Turning Gifts into Love: Thank you to Lead Sponsor, Rose Pest Solutions, for Supporting Giving Gratitude!
“We at Rose Pest Solutions are proud to sponsor the Giving Gratitude events and are grateful ourselves for the long-time vendor relationship we have had with Brio Living Services (formerly UMRC & Porter Hills). As Rose is now a 4th generation business, we have a special appreciation for Brio’s heritage, and we are delighted and proud to be a part of it.”—Russ Ives
Russ Ives has long been connected to Brio Living Services. A current member of the Brio Living Services board, Russ has also served on the UMRC-Porter Hills Foundation board and as a member of the investment committee. But it is his family’s personal connection that led him to this service.
His maternal grandfather, Marshall R. Reed, was a Methodist minister before being appointed as Bishop for the State of Michigan in 1948—a role he served until 1964. Bishop Reed and his wife, Mary Esther, retired to the family’s farm in Michigan’s Irish Hills. Six years later, Bishop Reed’s deteriorating health “led them to do what many Methodist minister retirees had done for over 60 years—find their way to Chelsea Retirement Community,” says Russ.
Bishop Reed required nursing care, while Russ’ grandmother moved into an independent living apartment. Though his grandfather passed away three years later, Chelsea Retirement Community (CRC) was his grandmother’s home for an additional twenty years. As her own health needs changed, she moved through CRC’s continuum of care, eventually moving into what was then the brand new Kresge Center.
Russ’ mother visited her mom faithfully. “Each week, they would have lunch and Mom would get the scoop on Grandma’s friends, new and old, and about those who cared for her, as well as their families,” says Russ. “And every week, my mother would return home grateful for the community and the capable and loving care Grandma was receiving.”
Initially, Russ served the organization “because it has meant so much to our family,” he says. “But now I see what a difference it is making in so many people’s lives. As a donor, I find it affirming that those who deliver those services to older adults validate our contributions every day—they turn our gifts into love. For that, I am especially grateful.”
Join us at one of this year’s Giving Gratitude events! Or turn YOUR gifts into love with a donation to the UMRC-Porter Hills Foundation in support of the older adults we serve!