Molly PavlovichBob Paran, who lived a little more than half a mile up the road in the late ’60s and early ’70s, remembers flying kites with his three young children in the fields that years
later became Messiah Village.
Bob’s wife, Ruth Lady, is a third-generation Messiah Village resident, who is intimately familiar with the care and attention that residents receive, as her grandmother lived at what once was our Paxton Street home in Harrisburg, and her parents went through all levels of care here.
Together, their ties to this place are strong.
Bob and Ruth moved into an independent living apartment on campus in 2013, and it’s a decision that they’re thankful every day for having made, often saying, “There’s no place like Messiah Village.” From the little things, like their view of the changing autumn leaves from their patio, to the big-picture comfort in knowing the continuum of care is available to them if they need it one day, the lifelong friendships they’ve formed, and everything in between—they cherish it all.
“If we hadn’t moved here, there would have been all of these wonderful people we wouldn’t have learned to know,” they said. “We love that we get to call such a warm and welcoming community ‘home.’”
Shortly after their move, Bob and Ruth decided to begin making regular philanthropic gifts to Messiah Lifeways at Messiah Village.
This place has been and continues to be a special place in their lives—a place of comfort, community, and security that they never want to take for granted. They see their giving as a contribution to the legacy of lifelong quality care for residents.
“Inundated with giving requests from non-profit organizations, it’s hard to know where to give or how exactly your donations are being used. With Messiah Lifeways, when you give to the Endowment Fund, the Benevolent Care Fund, or the program or service of your choosing, you know where your money is going, you know it’s needed, and you know it’s going to be used wisely to help people,” Bob and Ruth said. “To us, there are so many reasons to give to Messiah Lifeways.”
Click here to read the full digital version of Unscripted, Fall 2023.
