With much joy we bring you greetings from Baptist Retirement Homes Foundation! As we reach our 25th year of ministry, we express our gratitude to all who have supported us and prayed for our mission. Our ThriveMore communities, with almost 75 years of serving older adults across the state, continue to grow and provide a superior standard of care, and our staff and leadership team are being recognized as some of the best in the nation.
We have experienced much growth and transition over the past year. In the fall of 2023 ThriveMore welcomed Ardenwoods Retirement Community into our organization, located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, expanding our independent and assisted living options. In early 2024 ThriveMore announced an expansion to build 33 new Cottage Homes and a 17 unit Villa Apartment building at Taylor Glen in Concord.
We recognize the growing need for quality senior living and are working to provide well-planned housing options which will continue to meet the needs of aging adults who entrust us with their retirement years.
Earlier this year Baptist Retirement Homes Foundation launched the silent phase of a three-year, $3 million capital campaign. The Immeasurably More Campaign supports two ground-breaking projects that will be transformative in the needs of memory care. First, we are proud to be bringing the first Green House model of care to North Carolina on the Taylor Glen campus. THE GREEN HOUSE® Project’s philosophy prioritizes resident autonomy and dignity and empowers the lives of the people who serve and support the residents.
Our second project offers couple’s memory care homes that allow couples managing a memory care diagnosis to spend days and nights together, with the caregiving spouse having around-the-clock access to trained and dedicated staff. This patent-pending design will be the first of its kind in the nation, and we are thrilled to pioneer its development on our Brookridge campus.
Our ThriveMore at Home Program, offered in the Raleigh and surrounding area, is another wonderful example of our dedication to providing unsurpassed care for older adults. This Continuing Care at Home program is designed for independent adults who want to age in place in their home, offering members a lifetime promise of care and services at the high standard demonstrated in our legacy of caring for North Carolina seniors. ThriveMore at Home has enrolled several members and expects to add members as the recognition of this innovative program grows in the Triangle.
As our work and mission grow, our staffing model and team members have changed to best accommodate this growth. The decision was made to eliminate our Church Relations Manager positions, allowing our team to have more focus on engagement with faith and community groups. We are grateful for the work that Hal Bilbo, Wesley Berry, and Stephanie Shaffer provided. In lieu of these part- time positions, one full-time position was created. We are pleased to share that Stephanie Moody Shaffer was selected for the newly formed Faith and Community Engagement Manager position and has already been making a positive impact in this new role. Sadly, Monique Farrell moved on to pursue new opportunities outside of ThriveMore.
Monique’s work was vital in helping move the Foundation forward, and we are grateful for her dedication and positive impact. We prayerfully seek our next Foundation leader who will guide us forward as we work to care for older adults in the same manner of excellence.
The Baptist Retirement Homes Foundation proudly supports ThriveMore in their endeavors, and our mission continues to grow to assist more aging adults. We give thanks for the partnerships and encouragement we have received for over 70 years. As churches, individuals, and groups continue to invest in our mission, we are able to give more to those who need our care. Because of your ongoing support we were able to provide benevolent funding of approximately $3 million dollars in 2023, offering assistance to more than 25 percent of our resident population and hundreds of individuals benefiting from Medicine from the Heart. Baptist Retirement Homes Foundation continues to allocate 100% of donations received to our benevolence work. We thank you for answering God’s call to partner with us in this Kingdom work to support older adults. Reed VanderSlik, president and CEO of ThriveMore, credits our success to the people who believe in our work. “The generosity we have seen supporting our Foundation is encouraging, and confirms that the work we are doing is worthy and necessary. We will keep moving forward as we strive to do immeasurably more for senior adults,” stated VanderSlik.
Our mission is very unique as we provide support to independent living residents who run out of money. Provided we have openings we also admit individuals into need-based care (assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing) that do not have ability to privately pay and we provide a sliding scale option for those that don’t qualify for Medicaid but can’t afford private pay.
Baptist Retirement Homes Foundation will continue to do the good work to which we have committed, providing excellent care for older adults in the longstanding, faith-based model on which we were founded, exploring more ways to reach older adults who need our communities and services. We would love the opportunity to share with your congregation, senior group, youth ministry, or mission teams about our work. And we always welcome groups from your church to visit one of our communities and share or offer ministry activities with our residents!
We hope you will visit our website to learn more about our communities and the vibrant activity that is taking place across our state: www.ThriveMoreNC.org. Additionally, use the church resources tab on our website to find a growing resource page where you can request materials to use for the annual Offering for Older Adults as well as sermon outlines. Any donations to all of our programs can be made securely on this site as well.
We cherish our Baptist heritage and values, and will continue to work to share our Christ-centered compassion for older adults. May God continue to bless you so that you can bless others through your teaching, compassion, and offerings.
With gratitude,
Stephanie Shaffer
Faith and Community Engagement Manager Baptist
Retirement Homes Foundation