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History of Fearrington Cares

Fearrington Cares grew out of a need to meet the health and daily living requirements of the residents of Fearrington Village. Late in 1989, a membership organization named “Stay Put for Now” was incorporated to provide volunteer services in the areas of transportation, home repair, equipment loans and meal delivery. The first general membership meeting took place at the Gathering Place on April 7, 1990.

Medical Services Visit During the 1990s, interest in bringing medical services to Fearrington Village led to the opening of an UNC Medical office in the Village. In 1994, another group of residents formed a new corporation to provide part time nursing services supported entirely by free will donations. The new organization was named “Home Care Connection” and it contracted with the Chatham County Health Department to provide a skilled part-time nurse.

Merging of the two groups

In the year 2000, these two groups decided to combine their activities. “Home Care Connection” was merged into “Stay Put For Now” and the name of the combined organization was changed to “Fearrington Cares.” The new organization continued to be housed in a spare room provided by the Fearrington Homeowners Association in the Gathering Place. When the FHA needed the space for its own uses, R.B. Fitch (the developer of Fearrington Village) who had long been a major financial supporter, provided new space in the Village Center.

Continued Growth

In 2004, in response to growing needs, R.B. Fitch built and donated the freestanding building that is now the Fearrington Cares Center. As Fearrington Cares expanded its program and services and needed more space, he also underwrote the reconfiguration of the building in 2009.

In 2007, a strategic plan for the future was developed. It was fully implemented by the end of 2009.

The staff has also grown. In 2008, a part-time administrative assistant was hired and our new part-time executive director began working in the spring of 2010. The staff now consists of a part-time executive director, a part-time nurse and a part-time administrative assistant.