CANANDAIGUA – The Western Roundup hosted by the F.F. Thompson Foundation raised approximately $170,000 to benefit a Memory Care Neighborhood planned for UR Medicine Thompson Health’s enriched living community of Clark Meadows.
Held Aug. 29 at Lincoln Hill Farms in Canandaigua, the event had approximately 275 people in attendance. Genesee Construction was the presenting sponsor, with music from Dave Turner and Up2Somethin’.
Foundation Director Heather Rickett said Thompson, a nonprofit health system, seeks to construct a 12-apartment Memory Care Neighborhood within Clark Meadows. Eight of the current 48 apartments would be converted and four would be added to form the new unit, which would be secured and would include enhanced staffing.
Currently, Rickett explained, Clark Meadows residents who are battling dementia must move to another facility when they no longer qualify for the enriched living level of care. The transition is difficult for them and for their families, she said, because they have come to consider Clark Meadows home and they feel safe and comfortable there.
“The impetus behind this project is that it is simply the right thing to do, for our residents and for our community,” she said. “There are too few options in our area for families facing memory loss, and our goal is to expand Thompson’s continuum of care so what is already a challenging and often devastating diagnosis is no longer accompanied by added stress and anguish.”
“We are grateful to all of the Western Roundup sponsors and the many generous community members who attended for their support of this incredibly important project,” Rickett added.
The estimated cost for the planned Memory Care Neighborhood is $2.1 million. To date, Thompson has received a $440,000 matching gift from the Sands Family Foundation and a pledge of $200,000 from the health system’s auxiliary, the Thompson Health Guild. A June 2024 golf tournament kicked off fundraising by netting $50,000.
To make a gift to the Memory Care Neighborhood at Clark Meadows, email Heather_Rickett@URMC.Rochester.edu or contact the F.F. Thompson Foundation at 585-396-6156.