Rayburn and Harriet Norling
The Norling Family, local philanthropists with strong business and personal ties to the Kandiyohi County area, has had a long historical relationship with Bethesda over the past 50 years. “My father, Albin Norling, and his brother Fred, were big supporters of Bethesda as far back as 50 years ago,” shared Rayburn Norling. “Both brothers also stayed at Bethesda Heritage Center between the early 1970s to the mid 1980s, and Carolyn Norling’s mother, Dorothy Johnson, lived at Bethesda Pleasant View starting in the early 1970s.”
Palmer and Dee Norling
This relationship continues today through philanthropic support from the Norling Family toward Bethesda’s Town Center project, which will include the new Norling Family Café. “Throughout history, all of our family stays at Bethesda have been positive experiences,” stated Palmer Norling. “This made our family contribution to the capital campaign an easy decision, and our community will need more nursing and therapy facilities as the age expectancy continues to increase for our local population.”
The current generations of the Norling family include the Rayburn and Palmer branches of the family tree. Ray has three married children, 19 grandchildren and 50 great grandchildren. Palmer has three married children and 20 grandchildren.
“We feel that we share the value of life from conception to natural death, and that Bethesda has always embraced the freedom to practice the Christian faith,” commented Annette Beliveau, Ray’s daughter. “All reports from individuals in the community with experience at Bethesda have reflected the high level of quality care received in the facilities.”
Going beyond just the basic care needs for our seniors, The Norling Family Café will be one of the many new amenities available on the Bethesda campus once the Town Center is complete. It will be open to residents, tenants, clients, family members, staff and the general public to enjoy a healthy meal and camaraderie.
One goal with the addition of the café is to provide another destination for those who live on Bethesda’s campus to visit. So often, when people move into a long-term care setting, they become disconnected from their community. Loneliness and isolation can become a major concern. The Norling Family Café will bring people from the outside community in and will provide destinations for visitors to stay longer – all for the well-being of our seniors.
Bethesda is privileged to have the Norling Family as strong supporters of the work taking place here and thanks them for their investment, which will help ensure a bright future and positively impact the seniors and families in our community.
