Beginning in July 2015, Catholic Charities’ Villa of the Woods Senior Residential Living will become part of Saint Anne Communities, creating a partnership that will further the faith-based missions of both organizations. Villa of the Woods is located at 5610 Noll Avenue, while Saint Anne Communities is located at 1900 Randallia Drive.

“It’s our intention to provide a seamless transition for Villa residents, and each individual will continue to receive the same high level of care,” says Catholic Charities Executive Director Gloria Whitcraft. “Staff members at Villa of the Woods, in turn, will be given the opportunity to remain on board with Saint Anne Communities at the Villa location.

“It’s been an honor and a joy for those of us at Catholic Charities to provide accommodations and care at Villa of the Woods for many years,” Whitcraft continues. “During our strategic planning process, however, we came to the conclusion that what we do at Villa of the Woods is a better fit for Saint Anne’s mission, which is to provide multiple living options and care to older adults of all denominations.

“This is a success story, really,” Whitcraft adds. “We’re so fortunate to have an organization as fine as Saint Anne ready to work with us to enhance the lives of older adults, and we’ll continue to provide our support and be engaged during the transition and beyond.”

Catholic Charities and Saint Anne already share a common bond, operating under the auspices of the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend. In fact, Saint Anne was once under the Catholic Charities umbrella of programs and services.

“Catholic Charities and Saint Anne are both solid organizations that pursue a similar mission, so there is some overlap,” says Saint Anne Administrator Dave Deffenbaugh. “Catholic Charities has done a wonderful job of serving residents at Villa of the Woods for more than three decades, but this new collaboration—a winning combination—really makes sense for both our organizations and the people we serve.

“First, this realignment will enable Catholic Charities to focus on what it does best,” Deffenbaugh says. “And that’s to provide programs and services that have a positive impact in the lives of people of all ages. Saint Anne, on the other hand, will expand its presence and its ability to provide living options and elder care on another campus in the southern part of the city. We’ll now have a campus that’s closer to the neighborhoods where additional potential residents and their families live. And we’ll continue to provide the same high-quality care at both locations.”

Although there may be a name change on the horizon for Villa of the Woods, that’s a decision that will be made further on during the process. In the meantime, residents, their families, and members of staff at both Villa of the Woods and Saint Anne are encouraged to provide their input about this new partnership. “We want to bring everyone forward, we want them to be fully engaged in the process,” Deffenbaugh says.