Serenity Gardens moved from vision to reality for a Gillett family interested in providing an assisted living facility locally.
Serenity Gardens, a 14-unit assisted living facility at 146 N. Francis St., began as a vision for Tonya Rosina and her mother and father, Pat and Peggy Belongia.
Rosina has worked in the health care field for many years and said family members would often talk about how they would manage an assisted living setting.
One day, her father announced he had called his bank about financing, and Serenity Gardens is the result.
“Everything just fell into place,” Rosina said.
One essential part of the vision was land acquisition, which happened serendipitously when Clayton Smith donated the lot for the complex in memory of his late wife, Barb Smith.
Barb Smith served as director of nurses at the Gillett Nursing Home (now Woodlands of Gillett) for many years before she retired. She also served on Gillett’s City Council from 1974-2011 and on the Oconto County Board. She passed away in 2012.
Staff and construction workers are working out the final details at the facility this week in preparation for a ribbon cutting and open house Sunday.
What sets Serenity Gardens apart? Rosina believes it’s the little things done for the residents.
“Little things to us are big things to them,” she said.
Rosina said she will take time to get to know the needs of the residents and have an attitude of “what we can we do for them, not what can’t we do.”
“We are taking care of other people’s grandparents and parents,” Rosina said.
To do a good job, “You have to want to be here,” she added.
Rosina said two residents are set to move in Jan. 27.
For more information about the facility, call Rosina at 920-373-1602.
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