Faith-based nonprofit organizations for seniors Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries of Altoona, Liberty Lutheran Services of Ambler and Garden Spot Communities of New Holland have announced that they will affiliate under the new parent company name Ilumin.

Affiliation is subject to obtaining certain regulatory approvals and consents, which the three organizations hope to receive by spring 2022.

Affiliation will strengthen and benefit all three organizations and their stakeholders. Ilumin will be able to introduce innovative new services and programs to residents, provide employees with more career opportunities, and have a stronger voice in negotiating contracts with healthcare providers.

The three organizations will share a leadership team led by Steve Lindsey, current CEO of Garden Spot Communities and a recognized thought leader in the retirement home space.

“Ilumin’s new tagline is Life With Purpose,” Lindsey said. “We will create an authentic community for our employees and those we serve, unified by a shared belief that purpose gives meaning to life. Our Lutheran and Mennonite values ​​emphasize faith in action in serving others, and Ilumin will be the embodiment of this.

Lindsey will be joined at the executive level by the current leaders of the three affiliated organizations:

• Liberty Lutheran’s Joan Myers to become chief operating officer

• Liberty Lutheran’s John Barnum to become CFO

• ForgeWorks/Garden Spot’s Lois Dostalik to become Director of Culture

• Scott Miller of Garden Spot will become marketing director

• Garden Spot’s Steve Jeffrey will become Chief Strategy Officer

• ALSM’s Chris Reighard to become VP Finance

Ilumin will be headquartered in New Holland. Liberty Lutheran and ALSM will retain their offices in Ambler and Altoona, respectively.

ALSM CEO Dr. Patricia Savage and Liberty Lutheran CEO Dr. Luanne Fisher will step down when affiliation takes effect this spring. The two intend to continue serving in the nonprofit space.

“Each of our organizations was in good financial health, had an excellent reputation in our individual communities, and was looking for an opportunity to affiliate with the right partners,” said Dr. Savage. “The three leaders know and respect each other extremely well. When we started exploring a potential affiliation, it became very clear to us that we had so much in common that affiliation made a lot of sense.

Dr. Fisher added that all three organizations have been very thorough and strategic in assessing membership potential.

“We engaged in objective research and rigorous analysis to test the potential of this affiliation,” she said. “What this revealed—a shared passion for faith-inspired service and a strong focus on creating vibrant cultures for our employees—confirmed the wisdom of affiliation.

“This affiliation is excellent news for our residents and employees. This amplifies all the good that our three organizations bring to this new relationship.

When the affiliation takes effect, Ilumin will rank among the top 50 nonprofit seniors organizations in the country. It will be:

• Declare nearly $140 million in income

• Serve nearly 40,000 people in 28 counties in Pennsylvania

• Provide more than 2,000 senior housing units on nine campuses as well as a variety of intergenerational community services

• Employ nearly 2,000 team members

The affiliation was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of the three organizations.

When the affiliation takes effect, Ilumin will become one of the top 50 senior living organizations in the country, ranked by number of units and locations. Its 2,000 team members will serve nearly 40,000 people from nine campuses in 28 counties across Pennsylvania. It will also provide community services for several generations. The new entity, whose slogan will be “Life with Purpose”, will be based on the common belief that serving individuals and families is a ministry and an outward demonstration of the love of Christ. Learn more at iluminliving.org.