The following remarks were made by Executive Director Maria Santangelo at the Pine Run Community Center grand opening that took place on October 2, 2019:
Welcome, everyone! And thank you for celebrating our new Community Center with us!
On behalf of the Senior Leadership Team, our thanks to our leader, Jim Brexler, for his support and encouragement from the beginning to the end of this project. He knew that this building would be the heart and soul of Pine Run. The Doylestown Health One Vision encompasses the entire Health System. This investment in our future will sustain Pine Run – and Doylestown Health – for years to come.
We also recognize the Doylestown Hospital and Foundation Boards, as well as the Village Improvement Association for their unwavering encouragement during this period of growth for Pine Run. For over 125 years, their members have ensured that Doylestown Hospital has cared for all of its citizens with dignity and respect. They are the reason we exist today. Thank you, Joan Parlee, Chairwoman of the Boards; Joyce Hansen, VIA President; Carolyn Della-Rodolfa, Chairwoman of the Pine Run Advisory Committee; and Cory Schroeder, VIA Past President.
As Carolyn reminded me last night, you began the conversation for a new Community Center with Doylestown Hospital many years ago.
My personal thanks to my predecessors: Ken Confalone, who we are privileged to have with us today. You began the dream and envisioned a new Community Center with the VIA and Doylestown Hospital in 1996; and the late Cathleen Stewart, who launched the actual process of making this new building a reality. I have had the privilege of watching the new Hub rise from a dream, to drawings, to its incredible completion.
Our sincere gratitude to our local politicians – past and present – for their support in getting us to this point. Special thanks to Marguerite Quinn, who is with us today, for her unwavering support as State Representative as we began this process.
We arrived at this day through the collaboration of Villagers, Associates, and the architectural and construction experts who partnered with us to make this happen.
Amber Bahr: As an architect, this was the first building you took the lead on. You have a bright future ahead of you! Congratulations on a stunning design that is the crown jewel of our Community.
Jerry Gorski: Thank you for partnering with us to make Amber’s design come to life! Your dedicated, knowledgeable team navigated every challenge that arose during construction. You worked with us through eight seasons of changing weather; moved mountains of earth; dug giant holes; and built walls where none existed before. And here we are today.
Will Miller: You may have been the Project Superintendent, but the Villagers have adopted you into our Pine Run family, and you are now an honorary Pine Run Associate! You steered the process every day, met with Villagers to update them on the construction process, and troubleshot hundreds – if not thousands – of issues during this two-year process.
Carol Elia: You took an enormous, empty space – that only existed on paper – and filled this building with attractive, warm paint, wallpaper, finishings, and furniture. Your vision of what our new Community Center could be is now reality; a place where Residents dine, participate in activities, and socialize. From the beauty salon, to the Bar & Grille, the new Country Store, to this new Auditorium – you have made the new “HUB” home, once again, for our Villagers.
Joey Fay, Andy Ernesto, Brian McGrath, and Scot Lutte: Our Builder’s Reps. You were the bridge between Pine Run and everyone involved in the construction process from beginning to end. You ensured the project moved forward, coordinated communication among numerous parties, problem-solved, and kept the interests of the Health System – and our Villagers – a priority.
The generosity of our community was a driving force behind the completion of this grand project. Along with the other capital priorities of Doylestown Health’s One Vision Campaign, the Hub will propel us into our second century of care. It is because of countless donors – many of whom are here this evening – that we will be able to gather for fellowship, friendship and fitness in this new space for generations to come. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this vision a reality!
The Villagers: Thank you for your patience, flexibility, understanding, and good humor during this process. We could not have done this without your support and encouragement.
There are countless other folks who were also part of this project. While they are too many to mention, all of them are dedicated, skilled professionals who kept their eyes on Pine Run’s very bright future.
Finally, my sincere thanks to the Pine Run Senior Leadership Team. You have stayed the course throughout this process, working together for the betterment of Pine Run. From the beginning of this project, when most of our roles were very new, to today, we have grown as individuals; and as a team. I am honored to work with each of you.
As Mr. Rogers once said, “Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.”
While this may be the end of construction, we are poised on the precipice of a new chapter in Senior Living at Pine Run. As THE Destination for Retirement Living, we will remain relevant and indispensable to all of the generations in our community; and we are glad that you are on that journey with us.
Jim Brexler, Jerry Gorski, Amber Bahr, and Carol Elia – Please join me up here. I’d like to present each of you with a memento of this project.
Thank you all – please join us as we celebrate the completion of this building.