Hope Benefit will raise funds for charity care

Intermountain Catholic

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The Saint Joseph Villa Foundation for Charity Care will provide needed funds for elderly in St. Joseph Villa as well as other care facilities.

SALT LAKE CITY — The Hope Benefit will be held Oct. 11 at Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City to raise funds for the newly established Saint Joseph Villa Foundation for Charity Care.

"When The Ensign Group purchased Christus Saint Joseph Villa in February of this year, one of the things they liked about what the Villa was doing was the charity care program," said Ginger Moulton, president of Saint Joseph Villa Foundation for Charity Care. "They wanted to find a way to continue the charity care program."

"The Ensign Group believes strongly in the tradition of charity care at St. Joseph Villa," said Matt Church Ensign chief executive officer. "The mission of the foundation is to meet the needs of seniors in our community who do not have the means to care for themselves. Recognizing that there is such great need has been a driving force behind our vision of long-term care. This foundation can be a means whereby some of those needs are met. We are proud to be a significant contributor, both financially and in support services, to this new organization. We are excited about the prospect that the foundation has to truly make a difference in the lives of seniors in the intermountain region."

The Foundation for Charity Care was established to provide financial assistance to people who cannot afford the cost of their care. "This foundation has expanded the reach of the charity care program to include other care facilities in our area, not just St. Joseph Villa," Moulton said.

St. Joseph Villa is now a for-profit corporation and people frequently ask why they should give money to help a for-profit corporation, but the St. Joseph Villa Foundation for Charity Care is a nonprofit that is incorporated separately from the Villa itself and has its own board of directors, Moulton said.

"The money and the proceeds from the Hope Benefit will go to help the needs of the elderly in St. Joseph Villa and other care facilities in the area," Moulton said. "For example, if someone in assisted living needs financial assistance, he or she can request criteria for qualification, as well as a Charity Care application from the president of the foundation, and the board will make the determination."

"The foundation’s sole purpose is to provide support to people who live in care settings," Moulton said. "Gifts to the Foundation for Charity Care are utilized to support these individuals in need. Support goes for therapy treatments, glasses, dentures, hearing aids, medication, clothing, trips to the beauty shop, room and board and other items. Donors may choose to give a gift that is restricted to residents in need at a specific facility, but donors cannot restrict the gifts to be utilized for a specific resident."

The foundation requested 501(c)3 status in June, but has not yet received approval, Moulton said. "We don’t see any reason why we would not be approved, the process just takes time." Because the foundation isn’t yet established as a non-profit, the Community Foundation of Utah is sponsoring the Hope Benefit this year to guarantee that all the donations will be tax deductible, she added.

"The needs of the elderly in care facilities are what the foundation is working for," said Harriet Lawrence, a Friend of St. Joseph Villa since 1989. "I was on the first Friends of St. Joseph Villa Committee, which is the group who helped raise funds for charity care. When the Sisters (of Charity of the Incarnate Word) were running St. Joseph Villa, they could provide wheelchairs or non-prescription drugs, for example, for elderly residents who needed them. Now that the Villa is owned by a for-profit group, that can’t be done. The Foundation for Charity Care is a way to continue the mission of the sisters."