St. Joseph's Villa

Maureen Ellis CEO of the St. Joseph's Villa Foundation and our own Don Davidson from the Villa Foundation hosted the club at the morning meeting in St. Joseph's Villa. Maureen let us know that Rotary has always been a huge part of the foundation. For example, she said that the Dundas Rotary club was the pioneer and engineer of the Respite program. St. Joseph’s relies on the foundation and donations for all capital expenses. Examples include rebuilding, the 2 new wings, and any renovations. Most recently, Rotary has been involved in the building of Orchid Garden, the new wing that we toured. They are now looking for partners for possible new projects related to available space. There will be retired priests living on one floor in new residences. Always, future programs must be balanced with care of residents.

Don talked about the foundation’s Enhancing Care Program. This is related to other kinds of capital costs, such as new beds, bathtubs, furnishings, tvs, etc. These are all capital needs that the government doesn't fund. The focus of this program is on the quality of life of residents. When an individual or a group wants to make a donation, they can specify what they are going to fund (e.g., a bed) or they can donate generally into this ongoing program. 

Mieke Ewen director of nursing at the Villa and also a member of the club took us on a tour of Orchid Garden. This is a new and smaller unit, with 12 beds. They have modern equipment; Mieke demonstrated one of the lifts that are installed in each room. Our club is one of the major donors to the renovations that made this unit possible.