Mennonite Home Communities of Ohio (MHCO) provided checks of $1,000 each to Bluffton Release Time/Weekday Christian Education and the Pandora-Gilboa Athletic Boosters.

Presentations were made in Bluffton on Feb. 20 and in Pandora on March 3.
• The photo above shows the presentation to Bluffton Weekday Christian Education scholarship fund.
• The photo below shows the presentation to the PG Athletic Boosters. 

The occasion was the fulfillment of a commitment made in 2010 when MHCO unexpectedly received a large gift from the estate of James and Frieda Basinger. 

“We were so pleased and surprised by the generosity of James and Frieda that we wanted to share this gift with the larger community,” said Laura Voth, chief executive officer of MHCO. “It is such a privilege to be able to ‘pay it forward’.”

The Mennonite Memorial Fund Board, which manages all contributions received by MHCO, decided to support non-profits in the Pandora and Bluffton communities since MHCO provides services in both communities. 

Weekday Christian Education gift
“We learned that Weekday Christian Education (WCE) relies on contributions to support their scholarship fund,” said Doug Luginbill, Director of Resource Development and Church Relations.

He added: “As another faith-based organization, we wanted to help WCE meet their mission which includes making it financially possible for any child to participate in the program, regardless of their ability to pay.”

Pandora-Gilboa HS gift
Hilty Home in Pandora, which has been an affiliate of MHCO since 2012, is located just across the Riley Creek from the Pandora-Gilboa High School Rockets football field. 

The P-G Athletic Boosters have been working hard to replace the bleachers, build a new concession stand and restrooms and provide an attractive entrance to the stadium.  Knowing that many of the elders of Hilty Home had been long-time residents of the community, MHCO decided to lend their support to this community-wide project.

James and Frieda Basinger gift
The generosity of James and Frieda Basinger continues to play out in wonderful ways. The gift came at just the right time to provide a significant boost to the New Vision: Transforming Elder Living capital campaign. 

The campaign had a $2 million goal and was designed to bring Green House Homes to MHCO.  Over $1,925,000 has been received to date. 

In 2012, the first two Green House homes in Ohio were constructed on the Willow Ridge campus across the road from Maple Crest Senior Living Village. Each home provides 24-hour nursing care in private rooms for ten elders. The homes have been full since April 2013. 

“The gift from the Basinger Estate, along with the generosity of hundreds of others in the community, really made this new model of nursing care possible for us,” said Luginbill.  “It has been very successful in meeting the needs of elders in a home environment.  We recognized the generosity of the Basingers by naming one of the homes “Frieda House,” Luginbill added.

MHCO plans to make one more gift later this year from the Basinger Estate.

“We are generally on the receiving end of people’s generosity,” said Voth.  “It is really fun to be able to share a portion of this gift with others in support of their missions.”

PHOTO ID: Laura Voth, CEO of Mennonite Home Communities of Ohio, presents Pandora-Gilboa Athletic Boosters John Lee, Kurt Mullins and Ed Basinger with a gift of $1,000 for their renovation project at the football field.