Our Roots Run Deep Here at Grace Ridge
Grace Ridge Retirement Community has been making retirement dreams come true for more than 30 years. The videos and timeline below highlight a few of the stories, triumphs and milestones of life at Grace Ridge.
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A glimpse into active retirement life at Grace Ridge.
1970s
November 1978 – Dr. Jean Ervin recommended to the Session of the First Presbyterian Church of Morganton that a committee begin to look into establishing and operating a retirement home in Morganton.
1980s
1980 – Residential Retirement Center becomes incorporated under NC state laws.
1981 – Granted tax-exempt status by IRS.
1985 – Purchased 26 acres on corner of Lenoir Road and Kirksey Drive; Summer Fest reception held to honor future residents.
1986 – $10.8 million loan secured to cover the project’s total cost. Ground breaking and open house held July 14 for Mountain House Retirement Residence.
1987 – Mountain House opens on Oct. 26 and first residents move in; Ribbon cutting ceremony; Community open house/showcase of homes.
1988 – First Resident’s Council Newsletter published. Publication named Mountain Views in June.
1990s
1990 – New health care center for Mountain House residents opens with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
1991 – Grace Healthcare System acquires Mountain House Retirement Residence. Name is changed to Grace Ridge Retirement Community.
1992 – Tree planting ceremony to mark the beginning of construction on the retirement cottages.
1994 – Scholarship Committee established under the leadership of resident Harriet Inscoe to contribute to the continuing education of Grace Ridge employees.
1997 – 10th anniversary of Grace Ridge; Dr. Ervin speaks about how it took 13 years for her dreams to become a reality.
1999 – Grace Ridge becomes integrated with Blue Ridge HealthCare. Groundbreaking for Grace Ridge expansion (30 additional apartment units and 34 new beds in the health care center).
2000s
2001 – Open house is held to showcase $10.5 million renovation and expansion project, which included 30 new independent living apartments, 37 additional health care rooms, a special care unit for residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia-related illnesses, and an auditorium.
2006 – Grace Ridge receives its first of three consecutive five-year accreditations (2006, 2011, 2016) from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities/Continuing Care Accreditation Commission.
June 2006 – The auditorium and community room is officially renamed the Ervin Community Room in honor of Dr. Jean Ervin.
2009 – Brenda Yost joins Grace Ridge as Executive Director.
October 2012 – Grace Ridge celebrates its 25th anniversary.
2013 & 2014
September 2013 – Ground breaking ceremony for construction/renovation project.
December 2013 – Phase 1 of renovations complete: updated library and creation of new administration offices.
June 2014 – Phase 2 of renovations complete: main lobby, main and private dining rooms and sales office; created space for a new resident mailroom; motorized assistive devices parking area; and new reading room that features a stone fireplace.
December 2014 – Phase 3a of renovations complete: additional offices on the 2nd floor for life enrichment administrators and new 1st floor fitness and game rooms.
2015 & 2016
Fall 2015 – Phase 3b of renovations complete: 2nd floor corridor makeover, new chapel and new theatre.
October 2015 – Phase 4 renovations complete.
December 2015 – Benches made from recycled bottle caps through the Community Bottle Cap Project are presented to the NC School for the Deaf at Morganton Foundation.
July 2016 – Grace Ridge partners with Burke Hospice and Palliative Care and ADAPT to form the Memory Café.
July 26, 2016 – Ruby Clodfelter, the then-oldest woman living in NC, turns 111.
August 2016 – Supporters gather to celebrate the Friendship Garden Dedication – a three-year labor of love and friendship.
2017
October 2017 – Grace Ridge celebrates its 30th anniversary in the Ervin Community Room with a party for residents, staff and friends. Good Moods. Good Times. Good Life. Since 1987.