The Wyoming Catholic Ministries Foundation recently awarded $150,000 for the repair and upgrade of an elevator at St. Anthony Manor in Casper. This 64-unit housing community provides low income housing for eligible seniors. The facility, built in 1972, is owned by the Diocese of Cheyenne and is staffed and operated under a contract with Catholic Archdiocese Housing, of Denver.

One of the facility’s two elevators stopped working late last year — limiting residents to just one working elevator — and an evaluation found repairs were not feasible. Concerns were also expressed over the condition and reliability of the second elevator. Removing the old unit and installing a new one will cost roughly $425,000 and the work on both elevators will run more than $800,000. A capital reserve fund established and managed by St. Anthony Manor Housing will provide the funds needed for one elevator, but there’s not enough money to replace both units.

That’s where the foundation’s award will help. The $150,000 comes from a fund established in 1978 by the estate of George and Virginia Cles, of Cody. The Cleses instructed that their estate be used in support of Catholic senior housing in the state of Wyoming. The Cles fund has also been used for repairs and renovation of senior housing units in Cheyenne.

The Wyoming Catholic Ministries Foundation is a 501 C (3) organization whose mission is to raise funds and advance the Catholic faith and programs throughout the State of Wyoming. For more information, email jgleason@wycmf.org.