Ground Broken for Phase 1 Of Scandia Campaign

John Harding, who was in on the very beginnings of the creation of Scandia Village in the 1970s, spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony held Aug. 28 for the first phase of the $8 million construction campaign. Looking on are (front left) Scandia Chaplain Joy Zakrzewski, Scandia Administrator Michelle Notz, (back left) Good Samaritan Society – ¬National Campus Director of Operations Susan Raper, Scandia Director of Resource Development Nicki Scharrig and Scandia Village resident/Capital Campaign Executive Team Secretary Judy Bush. Photo by Jim Lundstrom.

Ground was broken for a 24-unit assisted living and wellness center at Scandia Village in Sister Bay on Aug. 29. The new building will offer a choice of studio, one- and two-bedroom units. A wellness/therapy center will be available for residents and the public. This is the first phase of a three-phase building effort known as the Partners in Compassion campaign. More than $5.9 million of the $8 million goal has been raised, thanks to the generous of the community, pointed out Scandia Village Administrator Michelle Notz, who was one of nine speakers at the milestone groundbreaking event, including John Harding, who served on the original ad hoc committee (he referred to himself as “the last of the Mohicans”) formed in October 1974 to build a senior nursing home and, ultimately, a retirement village on a 50-acre parcel that the committee bought for $50,000. Resident Judy Bush, who serves as the Partners in Compassion Capital Campaign team secretary, also spoke about the importance Scandia has been to her and husband George, who suffered a stroke on the day the couple was moving to Sister Bay in 2001. His condition has deteriorated, but Judy said George is in “the best place he could be. This place gives fulfillment to people whose lives have been changed dramatically.”