A BIG IDEA FOR A SMALL TOWN
The Logan Intergenerational Family Education (LIFE) Center started as a simple but bold question: what if a school and a nursing home didn't have to be separate?
Rural communities like Logan were watching both institutions struggle under the same pressures —aging buildings, shrinking budgets, and a shortage of teachers, nurses, and other professionals willing to relocate to a town of 460 people.
Rather than solve those problems separately, Logan solved them together. The result is a single connected campus where Pre-K, elementary students, high schoolers, and nursing home residents share a roof and a daily rhythm of life — built on the belief that generations do better when they’re not kept apart.
WHAT WE SET OUT TO DO
Four goals shaped the project from the start, and they still guide how the LIFE Center runs today:
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A sustainable, 36-bed senior living facility built on the person-centered “Green House” small-house model, improving quality of life and care for residents.
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An energy-efficient Pre-K–4th grade wing connected to the existing public school and the senior living facility, so students and older residents interact regularly.
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A shared community resource — gymnasium, locker rooms, weight room, and gathering space— that doubles as a storm shelter and is open to the public.
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A single connected community campus, located adjacent to the existing childcare facility, where proximity to a variety of community services improve efficiency for everyone involved.
Since opening, that approach has meant less social isolation for residents, stronger empathy and social skills in students, lower operating costs through shared staff and services, and two of the city’s largest employers — the school and the nursing home — secured for the long term.
MILESTONES
2020 —
Initial schematic design completed.
2022 —
Project plans finalized.
March 2023 —
Groundbreaking.
2024 —
The LIFE Center opens its doors.
OUR PARTNERS BEHIND IT
The LIFE Center is a joint effort between four local organizations, supported by a matching grant from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation.
WHAT'S INSIDE
Everything at the LIFE Center is designed to connect — physically and socially. Here’s what’s under one roof:
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A 36-bed skilled nursing home
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Preschool
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Elementary school
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Sports facility
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Community storm shelter
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Public wellness facility
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Community gathering space
HELP US KEEP GROWING
Building the LIFE Center took a village — more than $1 million in local gifts and pledges, matched by a grant from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation. The doors are open, but a project like this is never really finished. Community support keeps programs running, equipment current, and the wellness facility accessible to every resident and student who wants it.