UMRC-Porter Hills Foundation Announces $28 Million Live Life with Brio Campaign with Chelsea Kickoff Event
UMRC-Porter Hills Foundation, fundraising arm for Brio Living Services, publicly announced the launch of its Live Life with Brio comprehensive campaign. More than eighty guests attended this kickoff celebration held on May 28 at the Chelsea Retirement Community (CRC) Mackinaw Dining Room in Chelsea, MI. To date, more than $21 million in gifts, grants, and pledges, or over 75% of the $28 million goal, have been received.
Special guests included State Representative Kathy Schmaltz (District 46, Jackson) who chairs the House Families and Veterans Committee and works closely with issues affecting older adults. Rep. Schmaltz offered remarks and presented a Legislative State tribute to Brio Living Services President & CEO Steve Fetyko and UMRC-Porter Hills Foundation President & CEO Kelli Smith, CFRE, recognizing Chelsea Retirement Community’s 120 years of service in the region.
“Thank you for all you do for our seniors, your dedication, and just being a community. This is a real community and it’s beautiful,” said Rep. Schmaltz. “This tribute honors your decades of helping people.”
Other speakers at the event included Russ Ives, Brio Living Services Board Chair and Live Life with Brio Campaign Co-Chair, and Linda Mammel, Memory Care Program Manager at CRC, in addition to Fetyko and Smith.
Smith thanked Campaign Co-Chairs Russ and Susan Ives of Birmingham, Tom and Barb Jackoboice of Grand Haven, and Jim and Marie Preston of Grand Rapids, Michigan for their service and commitment to the Live Life with Brio campaign. She also thanked the sponsors for this event, including Platinum Sponsor Huntington Bank.
“Philanthropy makes such a huge difference in what we can do,” said Smith. “We can make life better for people. This [Chelsea Retirement Community] is the house that philanthropy built. This was someone’s vision long before we got here. Remember that that power is inside each and every one of us to make a difference and pay it forward for someone else.”
The $28 million Live Life with Brio comprehensive campaign supports the Foundation’s four fundraising pillars that promote vibrant living for older adults and investment in the team members of Brio Living Services. These include:
• Benevolent Care, the Foundation’s cornerstone, helping to ensure that qualified Brio residents continue to receive the loving care and services they need, even if they outlive their resources through no fault of their own;
• Capital Improvements, including expansion and renovations to Porter Hills Village in Grand Rapids and the CRC Chapel, dedicated in 1952, as a state-of-the-art Chapel & Performing Arts Center;
• Team Member Investment, providing for Team Member Scholarships, Emergency Aid, and other emergent needs for Brio team members who give so much of themselves in service to others; and
• Program Investment, supporting meaningful and engaging Life Enrichment activities that foster joy and purpose for the older adults served at Brio Living Services.
Ives has 56 years of history with CRC, beginning when his grandparents, Bishop Marshall and Mary Esther Reed, first moved to the community, due to his grandfather’s health. His grandmother lived to the age of 99 at CRC, thanks to the care and attention she received, according to Ives.
“The role of the Foundation and its generous donors is significant in making this campaign possible,” said Ives. “What excites us about this campaign is the transformational brick and mortar work at Porter Hills Village and the revitalization of the CRC Chapel & Performing Arts Center. The plans are spectacular. Just as important is how this campaign endows team member growth and team member care in times of unusual need. Team members are the faces that make life in our Brio communities truly vibrant and caring. As exciting as the new structures are going to be, it’s the care inside the walls that makes our Brio homes so special. Finally, the campaign demonstrates our great pride in the endowment for Benevolent Care, which provides a safety net for residents who outlive their resources. Each of these elements are critical to the mission we live out every day.”
Fetyko echoed the words of John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, saying, “Through your generosity, you inspire us to do all the good we can, for all the people we can, for as long as we can. If we can continue to do this, we can be a great place for people to experience life the way they want to for, dare I say, the next 120 years.”
“Thank you for choosing to invest in our organization,” continued Fetyko. “We pledge to prove ourselves worthy by executing fully on our mission—Welcoming all, partnering together, enriching lives—each and every day.”
Learn more about the UMRC-Porter Hills Foundation’s Live Life with Brio Campaign and how you can support vibrant living for older adults and our exceptional team members at Brio Living Services.