How we got started
Like many people, we drove by nursing homes nearly every day and gave no thought to the people inside. We were blind- maybe because of our own busy lives, or our youth-centered culture, or our unwillingness to consider what might be beyond those doors.
When Todd’s mother first entered a long-term care home, our eyes were opened to the great need within. When we visited her, there were countless residents who called out to us, eager to say hello. We began to stop and chat with several residents we encountered in the lobby or in the hallways. Soon, we started gathering our new friends in the lobby in one big group so we could visit with them all at once. Sometimes we stayed and went to the dining room with them for dinner, sitting with our friends, chatting, and helping them open salt packets or grabbing extra napkins.
The more we visited, the more we realized that there were so many residents who were lonely and in need of companionship. We also saw that most residents were impoverished and often had need of new socks, shoes, clothes, toiletries and other basic needs that we just thought were always taken care of by the facility or by family members. When we learned that 60-80% of nursing home residents never receive a single visitor, we knew we could not meet their needs alone.
With the support of our pastors, we launched a new ministry of our church and adopted the nursing home in which Todd’s mother lived.
From church outreach to an incorporated 501(c)(3)…
God was faithful to bring along just the right people at just the right time. Before the pandemic, you could find us at the nursing home every Sunday afternoon, offering Sunday school, singing hymns, praying with residents, visiting with residents, and helping residents and staff any way we could. It wasn’t long before we thought, “why aren’t more churches doing this?” And then we started to get questions like, “Do you go to other nursing homes too? My dad’s nursing home really needs this.”
We used the time of the covid lockdowns to start the process of incorporating and becoming a 501(c)(3) with the goal of expanding our outreach and helping other churches or groups get involved. We also got creative with how we could still help nursing homes without going inside their facilities. This is how we started many of our printable resources for activities directors.
We Value:
Meet the founders
A surprising new journey
Todd and Marla Carter got married in 1998. Both are life-long Kentuckians and graduated from Western Kentucky University. Todd has a degree in Healthcare Administration, though he’s always been a business owner, developer and entrepreneur. Marla has a degree in Elementary Education and stayed home to care for and home school their two children. Todd enjoys playing and watching sports, spending time outdoors, and dabbling in the latest hobby project he’s working on. Marla enjoys being outdoors, reading, writing, and just about any creative hobby, from cooking to web design. (Check out Marla’s blog here.)
Though Todd has always had a natural affection for older people, Marla thought she’d always work with children and Todd would always be a businessman. The surprising journey they now find themselves on has been a wild adventure and a blessing from God. It’s led to relationships with the most precious elderly friends in multiple nursing homes, as well as relationships with like-minded people all across the country as part of Marla’s personal advocacy efforts. The most treasured part of their lives now is the joy they get when they’re inside a nursing home listening to stories and making new friends.
“Do what you believe. The rest is just conversation.”
