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Residential Community

The SHARE Foundation / Residential Community

Welcome to Sharing Meadows!

A 185-acre residential community located in LaPorte County, Indiana, Sharing Meadows consists of five villages: the Village of St. John, the Village of St. Vincent, the Village of St. Theresa, the Village St. Jane & St. Joan, and the village of St. Mary & St. Joseph. Each village is comprised of three homes, with each home being inhabited by two other-abled adults and a full-time steward. The Villagers (residents) have very full lives, adhering to daily work schedules that alternate their vocational training between bird feeder and birdhouse construction, ceramics workshops, and computer labs. One of the most visionary vocations the other-abled engage in is the planting of thousands of fruit-bearing trees and bushes. This enterprise not only beautifies and improves the land, but it firmly solidifies our economic future by yielding salable goods and food for the villagers – a mini-industry with the potential for significant long-term results.

Overview of the Residential Program

Five villages make up the Sharing Meadows residential community. Each village has three houses, with two villagers and one steward per house. The villages are located on 185 acres in rural Indiana, where villagers are able to spend their free time at the swimming pool, by the lake, or in the woods.

The residents work on the grounds five days a week, keeping Sharing Meadows beautiful and clean. When they are not at work, the residents are free to relax at home, spend time in town, or whatever they choose. Stewards are always with the residents to provide companionship and guidance, and also to help the villagers meet their personal goals.

This domestic environment is a unique opportunity for the residents to live as independently as possible, while being supported in a family-like surrounding. Villagers take pride in their work and have formed many meaningful relationships with each other and with the stewards.

Current Availability

Occasionally we have openings for new villagers in the residential community at Sharing Meadows. Feel free to reach out, and let’s get the conversation started. 

Waiting List

There is a waiting list to become a resident of Sharing Meadows, as many people would like the opportunity to become a part of the Sharing Meadows community. Don’t be discouraged however; new applications are constantly being accepted for consideration. Interested people should call the office to request a residential informational packet.

Accommodations

We are a community that has three homes per village. Each home consists of the following: kitchen, living room, laundry/utility room, dining room, bedroom with attached bath for steward, two separate bedrooms (one per villager), and a bathroom that villagers share

Costs of Residential Program

In order to become a resident of Sharing Meadows, each villager is required to make the SHARE Foundation the representative payee of his or her Social Security or Supplementary Security Income. Additionally, the villager’s family is asked to make monthly or yearly donations to the SHARE Foundation.

Get Involved!

The Reward of Volunteering

Our volunteers are a special bunch! Volunteering at SHARE Foundation allows people of all walks of life and backgrounds to contribute, growing and learning in love and patience along the way. Further, through your financial contributions, SHARE can grow our support and services and continue to be completely self-supportive – something we have been proud of for over 20 years.

Join the SHARE Family

There are several people currently working full-time for the Share Foundation. Some positions are administrative while the stewards work hands-on with the Villagers. Each employee contributes to the growth and success of the Share Foundation and its programs for other-abled adults.

Resident Growth

For a person to get the most out of Sharing Meadows, we recommend candidates be able to adjust to the following: 

Live in a rural setting

We have 185 acres of land halfway between South Bend and Michigan City, adjacent to the Toll Road. The land offers a rural setting with a lake and woods with fruit and nut trees, plants, and small gardens.

Receive minimal supervision

The residents who live at Sharing Meadows should be able to provide their own hygiene and essential daily living needs with minimal supervision.

Share & live peacefully with others

We are a community of 15 homes and five villages. Each home has one house parent and two residents, all of who have their own room. Being someone who is open and friendly to others is important in this family-like situation.

Work with others to improve grounds

Villagers work on the land, helping them to develop a sense of pride in their community. They maintain an 8:30AM – 3:00PM work day on the land. Various work can include harvesting fruits and nuts, watering, mulching, planting flowers and gardens, mowing grass, weeding, and much more. Minimal supervision and instruction is provided.

Work with others to create products

Villagers’ work days are spent working in craft rooms creating various wood, ceramic, sewing, and cooking products. These products will be sold to earn money for various activities for those who live at Sharing Meadows. Minimal supervision and instruction is provided.

Be open to a Christian environment

SHARE Foundation solely exists to meet the needs of God’s people. We encourage individual personal relationships with God, and to maintain a prayerful home and community environment with meal prayers, work prayers, special prayer services, etc. All residents are respected for their religious preferences and need to be capable of respecting someone else’s and/or the Foundation’s religious preferences.

Be open to learn new skills

Sharing Meadows offers individual and group programming to help the residents learn every-day living skills, fostering their independence, while encouraging use of their existing skills.

Emphasis on Education

The SHARE Foundation emphasizes education and views it as a community endeavor, not separate and apart from education and vocational training for other-abled people. To that end, we have often referred to our organization as a training ground for those grappling with life’s choices. Several years ago, a graduate of Notre Dame postponed medical school to live at Sharing Meadows for a year as a steward in one of the villages. After his year of service, he went on to complete medical school, and he still interacts with the villagers, not as a steward any longer, but as their doctor. Clearly, his time at Sharing Meadows still affects his life both professionally and personally. Our hope is that everyone who serves at Sharing Meadows will be able to apply what they have learned here to many aspects of their life.

Hundreds of college students have interned at SHARE Foundation summer camps as counselors and directors. These students have left SHARE to pursue careers in related fields such as special education, physical therapy, and social work. The SHARE Foundation experience teaches students tolerance, patience, and a greater understanding of what it means to have special needs.

The Share Foundation receives no government support whatsoever; we have always relied solely upon private donations and our own fundraising efforts to support our work.