Responding to a Community Need
Not everyone remembers that Cross Keys Village operated a Day Services program until March 2020. Providing excellent care at an affordable cost, the program was popular and well-attended. Unfortunately, it was housed in the Wellbrook repurposed cottage, a small building which made reopening after its COVID-19-related closure unpractical. Also shuttered in early 2020 was a Memory Care Resource Center, housed in our Mission Point Building and open to our neighbors in the greater community. As soon as the COVID emergency was behind us, Cross Keys Village leaders began planning a new space where both of those valuable programs could be resumed, in suitable and custom-designed surroundings.
Of course, the first question was “How will we pay for such a building?” Once again, as was the case when we improved the Harmony Ridge spaces, the Brethren Home Foundation answered the community’s call. The Foundation’s $2.6 million Wellbrook Capital Campaign, started in 2023, is raising the funds to cover the construction and programming for a Memory Care Resource Center and Day Services on the Cross Keys Village campus, to be housed in a new building, Lifespring at Cross Keys Village.
The Brethren Home Foundation hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on December 13. The event, held under a tent at the future building’s location, was attended by elected officials, donors, partners, and CKV leadership. Vice President of Advancement, Vanessa Berger, spoke to the audience about the significance of The Brethren Home Foundation’s fundraising effort. “We are fundraising 100 percent of the dollars needed to build, furnish, and endow the center,” said Berger. “The Foundation has raised 89 percent of the $2.6 million goal.”
Caregivers of those living with Alzheimer’s Disease or another form of dementia living on our campus or in the neighboring townships have consistently shared a strong need for specialized education, caregiving tips and respite care. Construction for Lifespring is scheduled to begin in spring. “Lifespring is going to be a great benefit for this community for hundreds of people every year, and will serve as a beacon of light and hope for many years to come,” said President and CEO Jeff Evans.