Helen Purcell Home receives Grant from Straker Foundation

MUSKINGUM COUNTY, Ohio- The Helen Purcell home was awarded and presented a check today from the J.W. and M.H. Straker Charitable Foundation.

The $41,955 grant will go towards the renovation of the Straker Suite at the Helen Purcell home. The renovations will include a community room, chapel, offices and an additional dining option. in hopes to enhance the lives of the residents living there.

“We think it’s going to be good for the folks that are living here now and the folks that are going to be living here for years to come. We are very thankful for the Straker Foundation,” Helen Purcell Executive Director Vince Durant said. “This room that we’re standing in was the living room for Bill and Mary Hellen Straker for several years and it was our privilege to be able to work with them while they were here. We’re thankful for their generosity to us and the community.”

This is currently the 136th year the Helen Purcell home has been in business. The renovation is part of the home’s goal to enhance the lives of the residents living there and those to come.

“My parents really enjoyed their time here in this apartment when they lived here… Now that they’re gone, we’re happy that the same space can be utilized for the benefit of the residents of Helen Purcell,” Straker Charitable Foundation President and Executive Director Susan Holdren said. “This year our foundation will have given over a million dollars and we are really gratified to see the good that we can do in the community.”

The renovations are hoped to be completed by the end of the summer. The Straker Charitable Foundation will be doing a fall grant cycle in which they will fund five awards of up to $20,000 each. For more information, you can visit the Straker Foundation website.