On March 5, Visiting Angels officially opened for business at 2800 Montvale Drive, Suite G, in Springfield. A national franchise, Visiting Angels has locations across the United States that provide in-home elder care services.
The local owner and director is Rod Lane, who most recently worked for Memorial Health System as director of fund development for Memorial Behavioral Health. He said a group of investors from Texas recruited him to open a Visiting Angels franchise here. Since October, he has been working on setting up the local office, completing the state licensing, and hiring staff.
"I want to invest in the lives of those who have given so much to us by answering the call to keep people home during the most vulnerable seasons of their life,” said Lane. “In doing this, we get to create atmospheres of love, safety and security for the whole family. I believe people deserve that."
Visiting Angels provides non-medical care for elderly and disabled people in their homes, ranging from meal preparation and housekeeping to errands and appointments. The local office will serve the Springfield, Jacksonville and Petersburg areas.
Asked why he chose to pursue this career path, Lane said, "I was raised by two very loving grandparents who made a difference in my life by investing in me and believing that I could do things I never thought I could. I will never forget when Alzheimer's began to take them away from us. My grandpa looked at me in my eyes and said "I want to go home."
Lane previously served as the executive director of Helping Hands of Springfield and director of community impact for the United Way of Central Illinois. He holds an MBA from Benedictine University and has been recognized as one of Springfield Business Journal’s Forty Under 40.
