Genacross Dedicates Pocket Park at Senior Housing Campus

Genacross Lutheran Services held a dedication ceremony on July 24 for the first of three senior adaptive pocket parks to be built for the residents at its Luther Crest and Luther Woods joint campus, located at 2519 N. Holland Sylvania Road in Toledo.

The first park to be built for residents focuses on the environment to promote relaxation and healing. This Environment Pocket Park features perennial plants, a naturally occurring pond, a stone path, benches, and bird feeders, which create a quiet spot for residents to enjoy nature.

This park was funded by Medical Mutual of Ohio and an anonymous fund of the Greater Toledo Community Foundation represented by donor advisor Chuck Stocking. In addition, Genacross Board Member Paul Sieben donated the benches for the park. Supreme Outdoors, LLC, was the landscaping contractor that designed and created the park.

“This is a wonderful spot for our resident to be able to gather,” said Genacross President/CEO Rick Marshall. “We have some nice gathering places inside our buildings, but to be able to have a place where the residents can come and sit and enjoy the outdoors is really exciting.”

A pocket park is a small park within a community, usually under one acre in size, which is often created on irregular pieces of land. They serve as focal points of activity and interest. At Luther Crest and Luther Woods senior communities, the pocket park project was created to offer residents socialization opportunities and overall health and wellness experiences.

Genacross has plans for two additional pocket parks focusing on the body and the mind. Each park will be accessible for older adults and those with mobility challenges.

The Genacross Lutheran Services Foundation is actively seeking funds for the two additional parks. To learn more about the pocket park project or how to help fund it, contact Foundation Executive Director Mike George at 419-861-4964 or MiGeorge@Genacross.org.

More than 160 Years of Helping Others

Genacross Lutheran Services, which has its headquarters in Toledo, Ohio, has been serving people in need since 1860. Today, more than 3,500 people of all ages throughout northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan benefit from Genacross programs and services that foster compassionate care and wellness in many areas of life. Genacross Lutheran Services is a nonprofit, Christian organization that employs more than 400 people and is supported by more than 160 Lutheran congregations across the region. For more information, please visit GenacrossLutheranServices.org.