JOHNSTON — WesleyLife, the region’s largest non-profit provider of well-being services for older adults, has announced the launch of a foundation designed to meet specialized and critical needs of an ever-growing population of older adults.
Noted philanthropy executive leader and strategist Sophia S. Ahmad, vice president of philanthropy for WesleyLife, is heading WesleyLife Foundation, whose formation has long been a goal of the organization, Rob Kretzinger, president and CEO of WesleyLife, said.
“With the Foundation’s inception, our goal will be to address challenges regarding the aging process and perceptions related to it, including nutritional insecurity, isolation, affordable housing, workforce shortages, and other issues,” Kretzinger said. “As we celebrate our 76th year of service, this is a perfect time to launch this increasingly important endeavor.”
The Foundation is a 501c3 governed by a volunteer board of directors that provides strategic guidance for WesleyLife’s philanthropic endeavors and anticipates and supports critical needs in the organization’s communities and among its services.
“The inauguration of the foundation will create countless opportunities to connect generous donors with opportunities to support components of our mission that resonate deeply with them,” Ahmad said. “As we head into a time of unprecedented growth and development for our organization, we look forward to offering our donors the chance to impact our initiatives in ways that will resonate broadly, in ways we couldn’t have imagined.”
WesleyLife Foundation’s board of directors is chaired by Travis Simpson, regional president for Northwest Bank; a longtime community philanthropist, Simpson is a longtime donor to and frequent volunteer for WesleyLife.
“It is an honor to chair this inaugural Foundation Board; we are grateful that many influential community leaders and philanthropists who care deeply about our mission have enthusiastically agreed to serve and lead this non-profit organization,” Simpson said.
Vice-chair is Connie Isaacson, founding partner of Isaacson-Syverson Consulting, who demonstrates a deep passion for nonprofit organizations and their critically important work and has served for more than 30 years of broad-based community leadership.
Rounding out the board are community and business leaders Christine Coons, director of The Coons Foundation; Nathaniel Doddridge, vice president of Fuels, Casey’s General Stores; Scott Harrington, board chairman, Riley Resource Group; Kathryn Kunert, vice president of economic connections and integration, MidAmerican Energy; and Christine Long, estate attorney with BrownWinick Law Firm. Also: Chad Rasmussen, chair of the WesleyLife Board of Directors and vice president of development at Christensen Development, and Lois Vermeer, retired executive director of Vermeer Charitable Foundation. Kretzinger is serving on the board as well, as is Glen Lewis, executive director of Edgewater, a WesleyLife Community for Healthy Living. Philanthropist James “Jim” Collier is serving as an honorary board member.
WesleyLife has three locations in Pella: Hearthstone, Pella Manor at Hearthstone and Fair Haven East. Learn more about WesleyLife Foundation at WesleyLife.org/foundation.
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