THEY made a difference in YOUR life

Now YOU can make a difference in THEIR lives

As we care for them

Reoccurring gifts of $10 – $100 given monthly or quarterly provide a steady source of funding for food, shelter, daily nursing care and stimulating activities to the frail and elderly that have contributed to making your life better.

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Donating Cash/Check Gifts

Does your employer give matching gifts to charitable institutions?

Make donations payable to: Bethesda Home

Bring in your donation personally or send to:

Bethesda Home
408-412 East Main
PO Box 37
Goessel, KS 67053

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RLE Campaign (Resident Life Enrichment)

Project Summary:

1. 1. Heritage Hall was built in 2000 as a secured dementia unit and was closed in 2016 due to a change in the model of care giving when findings determined that those with dementia actually improved when moved into the mainstream of nursing care vs. being isolated in a separate unit – leaving a beautiful facility not being utilized to the fullest benefit of the residents.

   Phase I – Administrative offices were moved into Heritage Hall with no renovation and minimal cost ($2,000) – completed 5/2018.  Residents are so happy to have easier access to administrative staff, the Heritage Hall dining area, and court yard that is available to residents for activities, family gatherings (we have had to turn some families down during the holidays due to lack of gathering space available in the past), etc.  Additionally, – a significant resident enrichment component – the audible code restraints worn by residents who are wanderers will no longer be activated when residents wish to access the administrative offices. Another benefit – no longer will audible alerts have to be coded on our MDS (Minimum Data Set) reports, resulting in potential increased revenue.

   2. The administrative offices were previously located in a facility built in 1959 for resident rooms and the windows and doors are not energy efficient. To keep this facility comfortably functional would cost approximately $80,000 for new windows, doors and sprinkler system.  The RLE project includes confirming a fire wall separation and locking the door between the 1959 facility from the main nursing care building which is now used for much needed storage space for the maintenance and environmental services departments, virtually eliminating the need for this building to be heated or cooled for operational purposes.  Total savings would be the sum of $80,000 (renovations are not needed for storage) plus the annualized energy cost of approximately $4,500.
   3. Phase II – for which current funding is sought consists of: 1) A one-time project of renovating a small portion of Heritage Hall by making a new Administrative office entrance and parking along Marion Street; 2) provide Assisted Living residents with their own washer/dryer facilities that they have requested for many years; 3) renovating some other rooms to accommodate a meeting room for families and small church groups, a public restroom, and a server room; 4) construct a fire-wall barrier at the end of Willow Hall to separate the residence hall from the storage facility. – Total projected RLE project cost $389,872.

   The Board of Trustees wrestled with the best usage for the vacated Heritage Hall facility for nearly 2 years.  Options considered were 1) converting it to a wellness facility (without a pool) – a $1million + project plus staffing requirements, 2) leasing it to a child care/preschool provider – also posing a significant cost in meeting fire codes for a separate facility, 3) converting it into a 5 or 6 Assisted Living (AL) room facility and, 4) use for skilled nursing care.  The latter two did not seem feasible since AL and skilled nursing beds were not currently filled to capacity and most people are staying as long as they possibly can in their own homes.

   Numerous community people were involved in various stages of these considerations.  Both of the first two options above would fulfill expressed needs in the community, but it was determined the cost burden would be too great.

   Visits were made with several donors who had contributed toward the Special Care Unit (Heritage Hall) construction in 2000.  After sharing with them the how the care model for demented residents has changed over the past 16 years and the options that were considered to make use of the nice facility again, their response was often, “Both phases of the RLE project sound like a great idea to make the best use of that facility.”

   The Resident Life Enrichment project was selected because of Bethesda’s commitment to serving our residents with compassion and understanding of their physical limitations, and helping them to live life to their fullest.  Previously some residents couldn’t come to the administrative offices because they couldn’t roll their wheelchair up the ramp (approx. 85% of residents use wheelchairs), or they are very tired when they made it.  Also, some of the office doors in the old administrative facility did not accommodate wheelchair access.  Now, with the offices being on the same level as the resident rooms, it provides greater accessibility for resident and administrative staff interaction.  This project became a priority as the needs were assessed for the most economical way to fulfill our commitment to care-giving excellence and to utilize an existing nice facility.

   The RLE project serves primarily the residents and their families by 1) providing more space for resident life enrichment activities, 2) providing private meeting space for resident care plan meetings with family members 3) providing space for families to gather to celebrate special occasions of the resident, 4) making it easy for residents to access management staff who can assist them with counseling and/or business needs, 5) meeting the needs requested by Assisted Living Residents for their own laundry room.  Additionally, the energy cost savings from moving the administrative offices will have a positive financial impact on operation expenses.

   For other ways to give, see below:

Online gifts • Purchasing Groceries • Non-Cash Gifts • Volunteering

Questions or need more info?

Matt Lehman Wiens, Director of Fund Development
(620) 367-2291
mlehmanwiens@bethesdahome.org,

Online Gifts

Online donations via credit or debit card, or ACH from your bank account are accepted through PayPal. Please note: donations through PayPal are subject to their processing fees which will result in the net gift to Bethesda approximately 2.5% less than your gross gift.

Bethesda Home – Undesignated

You may also designate your gift for a specific goal at Bethesda Home:

Bethesda Home – Benevolent Care Fund

Bethesda Home – Nursing Care Equipment

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Donate when buying your groceries

Area grocery stores contribute significantly to Bethesda when you buy your groceries

These programs work and they can do better for Bethesda with your help!! The more participants, the greater potential gifts from these businesses. Encourage your friends to participate also.

There is no cost to enroll in the Dillons Community Rewards program and enrollment will not affect your fuel points, coupon discounts, or your Kroger credit card reimbursements.

Follow Instructions Below to Create an Account

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If you don’t currently have a Dillons online account – follow all Steps #1 – #6 below.

If you already have a Dillons online account – Skip down to Step #4 (Enrolling Your Plus Card)

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HOW TO CREATE AN ACCOUNT: (Matt can help you at Bethesda even if you do not have an email address or a computer of your own.)

1. Visit the Dillons website, Bakers Plus website, or the Gerbes website, by clicking on the links, on whichever store is in your area. Click on CREATE AN ACCOUNT
2. Fill out the required information: Email address; Create Password; Zip Code and Preferred Store. When complete, click Create Account at bottom of screen.
   (Passwords must be 6-12 characters long; must have at least 1 letter & 1 number; Special characters may be used.)
3. Add your Dillons Plus Shoppers Card to your account. Enter the 12-digit number from the back of your Plus Shoppers card or your phone number (Alt-ID) in the field provided. Enter the last name you used when you filled out the application for your card.

Enroll your plus card in the Dillons Community Rewards Program

(If you already have an online account – go to www.dillons.com/communityrewards in your browser.)

1. SIGN IN using your new or existing online account (email address & password) Please provide Bethesda with your email address – pflaming@bethesdahome.org. Click on ENROLL NOW – may need to re-enter personal info.
2. Designate Bethesda Home, – Enter #PE170; Click ENROLL to save.
3. Confirm your enrollment was completed successfully. (You can modify your enrollment at any time by logging into your online account.)

For more info contact: Matt Lehman Wiens, mlehmanwiens@bethesdahome.org,

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Amazon Shoppers – use AmazonSmile to support Bethesda Home

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Donating non-cash gifts

Bethesda Home has partnered with Everence and the Mennonite Foundation to allow donors to gift a variety of non-cash gifts. Contact Stutzman, Stewardship Consultant mitch.stutzman@everence.com for a wealth of educational information that may help you discern how you might build up God’s kingdom through generous and planned giving.

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Estate Planning

Include Bethesda Home in your final wishes. Contact Matt Lehman Wiens to learn more about various tools for giving a gift that keeps on giving. Email mlehmanwiens@bethesdahome.org, or call 620-367-2291 for more information.

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Volunteering at Bethesda

We appreciate donations of your time and talents that enrich the lives of our residents. Volunteering can be a truly rewarding experience for our residents, staff, and you as the volunteer! Follow this link for volunteering areas and the volunteer application form.

Learn more