Every major infrastructural project has to start somewhere, and when it came to the Luther Place senior housing residence in Outlook, it started with one thing; discovering a need.
That need for more senior housing out here in rural Saskatchewan grew exponentially as discovered by those behind the scenes, and as many can attest to as life flashed forward to more than two decades later, the location continues to flourish to this day.
Those two decades were reason to hold a significant celebration on Tuesday, November 14 as residents, staff and a number of dignitaries were on hand to mark the 20th anniversary of Luther Place. Those in attendance included Luther Place’s housing manager Melanie Harris, John Linsley of the management committee, Bishop (ret.) Allan Grundahl of the LutherCare Board, Pastor Daryl Olson of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Outlook, LutherCare VP of Housing Kelly Peevers, and LutherCare CEO Vivienne Hauck.
With the concept of Luther Place starting in 1995, it all began with realizing that need for more housing for seniors in Outlook, and Linsley credited a woman named Diana Ireland for recognizing that something else was needed in Outlook as another viable housing option, and it wasn’t long before a committee was formed.
“Forming the committee changed things from being an economic project and into a people project,” Linsley said, addressing everyone at the celebration.
A $3.5 million project at the time, with one third of the suites ending up being pre-sold, it wasn’t long before Luther Place began to become a reality, as the sod turning ceremony was held on April 24 of 1997 before the official work began in July.
By December 1, Luther Place was open in Outlook and a number of seniors got to call the new building home, and the official grand opening was held the following spring on June 7, 1998.
Today, Luther Place continues to thrive as a community in itself; residents visit, play cards and games, welcome visitors and family members, have special theme nights, go out and take trips together, sit down to meals together and enjoy each other’s company each and every day.
Linsley commended the current staff and management for the work they do to ensure the facility is operated with due care and attention, and said that was something of a mandate from day one of the project’s inception before sharing his hope that the future of Luther Place is also a positive one.
“I see your vision statement today is ‘Dare to Care’, and that’s exactly what the board did back then,” said John. “The next twenty years to me is what’s important.”
“Twenty years is a milestone,” shared Peevers, addressing everyone and notably the residents. “Thank you all for making this a community where people want to live.”
A special slideshow presentation organized by Harris touched on the history of Luther Place and recognized past residents, including those who have passed away and helped in their own way to add to the familiarity and home-grown feel of the residence. It also highlighted the dedicated staff members from years past all the way to present day, and touched on some of the fun nights in the common area had by staff and residents, as well as a number of trips and excursions enjoyed by all. The photos told a story all on their own; a story of friendships, dedication and love, and also showing that the fun in your life certainly doesn’t have to stop once you reach senior status.
Harris, who many point to as perhaps being the lifeblood of Luther Place in many ways, became emotional when addressing everyone in the room with her closing message, looking back on the past enjoyed by all in order to get all of them to the present, and also looking forward to what the future brings.
To close out the celebration, one of Luther Place’s original residents from day one, Harry Johnson, lent a hand by cutting cake and helping Melanie serve it up to everyone; another event enjoyed in this ‘community within a community’.
