There was cause for celebration at Greenwich Town Hall yesterday as the Friends of Nathaniel Witherell presented a check for $1 million to the Town to offset in part the construction costs of Project Renew, the project which has modernized and refurbished The Nathaniel Witherell.
Attending the presentation were: (pictured left to right) Allen Brown, executive director of The Nathaniel Witherell, Friends Board member Louise Puschel, Greenwich First Selectman Peter Tesei, and Witherell’s Project Renew co-chairs Karen Sadik-Khan and Debby Lash.
To date, $9,078,291 has been raised through the fundraising efforts of the Friends towards Project Renew including a State historic income tax credit of $4,490,918. This funding represents approximately one third of the project costs.
“We are deeply grateful to all of those in the community who continue to support Project Renew,” Ms. Lash says. “Project Renew is making it possible to sustain the Witherell’s 112-year tradition of serving our community’s needs and assisting our Town’s most vulnerable elderly residents.”
What Project Renew Has Accomplished
Project Renew has dramatically improved 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 has been similarly enhanced. The renovations have doubled the size of the state-of-the-art Rehabilitation Center, increased the number of family reception areas, modernized three existing elevators and added a fourth 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 — Nathaniel Witherell’s campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The Nathaniel Witherell is a short-term rehab and skilled nursing center located on 24 beautiful acres just two miles from downtown Greenwich. Witherell is committed to person-centered care provided by a compassionate and experienced staff. Rehab is available seven days a week. The nonprofit is owned and operated by the Town of Greenwich and has been serving the community for 112 years.
Witherell reflects the community’s collective commitment to provide for the town’s elderly when home care is no longer an option. The vast majority of residents have lived their entire lives in Greenwich and supported the community in which we live. Witherell was recently recognized as “one of the best nursing homes in Connecticut” by U.S. News & World Report. For each year since the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services adopted its rating system in 2008, Witherell has enjoyed the Center’s coveted 5-star rating, a distinction granted to only 19% of the nursing homes in the United States.
To learn more about Project Renew, please call Scott Neff, Witherell’s Development Director, at (203) 618-4227, or email him at sneff@friendsofwitherell.org.