Page 48 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2025 - Online Magazine

Focus
Heartland House
Full Hearts, Full Circle
by Whitney Glenn, T.C. Townsen, Rachel Townsen
n 1994, after working for
many years in banking, Kristi
ITownsen began to feel called
to do something new. As the Vice
President of Customer Service at
Lubbock National Bank, she had
a gentle way of dealing with older
customers, a trait that was noticed
by all of those around her. Kristi
was known by her colleagues as
someone who went above and
beyond for elderly visitors to the
bank.
“When I left the bank, I knew I was
supposed to work with seniors. It's
the direction that God was pushing
me in.”
That year, a lightbulb went on when
Kristi went with a friend to visit her
grandmother in a small assisted-
living facility. Kristi recalled, “I
remember asking the lady who
owned it a bunch of questions.
They were also in the process of
building another home.” After
leaving the facility, Kristi reported
48 Lubbock Senior Link
FAMILY
the purchase of 75 acres of land on
North Milwaukee and the initial
construction through an SBA
504 Loan. The old, abandoned
farmhouses and languishing
cottonwood trees would make way
for the fulfillment of the dream
known now as “Heartland House.”
After a year of non-stop,
construction, learning,
troubleshooting, planning, and a 24-
hour- straight frenzy of work before
the open house, Heartland House
was no longer just an idea.
At the age of 40 years, with three
kids on the ground, and a very
uncertain future, Kristi Townsen
opened her own Assisted Living on
being “really excited” and going a hope and a prayer.
home to talk to her husband Stewart
about it. That excitement turned The first resident moved into
into dreaming, which soon turned Heartland on June 1, 1996. She was
into planning. After several tours
at other assisted-living facilities
and meeting with a friend who
volunteered at a retirement home,
Kristi and Stewart made up their
minds.
Kristi remembers specifically, “We
knew that we wanted to have
private rooms, private bathrooms,
and big closets! It was very helpful
that my husband is a builder. He
designed and built everything.”
While Stewart was drawing plans
for a unique and beautiful new
assisted living complex, Kristi
moved forward with learning
everything she could and started
the process of becoming certified.
In March 1995, Kristi attended a
program in Dallas to obtain her
Certified Facility Administration Kristi Townsen with her daughter,
License. Kristi and Stewart funded Whitney Glenn