News and Information

Cathedral Gardens extreme makeover
by Deacon Sue Ross, executive director, Cathedral Gardens

inistry with the Aging, Inc. (d.b.a. Cathedral Gardens) is a non-profit, senior independent-living complex next to
St. Matthew's that has provided low cost housing since 1980 for those 62+ or disabled. It is a three-story building with 110 apartments.

Late in 2002, Bishop Stanton told me he was looking for an executive director for the Gardens. He said he wanted someone who would consider the position as a ministry, not just a job. In February 2003, after much prayer and some panic, I left my job as an IT manager and stepped out in faith into this entirely new area of service.

I soon realized that the Gardens had foundation problems, drainage issues, and an unsafe covered walkway between the main building and the lodge. With the diocese's support, I called in a structural engineer who stabilized the building, added a drainage system, and replaced the covered walkway with a steel structure that had handrails so residents could safely walk from the building to the lodge. In addition, we replaced frayed and leaky canvas awnings, added a usable kitchen in the lodge, and converted one of the bathrooms for handicap use.

Although we had accomplished a great deal, little of it enhanced the appearance of the residents' areas. The lighting was still dim, furniture was aging, carpet was stained and worn - and we did not have the budget to address those needs.

In spring 2007, I began mentoring Dorothy Budd, a newly ordained deacon from Incarnation, who, unknown to me, had visited Cathedral Gardens many times as a pastoral visitor. She told me that, each year, Incarnation held a "Day of Service" during which approximately 100 volunteers utilized a $10,000 award to complete a project for some deserving organization and asked if I would be interested in applying for the award.

On July 5, I submitted a prospectus requesting paint for hallways and lobbies, lens covers for hallway lighting, new furniture for the first-floor lobbies, and landscaping around the lodge area. Two months later, I received an email from Peter Overland at Incarnation announcing that Cathedral Gardens was the recipient of their 2007 Day of Service award. They had titled it, "What a difference a day makes." We were thrilled.

However, as Incarnation team members Nicole Rangel and George Longino gathered bids for the lighting and flooring, we soon discovered that, even with the donated services of professional decorator Kimberly Chumlea, their budget would not cover all that we truly needed.

By God's grace, we received two anonymous donations totaling $25,000, part of which the donor designated to replace the linoleum flooring in the main lobbies with ceramic tile and build a prayer garden with a stone altar.

With funds from the E. D. Farmer Foundation, we upgraded the hallway lighting and replaced carpeting in all the common areas. The Incarnation team furnished a landscape architect to plan the walkway area and prayer garden, and St. Matthew's Cathedral surprised us by replacing the decaying fence between our properties with a beautiful new wood one.

Finally, after many hours of planning and preparation by Incarnation's project team and my staff, the Day of Service arrived on November 17 with more than 150 volunteers organized and ready to work.

They worked on every floor and in the courtyard. They prepped and painted, assembled bookshelves and other furniture, hung curtains and pictures, put slipcovers on sofas and chairs, and arranged furniture and accessories. Others prepared lunch for workers and residents. Younger children colored Thanksgiving prayer sheets as part of the gifts they were preparing for each resident while the older ones emceed a game of Bingo for the residents and furnished prizes for the winners. Joe Binford played the piano for a sing-a-long, and we set up tables on the lawn for the overflow

Bishop Stanton came at lunchtime to bless the food and the work. Throughout the very long day, all the workers exhibited a wonderful spirit of giving as they worked side-by-side, and at the end of it, they left tired but with the knowledge that they had accomplished much good.

On January 13, the Gardens held an open house for friends and families. Bishop Stanton blessed the new altar in the prayer garden and celebrated a Eucharist for about 75 people. Following the service, the staff and residents served refreshments and conducted tours of the facility. In each area, we displayed "before" pictures so visitors could see how much the volunteers had accomplished.

Each of the six refurbished lobbies has a different theme, and people now spend time in spaces they had previously rarely used. The hallways are so bright and cheery that residents tell me their eyesight is not as bad as they had previously thought! They feel cherished and are proud to invite friends over to their homes.

This project touched the lives of not only every resident but also each staff member and volunteer. In Matt. 25:40, Jesus says,"Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me." Incarnation's volunteers have demonstrated that we can accomplish great things for the kingdom when we work together. The physical, emotional, and spiritual transformation that has taken place in the Gardens has changed us forever, and the relationships we built will continue to grow. God has greatly blessed us through our labor on behalf of the Cathedral Gardens' residents.