It was 10 years ago the Village at St. Clair opened its doors and officially became neighbours on campus at St. Clair College.
The Schlegel Villages long-term care home is a 256-bed facility, which sits at the southern-most part of the Main Windsor Campus.
On Thursday, Sept. 5, neighbours, along with family, team members and representatives from St. Clair College gathered on the grounds of The Village at St. Clair to celebrate the milestone with a carnival atmosphere, complete with clowns, games, cotton candy and a chip truck for all to enjoy.
"It is just fantastic to be here today and to be celebrating 10 years of village life at The Village at St. Clair," said Joanne Potts, the vice president of western-Ontario operations for Schlegel Villages. "The Village at St. Clair is recognized for its warm welcome, for its vibrant village life and for its energy."
The decade-long relationship between The Village and St. Clair College has grown to be quite fruitful for both institutions.
"We also celebrate a close connection with St. Clair College, and we thank them for being here today," said Potts.
St. Clair College students in the schools of Nursing, Health Sciences and Community Studies get firsthand experiences in their fields of study by walking next door to assist the neighbours at The Village, gaining important experiential learning opportunities while also receiving course credits for their work.
"Although St. Clair is traditionally known for its educational services to young people, the opportunity that arose a decade ago to accommodate the spectacular Schlegel Villages facility meant the College could also assist our community's senior generation," said St. Clair President Michael Silvaggi. "And it has evolved into a close and mutually beneficial relationship over the past 10 years."
"Students in many of our health and social service programs obtain valuable work placements at The Village - and, as grads, rewarding careers there. And the residents of The Village enjoy many of the facilities and amenities of our campus," Silvaggi said. "We look forward to many more decades of partnership with the management, employees and residents of The Schlegel Village at St. Clair."
It's a partnership that almost didn't happen, if not for a very timely conversation.
Construction of the long-term care facility hit a few roadblocks in the planning process, a journey Schlegel Villages president Jamie Schlegel spoke to at Thursday's celebration.
In 2012, then Finance Minister Dwight Duncan approached Schlegel Villages about building another long-term care home, its second in Windsor. The answer was an emphatic "yes," but they needed land.
Schlegel Villages leadership was initially intent on locating the home near the Vollmer Complex in LaSalle, Ont. But through the geotechnical process, it was discovered soil conditions would prevent the construction of the long-term care home on that site.
That's when Jamie Schlegel called up then President of St. Clair College, Dr. John Strasser, about locating the Village on campus.
"The College's plans had changed for this corner of the campus. And (Dr. Strasser) said, 'Yes, we're interested in nipping off a bit of the corner of the campus here for you to locate your village as part of the broader main campus at The Village at St. Clair College,' recalled Schlegel.
With that conversation, Schlegel Villages and St. Clair College started down a path of severing the site to get ready for construction.
"I look back with a bit of a sense of a guiding hand, not to get too philosophical or spiritual, but a bit of a guiding hand that brought Schlegel Villages and St. Clair College together to make this wonderful Village and this wonderful partnership come to light," said Schlegel.
Once ground was broken, an aggressive two-year timeline was laid out and achieved.
The Village at St. Clair opened in 2014 at a time of great community need for long-term care beds. In 2012, the CEOs of both Windsor Regional Hospital and Hotel Dieu Grace Hospital spoke of the dire need for more long-term care capacity to help relieve pressure at local hospitals.
Not only did the facility help achieve that goal, but The Village also boasts "resort-like" qualities. It was designed to feel like a neighbourhood to foster an authentic sense of community, complete with a Main Street, featuring shops, a general store, a spa, and more.
Schlegel said none of it would be possible without the fantastic team, neighbours, families, and partners who have made The Village at St. Clair a model of social living to help everyone thrive.
"Thanks to our wonderful partners at St. Clair College who've been so instrumental in so many ways in the development of this village and the living classroom," Schlegel said, referring to programming links that were created during the tenure of President Emeritus, Patti France. "You learn who your partners really are during the tough times, who stick with you when the going is tough."
Schlegel pointed to the depth of President Emeritus France's impact, noting neighbours at The Village also benefit from the close proximity to the College with special invitations and access to sporting and theatre events, walks through the campus, and of course, Tim Horton's for coffee - making the neighbour experience a true St. Clair College experience.
"The Schlegel family is so humbled and honored to be just a small part of what we have created together."
