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Campaign launched for deaf retirement community | morganton.com
The North Carolina School for the Deaf Foundation at Morganton has launched a capital funding campaign in an effort to develop a retirement community for the deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind adults.
NCSD Foundation President Sandy Turner said the idea for the project originated years ago and has now “taken on a life of its own.”
The plans are to build the retirement community in phases, Turner said. The first phase includes a community center and two buildings totaling 40 units.
At the completion of the project, the community should have 76 units, Turner said. All the units will be one- or two-bedroom apartments. The total projected cost is $7.9 million.
NCSD Foundation is leasing the land (located across the road from NCSD) from the state and must raise $3.5 million before it can start the project, Turner said. The goal is to complete building the community by 2014.
City of Morganton Development and Design Director Lee Anderson said the city has been working with NCSD Foundation for about a year, maybe longer, to help move the project along.
The city is still in the early stage of reviewing the plans and final construction drawings haven’t been submitted yet, Anderson said.
Turner said the organization had looked at the possibility of a retirement community program, a preschool program or a transitional program for those moving from high school to college.
“The response was so great that there was such a need for a center for our community for deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind that our board decided to pursue that aspect,” Turner said.
Morganton was chosen as the preferred site because of its proximity to NCSD – so seniors can volunteer or mentor students – and because the city is considered “very deaf friendly,” Turner said.
In the years since, NCSD Foundation has performed a lot of preliminary work, Turner said. They’ve sent out questionnaires, spoken to seniors across the state , and now they’re starting to work on a capital funding campaign.
There’s a possibility the community may be “one of a kind” too, Turner said. Organizers intend to build the community without funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The clientele preferred building with grants and private donations, and didn’t want to use HUD funding, Turner explained.
“We are getting much leadership from deaf seniors into what they’d like to have there, what they’d like to see built there,” Turner said.
To find out how you can contribute visit NCSD at Morganton Foundation or www.ncsdcommunity.net. Donations can also be made through NCSD Foundation at Morganton, P.O. Box 1397, Morganton, NC, 28655
The North Carolina School for the Deaf Foundation at Morganton has launched a capital funding campaign in an effort to develop a retirement community for the deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind adults.
NCSD Foundation President Sandy Turner said the idea for the project originated years ago and has now “taken on a life of its own.”
The plans are to build the retirement community in phases, Turner said. The first phase includes a community center and two buildings totaling 40 units.
At the completion of the project, the community should have 76 units, Turner said. All the units will be one- or two-bedroom apartments. The total projected cost is $7.9 million.
NCSD Foundation is leasing the land (located across the road from NCSD) from the state and must raise $3.5 million before it can start the project, Turner said. The goal is to complete building the community by 2014.
City of Morganton Development and Design Director Lee Anderson said the city has been working with NCSD Foundation for about a year, maybe longer, to help move the project along.
The city is still in the early stage of reviewing the plans and final construction drawings haven’t been submitted yet, Anderson said.
Turner said the organization had looked at the possibility of a retirement community program, a preschool program or a transitional program for those moving from high school to college.
“The response was so great that there was such a need for a center for our community for deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind that our board decided to pursue that aspect,” Turner said.
Morganton was chosen as the preferred site because of its proximity to NCSD – so seniors can volunteer or mentor students – and because the city is considered “very deaf friendly,” Turner said.
In the years since, NCSD Foundation has performed a lot of preliminary work, Turner said. They’ve sent out questionnaires, spoken to seniors across the state , and now they’re starting to work on a capital funding campaign.
There’s a possibility the community may be “one of a kind” too, Turner said. Organizers intend to build the community without funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The clientele preferred building with grants and private donations, and didn’t want to use HUD funding, Turner explained.
“We are getting much leadership from deaf seniors into what they’d like to have there, what they’d like to see built there,” Turner said.
To find out how you can contribute visit NCSD at Morganton Foundation or www.ncsdcommunity.net. Donations can also be made through NCSD Foundation at Morganton, P.O. Box 1397, Morganton, NC, 28655