December 9, 2019

Groundbreaking, blessing held for new Harmony House location

REGIONAL
Story and photos by Stephen Kiltonic

 

CHICOPEE – On a frigid, Dec. 5, friends, volunteers, supporters and members of Harmony House gathered to celebrate the organization’s dedication of its new headquarters on 66 View St., here.

A groundbreaking ceremony included the founder of Harmony House, Ruth Willemain; various board members; the mayor of Chicopee, Richard J. Kos; and state Sen. Don Humason, who helped secure $50,000 in state funding for the project.

Harmony House is a local, nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide a loving home environment with compassionate care for the terminally ill. Harmony House reflects the dream and vision of Willemain who established the home in June 2017 as a Christian ministry for individuals who have no resources for special care in their final stages of life. She was overjoyed that work to renovate and expand the View Street home is finally going to begin.

“Just thoughts of joy and gratitude after waiting so long for this date to happen. I’m just so grateful to God for letting me live long enough to see it after waiting 15 years,” said Willemain. “It’s all part of God’s plan and I’m sure it’s going to be finished in a beautiful way,” she added.

Harmony House was temporarily located for nearly several years on Pendleton Avenue in a three-room, two-resident ranch home in Chicopee providing 24-hour personal care for its residents. Recently closed because of the effort to focus on the View Street residence, it was staffed by numerous trained volunteers, including licensed nurses, caregivers, companions and others who provided the emotional and physical support for residents.

“It’s going to have a sense of security and lots of love and (be) a place that the residents will be happy to call home because every time there’s a new person that comes in I say, ‘Welcome home,’ because it does become their home. I can hardly wait, really,” said Willemain, who was born and went to elementary school in Holyoke.

Ger Ronan heads up the building committee for Harmony House. He also is the president and founder of Yankee Home Improvement of Chicopee. “Ruth is this incredibly inspirational person. When every patient is ready to pass, she will be there the moment of passing to hold their hand and offer them comfort. That just struck me,” said Ronan. 

After a recent lunch together, he asked Willemain, “Does it weigh you down being around so much death? And she immediately pushed back and said, ‘This is what I do. This is my calling. This is what God wants me to do,’ and it was just so powerful. She is a small-frame woman but she’s way stronger than any of the burly contractors that I work with on a daily basis – incredible strength.”

The new Harmony House was originally purchased as a foreclosed property in October 2015. Because of extensive renovations and legal issues, work was delayed until September 2017 when demolition started.

Located a few miles from the Pendleton Avenue location, the new home is situated on two-and-a-half acres, at the end of a quiet, dead-end street. When finished, it will include five-bedrooms, shared bathrooms, a large kitchen and common dining room, living room, laundry area and room for families of the residents. It will also feature offices, a conference room/educational area and a much-needed chapel.

Father Daniel Pacholec, pastor of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish in Westfield, gave the home a blessing. “We look forward to the day very soon when its doors will be open and the good work of Harmony House will continue to provide the dying with a place of love, comfort and care,” said Father Pacholec, who will help design the chapel with a parishioner, Robert Tyer, an interior designer.

“With Father Dan’s help, it’s going to be a beautiful place for meditation, for anyone who just wants some peace and quiet. Yes, I have some wonderful plans for the chapel,” said Willemain.

The exterior grounds of Harmony House will eventually feature a tranquility walkway and raised gardens of flowers and vegetables.

Ronan said many local companies, including his own, are donating materials to the project including windows, doors, and roofing materials as well as a dumpster. “Watching a community come together, it’s incredibly heart-warming to see people just stepping up – competitors of mine – just stepping up and saying, ‘Yeah, I’ll pitch in.’”

Once the larger home is open, even more volunteers will be needed, including direct care support people, such as CNAs, PCAs, LPNs and RNs. Also needed are individuals willing to help with companionship, cooking, cleaning, yard work, clerical work, fundraising, and other miscellaneous work around the house.

Willemain is optimistic that Harmony House will be ready by her 85^th birthday in March 2020, but Ronan said the end of spring is the more likely completion date. 

In 2019, Harmony House, a 501(c) (3) corporation, received a grant from the Annual Catholic Appeal. It is privately funded through the generosity of individuals, businesses, and foundations. Any contributions are accepted at all times and can be submitted at www.harmonyhousewma.org or by sending checks to Harmony House of Western Massachusetts, P.O. Box 6135, Holyoke, MA 01041.

A video version of this story will be on an upcoming edition of “Real to Reel” which airs Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. on WWLP-TV22 NEWS and in the Berkshires Sunday mornings at 5:30 on Albany’s Fox 23, WXXA.