Public vision · Updated October 8, 2026 · Open for discussion
Honoring God. Carrying Margee’s work forward.
Could a group come together to preserve Rising Phoenix as a living retreat, honor Margee Iddings, and continue her mission of Christian faith, hospitality, and compassionate service? This public overview is a starting point for supporters and visitors to explore that hope together.
County acquisition is not currently a feasible route. The earlier county discussion material below is retained for context. Our immediate need is an acquiring partner. Community support may help make that acquisition possible.
Read the current Preservation PlanStep 2 for a potential buyer: explore assessment and operations support from UCCR
Financial pledges are no longer being accepted. We are seeking a qualified acquiring steward. No money is collected. Retreats, heritage or museum use, hospitality and opportunities for women rebuilding their lives are possibilities under consideration, not established programs.
Three related but separate pieces
Public overview
The page you are reading explains the goal of preserving Rising Phoenix, honoring Margee, and continuing her mission. It invites supporters and visitors to contribute memories, ideas, introductions, and practical help.
Preliminary county discussion
A separate preliminary proposal prepared for county officials explores possible county ownership, tourism benefits, historical preservation, and a Christian nonprofit operating partnership. It is a discussion document, not a county commitment or a final proposal submitted to Loyola.
Still being developed
A separate proposal would address ownership, funding, stewardship, operating responsibilities, and potential transaction terms. Those details require further work; no final proposal or transaction has been agreed upon.
Where things stand
On October 6, Helen Schneider at Loyola agreed to receive a preservation proposal for consideration. The standing agreement is to review and consider a proposal. No purchase terms, buyer, committed funding, or purchase agreement have been secured.
The October 9 county conversation clarified that county acquisition is not currently feasible. Representatives offered to try to make introductions, without any commitment to purchase, fund, endorse, or manage the property. The auction remains underway.
Time until scheduled auction close
Scheduled close: October 27, 2026, at 4:00 PM Eastern, per the listing’s schedule. Older listing text says 3:00 PM. Verify the closing time with the auctioneer; late bids may extend bidding.
The purpose we hope to protect
Our mission is to honor God by carrying forward Margee Iddings’ legacy of faith, hospitality, dignity, renewal, and compassionate service. We seek to preserve Rising Phoenix as a place where people can step away from distraction, draw closer to God, find rest and healing, experience caring community, and discover opportunities for renewed purpose. We will pursue this mission with responsible stewardship so the work can endure for generations.
The goal is a working retreat where people can pray, find renewal, experience hospitality, and encounter compassionate service. Possible programs include Christian retreats, individual stays, ministry and family renewal, and work with qualified partners supporting people rebuilding their lives.
People who knew Margee recall that she understood the retreat would change under Loyola’s ownership and welcomed relief from its financial and operational burden. Her story calls us to carry the mission forward responsibly, with shared leadership and a sustainable operating plan.
From hope to a workable future
Identify an organization capable of owning or temporarily holding the property, experienced operators, financial supporters, and people who knew Margee. Adam is helping make the initial connections and welcomes others to take the reins or share responsibility.
Arrange appropriate inspections and document review with the seller’s permission. Establish purchase and closing costs, urgent repairs, a phased restoration budget, staffing, insurance, utilities, and realistic first-year operating needs.
Explore a combination of gifts, appropriate financing, and earned income from retreats and hospitality. Separate confirmed commitments from potential funding. Include operating and building reserves so the mission does not depend on one person carrying an unsustainable burden.
Ask qualified counsel to evaluate nonprofit ownership, a charitable trust, governance provisions, and other appropriate protections. The aim is to protect the retreat’s spiritual purpose through future leadership or ownership changes while allowing it to adapt. No protective structure has yet been established.
Options for discussion with Loyola
This public vision does not set a purchase price or assume any offer will be accepted. A seller’s willingness, a qualified owner, and a viable financial plan still need to be established.
Could you take the reins, or hold them with us?
An established nonprofit, church, trust, or other qualified organization willing to explore ownership or temporary stewardship, and people willing to lead alongside one another.
Introductions to donors, foundations, businesses, and responsible financing partners. Materials, skilled labor, and professional services could also help.
Retreat and hospitality experience, facilities assessment, financial planning, fundraising, and qualified legal, tax, insurance, and preservation advice.
Former board members, staff, donors, guests, and family who can help interpret her legacy, share memories, and reconnect the people who built the retreat.
If you know someone who holds former donor or guest records, an introduction or an invitation forwarded by that person could help reconnect the community. Please keep private records and personal contact details out of the public discussion.
Proposed milestones · Subject to feasibility
Clarify Loyola’s review process and identify potential nonprofit owners, leaders, and supporters.
Develop acquisition and first-year operating assumptions; begin property, legal, and financing review with qualified partners.
Determine whether the group can assemble a credible transaction, with clear evidence of organizational capacity and funding.
Present the strongest responsible proposal available, or acknowledge that acquisition cannot be justified on the available facts and timetable.
These are proposed goals, not completed steps or deadlines agreed with Loyola. The online auction is scheduled to close October 27; consult the official listing for the closing time, terms, and any extensions.
Earlier discussion material
The earlier Preservation & Renewal Proposal remains available as a record of the initial ideas. It is not the county-specific partnership vision or a final formal proposal submitted to Loyola.
Whatever happens with the property, memories, photographs, donor history, and accounts from guests and staff can preserve the people and purpose behind Rising Phoenix. If a purchase becomes possible, that history can help shape a permanent archive or memorial at the retreat.