Since its very beginning, the Methodist Church has emphasized social services such as building hospitals and providing care for the elderly. In 1921 the church established the Methodist Hospital on West Washington Avenue. It was there that the idea for our retirement center originated and construction plans were made. The center would be located just one block south of the hospital.
The Methodist Hospital had formed a committee in 1971 to study the needs of elderly people in the community and found a strong need for retirement housing in Dane County and that a significant number of older people were interested in a downtown location. The Heights building would be the first phase of the plan with a nursing home and assisted living facility to be added later.
It was on December 4, 1975 that the building now called the “Heights” was dedicated as the Methodist Hospital Retirement Center! During its early years the church provided a pastor to serve as chaplain. Today, Chaplain Guta Cvetkovic continues that tradition in an interfaith capacity.
Chaplain Guta celebrates the diversity of faith and spiritual traditions that residents bring to our community. Thanks to your support, the Capitol Lakes Foundation is able to sponsor annual events Chaplain Guta organizes.
Originally named the Interfaith Breakfast and more recently the Sojourners Breakfast, for the last ten years this gathering has brought diverse and interesting speakers to Capitol Lakes who are committed to considering big issues from an interfaith perspective. Over the years, they have welcomed speakers like Rabbi Jonathan Biatch with Temple Beth El, James Morgan with Just Dane, Baba Abubakar Drammeh who is a retired ambassador and a member of the Republic of Gambia’s judiciary, and Mr. Samba Baldeh who was the president of the Madison City Council and currently serves as a Wisconsin State Representative.
In 2024, a capacity crowd of roughly 96 residents gathered to hear Professor Patty Loew speak about her work with the Tribal Youth Media Initiative – a digital media project creating the next generation of Native American storytellers and land stewards. She shared videos created by these young people and relayed the positive impact the program has had on their lives.
Patty’s presence at Capitol Lakes was also a homecoming of sorts as her mother, Alice Loew, had been a long-time resident prior to moving in with Patty. Living at Capitol Lakes for roughly 20 years, Alice’s impact on our community continues to be felt. Residents appreciated hearing a touching story Patty shared about how her mom came to live at Capitol Lakes and they also imparted their affection for both Alice and Patty during a lively and informative Q&A session.
We are incredibly grateful to our donors for providing the resources to support this special and moving event year after year, which continues the legacy started by the Methodist Church 50 years ago.
Blog post written by Marjory Lyford and Lenee Kruse