Salem Foundation is gearing up for a new capital project to improve their patios for residents.

"Residents spend time outside enjoying the sun and fresh air. Right now, the Cottonwood patio is not inviting with bricks and tyndal stone to look at while on the patio. There is limited shade, and the temperature in the area gets very hot," explains Arlen Hildebrand, Salem Foundation Board Chair. "We want to make the patio an inviting place for residents to spend time."

With the foundation's last roller blind project complete, proceeds from the April 7 Faspa, Fellowship & Song fundraiser will go to revamp the patio for the Cottonwood residents.

"As the Salem Foundation, we are thankful and often humbled by the many individuals and groups who are committed to ensuring that the residents care and place they live keeps improving," Hildebrand says.

He notes their goal is to complete the $15,000 patio project this summer.

Plans include adding a wheelchair swing, planting a tree, self-watering planters, along with tables and chairs for residents and visitors to use.

"We often underestimate the impact outdoor spaces have on the residents during the summer months," Sherry Janzen adds, Executive Director for the foundation.

The patio was built in 1996 by a donation from the Diedrich Peters family. Through the years, Janzen says it has become a collecting place for odds and ends, instead of an inviting space to spend time. "It is now time to create a nurturing place for residents to spend time."

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