Our History & Our Mission

Compassion is at the heart of our care.

Our Mission

Our commitment and mission is to provide compassionate care while preserving dignity in a life-enriching environment.

History

The dream of Corvallis Caring Place started in 1991, when a small group of senior citizen friends from St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Corvallis, Oregon gathered. Someone suggested “We need a residential facility for older persons in our community… and we need to locate it conveniently on the vacant church property next to St. Mary’s at 23rd and Fillmore.”

Interested parishioners formed a planning committee and got to work visiting residential facilities in the surrounding area. The original intent was to build a retirement facility, but later it was determined that the facility should provide assisted living. From the very beginning, the committee wanted to serve seniors from the broader Corvallis community beyond the members of St. Mary’s church. At the time, none of the assisted living facilities in Corvallis served persons on Medicaid. It was important in the planning process to include seniors with limited incomes. 

St. Mary’s Catholic Church gathered in Corvallis Oregon
Corvallis Caring Place building

Milestones

In 1993, a nonprofit corporation was established with an organized board of directors. Rich Rodeman, former city attorney and community leader, became the board’s first president with 10 other members serving on the board. Initially, the corporation was established in connection with the Catholic Archdiocese of Portland. Later, the nonprofit corporation was reorganized independent of the Archdiocese, and new board members were added to represent the broader community.

In July 2002, Corvallis Caring Place celebrated its grand opening with 42 studio and one-bedroom apartments. Elder residents had a full range of support services and activities to enhance quality of living in the community. The very first resident to be welcomed to Corvallis Caring Place was retired Corvallis physician, Dr. James Riley.

Today

Today, Corvallis Caring Place, the only nonprofit assisted living facility in Corvallis, is alive and well and continues its reputation for quality services. 

A 14-member board of directors, made up of members of the greater community who are committed to our mission, have established standing committees to carry out oversight functions as the owner.