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Community Corner

Dalio Foundation Pledges $1 Million to Nathaniel Witherell's "Project Renew" Campaign

Gift Energizes the Campaign and Inspires the Creation of the Half-Way Home Challenge to Raise an Additional $1.5 Million by April 30, 2014

David Ormsby, Chairman of The Friends of Nathaniel Witherell, announced Wednesday that the Dalio Foundation has pledged $1 million to Project Renew: The Capital Campaign for Nathaniel Witherell, a drive to modernize and refurbish this highly-regarded, short-term rehabilitation and long-term nursing care center owned by the Town of Greenwich.

The Dalio Foundation gift, the largest in Nathaniel Witherell’s history, has brought the $7 million Project Renew campaign to the half-way mark, and has inspired the creation of the Half-Way Home Challenge to raise an additional $1.5 million by April 30, 2014. The $1.5 million equals the sum of the Dalio Foundation gift as well as two additional gifts totaling $500,000 from anonymous donors.

“We are extremely excited about this most generous gift and are deeply grateful to the Dalio Foundation, which has demonstrated, in the finest sense, what it means to be involved and engaged in our community,” Mr. Ormsby said. He noted that the Foundation has been a stalwart supporter of charitable and educational organizations in the Town. “Their gift is an outstanding example of the Dalio family’s tradition of giving back to the Greenwich community.” 

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Debby Lash, co-chair of Project Renew with Karen Sadik-Khan and Mr. Ormsby, commented that the Foundation gift has added considerable momentum to the Campaign. “The $1 million grant is the most exciting moment of our Campaign,” she said. “It is stimulating enormous interest and enthusiasm in Project Renew. We are absolutely thrilled.”

What Project Renew Will Accomplish

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Project Renew is Nathaniel Witherell’s first capital campaign in its 110-year history. The Project will dramatically improve the infrastructure and environment at Nathaniel Witherell by increasing the number of private rooms from 26 to 64, eliminating 10 four-bedded rooms, and remodeling and redecorating 86 resident rooms. Public space will be similarly enhanced. Plans call for doubling the size of the rehab center, increasing the number of family reception areas, modernizing three existing elevators and adding an elevator and new emergency generator, along with other upgrades to the facility. The architectural and engineering design for Project Renew also reflects sensitivity to the Witherell’s historic significance -- in August 2010, the Nathaniel Witherell campus was listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Total construction costs are projected at $26 million, with the State of Connecticut providing up to $12 million over a 20-year period. The Friends of Nathaniel Witherell is committed to raising at least $7 million. The remaining costs will be paid for by the Town of Greenwich.  Completion of Project Renew is presently scheduled for the first week in July.

 “The Nathaniel Witherell is a beloved and cherished institution in Greenwich and a symbol of our Town’s community spirit and pride,” said Mr. Ormsby. “It has served our citizens well for more than a century; Project Renew will ensure that it continues to serve our needs for years to come.”

About Nathaniel Witherell

Nathaniel Witherell reflects the community’s collective commitment, honored for more than one hundred years, to provide for the elderly of our town when home care is no longer an option. The vast majority of Nathaniel Witherell’s residents have lived their entire lives in Greenwich and supported the community in which we live. With a staff of 275 employees, aided by hundreds of volunteers from the community, the Witherell prides itself on delivering “person centered care,” giving each resident a high degree of personal choice in determining daily activities.

Nathaniel Witherell was recently recognized as “one of the best nursing homes in Connecticut” by U.S. News and World Report. Nathaniel Witherell enjoys a coveted 5 Star rating from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a distinction granted to only 12% of the nursing homes in the United States.

To learn more about Nathaniel Witherell, the public should call Allen Brown, Executive Director, at (203) 618-4323 or Scott Neff, Development Director, at (203) 618-4227

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