Homeland Center Provides Workforce Development Opportunities for Certified Nursing Assistants with Support from the WSFS CARES Foundation

Originally chartered as the “Home for the Friendless” in 1867 to assist widows and orphans who were homeless in Harrisburg, Pa., the Homeland Center has evolved through the years to form a licensed not-for-profit continuing care retirement community offering exceptional Personal, Skilled Nursing, Home Health, Home Care, and Hospice services.

As the organization celebrates 155 years of compassionate care, it has also looked to the future with its Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Academy Program, which began to come together in recent years and is now in the process of applying for the requisite Pennsylvania Department of Education requirements.

Homeland Center recently received a five-year grant totaling $75,000 from the WSFS CARES Foundation, the charitable giving arm of WSFS Bank, to support the program and the employment opportunities it will create.

“While in the process of determining how Homeland Center can continue to provide the highest level of quality care for our Residents, Patients, and Clients, we moved in the direction of forming the CNA Academy Program,” said Barry Ramper II, NHA, President and CEO, Homeland Center and Homeland at Home. “We thank the WSFS CARES Foundation for their support, which will enable the program to provide opportunities to individuals in central Pennsylvania with an interest in senior, home, and hospice care to be educated, trained and obtain the required certifications to build successful careers.”

“Education and Leadership Development are key pillars of the WSFS CARES Foundation, and we’re proud to support innovative, community-focused workforce development opportunities like the CNA Academy Program,” said Patrick J. Ward, Executive Vice President, Pennsylvania Market President at WSFS Bank. “Much like the Homeland Center, WSFS has a storied history of supporting the community for nearly 200 years. We look forward to the transformational impact the grant will enable in training certified nursing assistants to deliver the highest quality of care to area seniors.”

The WSFS CARES Foundation also served as the reception sponsor for the Homeland Center’s 155th Anniversary Celebration on May 15 at the Hilton Harrisburg, which toasted 155 years of compassionate care and saluted Homeland Director of Development Betty Hungerford for her remarkable two decades of service. Proceeds from the event benefit Homeland’s benevolent care programs, which provide financial assistance for individuals in need of care.