On behalf of Kendal at Lexington, I am pleased to present this first
Report on Community Impact.
Kendal at Lexington strives to meet the emotional, physical,
educational, and cultural needs of our current residents and those
who will seek our services in the future, including those in the
broader community of Lexington, Buena Vista, and Rockbridge
County.
We are fortunate to be situated in an ideal location where natural
beauty and cultural opportunities abound, and we recognize and
appreciate the strong connections and support we have from the
area and its residents.
The COVID pandemic has had a significant impact on all of us. I’m
proud of the dedication and steadfastness our community exhibited
in these challenging times despite hardship and loss of friends and
loved ones.
In 2020, Kendal at Lexington celebrated our 20th year. It was a year
we will never forget. We offer this report to highlight some aspects
of the relationship between Kendal at Lexington and our broader
community.
Sincerely,
Jan Bigelow
CEO
WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO:
Concerned citizens joined together in 1995 to form the Lexington Retirement Community Board to explore the possibilities of establishing a local retirement community for area citizens. After five years of study, the group elected to partner with The Kendal Corporation, a leading not-for-profit
organization of retirement communities, and Kendal at Lexington was founded.
Today, Kendal receives support from a strong, involved volunteer board made up of people from the broader community working together, with residents and the administration.
The community provides homes for approximately 200 independent living residents in 150 apartments and cottages, up to 20 assisted living residents in the Webster Assisted Living Center and rooms for as many as 60 individuals who require skilled nursing care in the five-star-rated Borden Health Center.
The mission of Kendal at Lexington, a not-for-profit Life Plan Community grounded in Quaker values, is to provide opportunities for a diverse population of older adults from Lexington, Buena Vista and Rockbridge County, Virginia and beyond, to live in a vibrant, caring community that promotes healthful and meaningful aging.
The mission includes a commitment to:
• provide quality, person-centered care;
• employ and support a competent staff;
• be alert to emerging trends in the care and
interests of the age demographic we serve;
• maintain a sound financial operation;
• actively engage in the life of the geographic
community;
• be stewards of our environmental resources; and
• maintain and expand resources available to
support residents, both current and future,
who may need financial assistance.
The Borden Health Center:
• Provides the only not-for-profit skilled nursing center in Rockbridge County.
• Welcomes residents with lower incomes and with different payer sources, such as Medicaid, Medicare, insurance and private pay. Typically, 30%-40% of Borden Center residents are Medicaid recipients.
• Serves predominantly the local population. On average, five in six residents at the Borden Center are from the broader Rockbridge area.
• Strives to deliver the finest care and services possible and establish a sense of well-being among all residents.
• Focuses on person-centered care, involving residents as active participants with the multidisciplinary health services team in determining the type of care that will provide an enriched life.
• Was renovated completely in the past year to provide greater
person-centered care.
• Will provide outpatient physical and occupational therapy for the broader community in a new state-of-the-art therapy center, which is opening later this year.
KENDAL’S IMPACT ON LONG-TERM
CARE AND THE ECONOMY:
Kendal’s Borden Health Center is
Open To All Area Residents
In the early 2000s, the Stonewall Jackson Hospital board decided that
they would no longer operate their aging, 50-bed Extended
Care Facility.
With the desire to have the residents remain in the community, they
turned to Kendal to see if a new nursing care center could be built
as a part of the Life Care Community. With much celebration, most
of the extended care residents and staff moved to the new facility
in 2002. The Borden Center (now 60 beds) continues to serve all
residents of the Rockbridge area.
The renovated and expanded Webster Assisted Living Center serves
20 residents, including individuals from the broader community.
Kendal’s Economic Impact
-the Organization-
Kendal at Lexington is a major contributor to our local economy as an employer, as a consumer of goods and services, and as a taxpayer in the City of Lexington and Rockbridge County.
• Kendal has more than 150 employees and an annual payroll exceeding
$6 million, providing competitive wages and generous benefits for fulltime
staff.
• Over the past five years, Kendal has invested $40 million in a campus-wide
construction project.
• Kendal spends more than $1 million annually with Shenandoah Valley
businesses for the purchase of food, equipment, supplies, and services.
• Kendal pays over $300,000 in annual real estate taxes to the City of Lexington
and Rockbridge County.
• Kendal provides residents of Lexington and Rockbridge County a place
to retire with a lifetime of care without having to leave.
• Kendal supports local nonprofits with monetary donations and
partners with others in providing sponsorships.
• Kendal has not eliminated positions or terminated employees because
of the pandemic and initiated a Hero Pay Bonus program of over
$168,000.
• Kendal provides meeting space and swimming pool use to organizations
and individuals in the broader community. This practice had to be
suspended during the pandemic but will resume as soon as COVID
precautionary measures are lifted and it is safe to do so.
• In 2020, Kendal Charitable Funds granted $5000 to partner with
Boxerwood Nature Center and Garden to plant trees to repair the
riparian buffer along Woods Creek, help abate carbon emissions, and
beautify the area.
• Kendal donated more than 150 bags of useful gifts to Valley Program
for Aging Service (VPAS) to distribute to older adults in our area through
the Santa to a Senior Program.
Kendal’s Economic Impact
-The Residents-
• Of approximately 200 independent residential living residents, About
50% move to Kendal from outside the area, increasing the local
population.
• Shop at local stores, dine at local restaurants, enjoy area entertainment,
and seek local health services.
• Pay personal property, income and sales taxes that support public
services.
• Donate time and resources to local organizations while supporting the
arts, environment, social services, and other important initiatives.
• Bring or keep capital in the community, which is invested in local banks
and investment firms.
• Recently formed a Volunteer Engagement Committee to further
develop the relationship between Kendal and other nonprofit
organizations.
Kendal- Looking Ahead
We will keep working to ensure that Kendal at Lexington is the best possible community for active retirees, those seeking continuing life care, and members of the Kendal and broader community in need of care at the Borden Health Center.