long care for the women living there at that time.

Throughout the years of both United Methodist Retirement Communities, or UMRC, and Porter Hills, women served in a variety of leadership positions that helped steer these faith-based organizations. One of those was Audrey Sebastian, who was an active member of the Porter Hills Women’s Board which formed in April 1969. She went on to serve the Porter Hills governing Board from 1977 to 1989 and the Porter Hills Foundation Board from its beginning in 1995 to 2005. She was instrumental in co-leading the successful campaign in 1991 to renovate the Porter Hills Health and Rehabilitation Center. This project included additional private rooms for residents, as well as an upgraded dining room, a childcare center (Generations Child Development Center in partnership with the YMCA), and a large meeting room and chapel.

Back in Chelsea, Dorothy McVittie Kresge, was the driving force in creating the Kresge Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, at the Chelsea Retirement Community campus in 1985. It was named for Dorothy in appreciation for her dedicated work as Board Chair. The Kresge family and Kresge Foundation helped bring many improvements to the Chelsea campus since the 1910s: everything from steam heat and an elevator, to the construction of the Chapel in 1947.

UMRC and Porter Hills affiliated in 2019 to create one senior living organization, and women continue to be a vital part of the fabric that is now Brio Living Services. Today, six of our ten senior executive team members are women, and women volunteers play a critical role on both our Brio corporate and Foundation boards. Women play an essential role across Brio Living Services and the UMRC-Porter Hills Foundation, as leaders and partners in every aspect of the care and services we provide for the older adults we serve.

Thanks to the vision, commitment, and leadership of these women, and countless more, Brio Living Services continues to be a faithful, caring, and innovative organization, serving 8,000 older adults each year of all socioeconomic levels across lower Michigan.

Learn more or consider finding a career you’ll love at Brio Living Services.