Tabitha’s InterGenerational Community on Fast Track to Become Reality
Tabitha’s (Tabitha.org) innovative InterGenerational (InterGen) Living Community, located at the corner of 48th and L Streets, is moving forward. Two distinct groups, Independent seniors (65+) and Bryan College of Health Science students, will call this $25 million, state-of-the-art, InterGen Living Community home. Due to the overwhelming donor response and interest in this first-of-its-kind in the nation development, the project timeline has been moved up one full year.
Nonprofit Tabitha, Nebraska’s leading senior care provider, is publicly announcing their $12.5 million dollar capital campaign. A silent phase, which kicked off in April 2021, has resulted in $7.5 million in gifts and pledges. Early believers have provided tremendous energy and financial support to this project. Special thanks to Tabitha’s Board members, leadership team, and steering committee for leading the way, sharing their gifts of time, talent, and treasure. Tremendous gratitude to other major supporters of the campaign: the Abel Foundation, the Acklie Charitable Foundation, Brester Construction, the DF Dillon Foundation, Pinnacle Bank, and Union Bank & Trust. This early fundraising success drove the Tabitha Board of Directors to give the go ahead to begin construction in late February 2022. The plan is to raise the remaining funds while construction is underway.
“This vision to build community in a new way, which Tabitha is so boldly bringing to life, is meant to tackle three major challenges: 1) the epidemic of loneliness across generations, 2) a lack of moderately priced housing, and 3) the shortage of health care workers. We could not be more excited that Tabitha is bringing forth this courageous vision which will focus on intentionally building connections among neighbors.” shared Kathi Hesser. Serving as InterGen Steering Committee Chairs, Hesser and her husband Mark, president of Pinnacle Bancorp and Tabitha board member, have lent their time, expertise, and financial support in bringing this initiative to fruition.
“Loneliness is deadly and as we researched its impact, we were surprised to learn that college age students report an even higher degree of loneliness than seniors,” shared Christie Hinrichs, “That is why this matters so much— joy and gratitude will be felt across generations as wisdom, talents, and stories are transferred from one generation to the other.”
This is one of the most innovative strategies that nonprofit Tabitha has taken on in its 135+ year history. It is one of the biggest projects at the Lincoln campus in over a decade with a goal to create such a significant impact that they will be able replicate this model. A formal study is already underway in collaboration with researchers from Bryan College of Health Sciences.
This 150,000-square-foot-community will have a mix of 128 micro, studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments. Some of the many amenities offered include underground parking and gathering places both indoors and out, like a roof top terrace, fire pit, and dog run—each space designed to bring neighbors together.
Tabitha will formally break ground with a ceremony this spring. The project is slated to open in late summer, early fall 2023. To learn how you can be a part of bringing this project to fruition, visit www.Tabitha/InterGen or call the Tabitha Foundation at (402) 486-8509.