The Atrium Campaign Launches with Significant Donations
Just over a year ago, a small group lead by Tony Knight sat in the boardroom at Humpty’s, or what is more widely known as Rotary Humpty’s. They gathered and they spoke of senior care and a desire to ensure that those who helped build the communities in which we live have the opportunity to live the rest of their lives with the respect and dignity they so deserve. Tony spoke of a dementia village he toured in Amsterdam. He spoke of how he felt after leaving and the passion that was ignited in him to do something. It wasn’t long before that small group grew a little bigger.
They imagined and they dreamed. They decided they would build something that would improve the lives of seniors. They sought a partner, someone who would not only be able to build what they needed but someone who also shared their vision of senior care. 
In Bethany, they found that partner. Bethany is an organisation that was started in 1945 and they are dedicated to making the lives of seniors, better. They celebrate ageing and they value choice, quality of life, independence and community. They provide a range of housing and care options, from independent living to supportive living, long-term care, specialised dementia care and community services throughout central and southern Alberta.
The group exploded into action and the team grew from a few to a few more and soon that entire boardroom of Humpty’s was full. They now had a movement.
In 2018, Bethany will open Riverview, a 210 bed integrated campus of care situated on 2.8 acres in the SE quadrant of Calgary. Bethany Riverview will be a comprehensive dementia care residence serving the city and surrounding region. At the heart of Bethany Riverview is The Atrium.
The Atrium, a year-round indoor green space, will provide an area for Bethany residents, family, staff, volunteers, community visitors and Rotarians to gather and engage with each other. The Atrium will be one of the main features at Bethany Riverview, located in the centre of Calgary’s newest dementia care facility.
Bethany Riverview broke ground last year..jpg)
As construction crews worked on Bethany Riverview,...
a few hundred feet away 110 supporters of The Atrium had lunch at Bethany Riverview Village. They were Rotarians and they were Bethany staff and Board Members and they were people that were neither Rotarians or from Bethany, but members of the community who had heard of the project and who shared in the vision.
Over that lunch hour, the project came alive and over that lunch hour, one hundred and ten people celebrated that they will provide people with a place to be human and live a life of dignity and respect.
Evelyn Buckley spoke of her family farm that sat where Bethany Riverview is currently being built. She spoke of the importance of giving back and the impact that The Atrium will have on people. Bethany CEO, Jennifer McCue spoke of her lifelong commitment to senior care. As she spoke, posters were handed out to each person in attendance and as her talk came to an end, she asked those 110 people to hold their poster’s up. On each poster was a photo. Each photo was of a Bethany resident.
Those 110 people looked at their poster and looked at the posters around them. In that moment, it became very real. It was no longer about The Atrium. It was about moms and dads, brothers and sisters. It was about friends and family and it was about our own selves because we all grow old.
As each person held their sign high in the air, they started to share stories of family members and friends who have been impacted by dementia.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the audience.
That small group turned movement have decided that they are going to build The Atrium and it is going to cost them one million dollars. The luncheon on January 23rd was the official kickoff and at that luncheon, it was announced that they have already raised half of that million.
They have already raised half a million because that’s what Rotarians do. They don’t make excuses and they don’t quit. They get things done and the things they do make the world we live in a better place.
For more information on The Atrium, please visit: www.ouratrium.com
For more information on Bethany, please visit: www.bethanyseniors.com