Mid Penn Bank Supports Village of Hope with $50k Grant
Recently Mid Penn Bank gave a $50,000 grant for a kinship family home to be built at the Village of Hope site near West Decatur, along Route 322 in Clearfield County. From left to right are Mid Penn Commercial Relationship Manager Dan Baronick, Mature Resources CEO Kathy Gillespie, Mid Penn Relationship Manager Vicki Myers, and Mid Penn Director of Trust and Wealth Management Joseph Paese. (Photo courtesy of Mature Resources)
Edited by Julie Rae Rickard
WEST DECATUR – The Village of Hope near West Decatur is the recipient of a $50,000 grant that will help to continue construction in this special community.
Mid Penn Bank, a comprehensive financial services company operating in 19 counties throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, has awarded Mature Resources Village of Hope a $50,000 grant through the Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP).
This money will be used to fund, in part, the construction of a kinship family home within the Village of Hope, according to a recent press release from Mature Resources.
“Kinship families predominantly consist of grandparents raising grandchildren or great-grandchildren, others raising children of their close relatives, and those in similar situations where family members step in to assist in childrearing when biological parents are not able to be fully present,” it explains in the release.
“Almost three-million children live in grandparent-headed homes and over one million of these children have no parent present in the home, according to census data stretching all the way back to 2010.
“Mid Penn’s support in providing a newly constructed two-bedroom, three-bathroom house that a kinship family in-need can call home, also helps to support the overall mission of Village of Hope.”
Village of Hope is situated on nearly 50 acres in Wallaceton Borough and Boggs Township in Clearfield County. It is an inclusive M.A.G.I.C. Community (multi-ability, multi-generational, inclusive, community) where individuals of all ages and abilities are welcomed and appreciated as unique and important to the overall functioning of the community.
The mission is to provide more options outside of traditional assisted living or nursing home environments for people who can live independently but may need some assistance with daily tasks. This may include individuals experiencing cognitive changes, adult children with disabilities, and grandparents raising grandchildren, as well as families and single individuals.
The first family home at the Village of Hope was completed last April and there are several duplexes already finished. The first resident moved into her home in the fall of 2022.
The forthcoming homes already have people lining up for housing with the agency keeping a waiting list, according to the MR newsletter. Up to 50 homes will eventually be built at the site.
Previous press releases indicate the planned construction also includes the Village Hall, a 15,000 square-foot facility which will serve as a hub for the community.
It will “house health services, grocery services, a café, a restaurant, and community arts and theatre spaces to host activities and educational programs or entertainment. It will also provide a gathering space where residents can socialize.
“Work on paved streets, sidewalks, and walking trails is also planned, ensuring residents can move throughout the community safely and easily.”
In addition to the many perks of the Village of Hope, is in home medical visits.
Many of the current residents receive home visits from the physicians at the Susquehanna Wellness Clinic, another division of Mature Resources. These doctors have noticed how their patients are “more relaxed when in their home environment, which helps them to open up about their needs,” according to MR.
The doctors at the SWC can also provide in-home visits to residents outside the VOH. For more information, you can call 814-765-2695 or email them at info@susqwell.com.
The Village of Hope is an ambitious project that needs support from area businesses to make the entire plan a reality.
“Mid Penn Bank is helping to change aging, change lives of children, and to provide ways that people of all abilities and ages can live with dignity and independence,” said Mature Resources Village of Hope CEO Kathleen Gillespie.
“Their support and partnership will aid us in our mission to offer a home, and a safe place to live and grow, for all members of our community.”
According to Mid Penn Bank, it reinvests a portion of its income in local organizations and causes including health and human services, education, and the arts.
The company was originally founded in 1868 as The Millersburg Trust Company in Millersburg, Pennsylvania. It has since expanded to a financial services company operating in 49 locations across Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Mid Penn offers a wide array of options for banking, financing, and planning to individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations.
For more information, visit https://midpennbank.com/. For more information on Village of Hope, visit https://www.mrvoh.life/.