Pickersgill Retirement Community is well on its way to meeting its fundraising goal of $1 million.
During a celebration of the nonprofit?s 205th anniversary Wednesday, Ann Brooke, co-chairman of the fundraising campaign, said more than $700,000 has come in already, including $250,000 from Joe and Kathy Willard. Their gift will be used to pay for a new auditorium that will be named in their honor.
“Elder care is not always the first thing that comes to people?s minds when they think of philanthropy,” said Pickergill board member Faye Tully. “This will change in the next 10 to 15 years as the baby boomers age.”
The $1 million campaign will help offset $23 million in renovations and expansions that are already under way at the Towson retirement community.
“For 205 years, we have been providing quality care in what has always been a home for people,” Brooke said. “We want to continue to provide the quality of care and comfort that our residents deserve.”
The capital improvement project will create larger open areas for community activities, improve handicapped accessibility, enlarge assisted-living units, improve heating and cooling, create three dining rooms and revamp the physical therapy suite, beauty and barber shops, wellness clinic and casual dining grill, according to Francis Saybolt, chair of the renovations committee.
Founded in 1802 by a group of Baltimore women as the Impartial Female Humane Society, the initial purpose of Pickersgill was to help poor widows and abandoned wives find employment. The retirement community is named after Mary Pickersgill, one of the early leaders of the group, who helped sew the flag that flew over Fort McHenry, which inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner,” said Jean Smith, president of the board of directors.
Today, Pickersgill is home to both men and women, but its board of directors remains in the hands of women. Pickersgill offers independent living, assisted living and nursing care at its tree-shaded facility.
