Author: Tammy Arnette

RICHMOND, Virginia (Monday, April 22, 2024) —LifeSpire of Virginia is pleased to announce that Erik Mauritsen has been selected as the organization’s new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). In this role, Mauritsen will be responsible for directing overall financial operations for LifeSpire, its five continuing care retirement communities, foundation offices and Lakewood at Home. Mauritsen will begin his new role at the end of May.

“Erik is an accomplished CFO and business executive with extensive experience in the senior living space,” said Jonathan Cook, LifeSpire’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Erik enters this role from a position of strength, and his insights and experience will be extremely valuable in helping LifeSpire operate with efficiency and create value for our stakeholders. I am thrilled to welcome Erik to the team.”

Mauritsen has more than 20 years’ experience in progressive leadership roles in auditing, finance, corporate compliance programs and regulatory laws for a number of organizations, most recently Covenant Woods. In his role at Covenant Woods, Erik assisted with advancing their mission while enhancing the financial strength of the organization.

Mauritsen, a cum laude graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, earned a bachelor’s degree in business, majoring in accounting. He and his wife, Cassie, have three children and reside in Glen Allen, Virginia.

LifeSpire of Virginia, based in Glen Allen, Virginia, is a not-for-profit organization serving seniors since 1945. The LifeSpire of Virginia family includes five life plan communities—Lakewood in Richmond, The Chesapeake in Newport News, The Culpeper in Culpeper, The Summit in Lynchburg, and The Glebe in Daleville—as well as Lakewood at Home, a community-based continuing care program. The Virginia Baptist Homes Foundation is the philanthropic arm of LifeSpire and provides support to residents and team members through its four funds—benevolence, crisis, education and spiritual life. LifeSpire of Virginia serves more than 1,400 residents and employs nearly 1,100 team members.  To learn more, visit lifespireliving.org.

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Pamela Parsons, Ph.D., served on the Board of Trustees for LifeSpire of Virginia since 2021. For over thirty years, she has dedicated her life to advocating for older adults through her work in healthcare, education and funded research. She received numerous awards, including the Mary C. Payne Award from the Senior Connections Capital Area on Aging, in recognition for her exemplary advocacy, leadership and service on behalf of older adults. As an educator, she was recognized with the Judith B. Collins and Joseph M. Teefey distinguished professor awards.

Parsons’s tireless efforts had a significant impact as an innovator for quality healthcare for senior adults, mentor to rising healthcare practitioners and leader to the organizations she supported. She led multi-million-dollar research efforts through initiatives such as the Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program, PIONEER, Virginia Geriatric Education Center, AARP and countless other programs. In her academic career, Parson held appointments in the school of nursing, internal medicine and pharmacology at Virginia Commonwealth University. She also served as an adjunct faculty member for J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College.

Parsons was an invaluable resource on clinical and nursing-related issues for LifeSpire of Virginia while she served on the Board of Trustees. “We are saddened by the loss of Dr. Parsons,” said Jonathan Cook, President and CEO of LifeSpire of Virginia. “Her impact as a trusted advisor and board member for LifeSpire of Virginia was immeasurable. We are grateful for her leadership, guidance and commitment to quality healthcare for senior adults.”

(Monday, August 21, 2023) – LifeSpire of Virginia is pleased to announce Kristi Martin, MSN, BSN, RN, LNHA, as its new Executive Director for the Summit Community, beginning on August 21, 2023.

Kristi, a Lynchburg, Virginia native, obtained her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Lynchburg College and her master’s degree from Jefferson College. She brings extensive experience from diverse areas, including Dialysis, Orthopedics, and the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). More recently, she has taken on roles in Skilled and Long-Term Care.

“I’m looking forward to joining the incredible team at The Summit community and having an impact on the seniors we serve,” said Martin. “There are so many exciting things happening, and I am grateful to be here and be a part of it.”

Kristi has held various leadership positions as a long-tenured employee at Centra Health, including serving as a Nursing Home Administrator for the past eight years. Kristi’s passion is leading high-performing teams and making a difference in the lives of those she serves.

“The entire LifeSpire of Virginia family looks forward to welcoming Kristi into her new role at The Summit,” said Tracey Jennings, Chief Operating Officer for LifeSpire of Virginia. “Kristi’s long history in clinical and leadership roles will be instrumental as The Summit continues to grow and expand.”

Outside of work, Kristi enjoys traveling with her family, reading books, and spending quality time with loved ones. Kristi and her husband Lantz have three children together, Alexis, Lantz, and Lyncoln.

Your commitment to ensuring the highest quality of life—physically, spiritually and socially—for LifeSpire of Virginia community residents is what enables the Virginia Baptist Homes Foundation to continue realizing its faith-driven mission.

When you remember the VBH Foundation or a specific community in your estate plan, your gift lives on and we welcome you into our J.T. Edwards Society. You become part of a group of like-minded people dedicated to creating communities that support dignity, faith and friendship, now and in the future, just as Dr. Edwards originally imagined.

Learn more about the impact you can make in the JT Edwards Legacy Society https://bit.ly/JTE

Gifts That Pay You Income

There is a way for you to support a LifeSpire of Virginia community and the Virginia Baptist Homes Foundation (VBHF) and feel confident that you have dependable income in your retirement years. You can do this with a charitable gift annuity. 

With a charitable gift annuity you agree to make a gift to VBHF and we, in return, agree to pay you (and someone else, if you choose) a fixed amount each year for the rest of your life. The remaining balance becomes part of your legacy at VBHF, allowing us to thrive far into the future.

This type of donation can provide you with regular payments for life and allow VBHF to further our mission. You can also qualify for a variety of tax benefits depending on how you fund your gift.

If you fund your gift annuity with cash or appreciated property, you qualify for a federal income tax deduction if you itemize. In addition, you can minimize capital gains taxes when you fund your gift with appreciated property.

And now, you can fund your gift using your IRA assets.  If you are 70½ and older, you can make a one-time election of up to $50,000 to fund a gift annuity. While your gift does not qualify for an income tax deduction, it does escape income tax liability on the transfer and count toward all or part of your required minimum distributions.

Your payments depend on your age at the time of the donation. If you are younger than 60, we recommend that you learn more about your options with a Deferred Gift Annuity.

The news keeps getting better … for the second time in just six months, payout rates have increased. They are now higher than they have been in more than a decade, making now a great time to consider this gift that benefits you and the VBH Foundation.

New Rate Chart (effective Jan. 1, 2023) – one recipient

Interested in learning more?  We would be happy to send you a free, no-obligation calculation showing you the increased benefits you can receive from a CGA. Your personalized calculation will include your potential income tax charitable deduction and our annual payments to you for life. Contact Jodi Leonard at (804) 521-9213 or [email protected] to begin or visit our website for great tools and resources to start your legacy!

https://vbh.planmylegacy.org/