Visitors to local libraries can join in the anniversary celebration of two organizations with histories of caring.

The Emily Fowler Central Library and the North Branch Library are hosting exhibits of photos and artifacts tracing the histories of the Visiting Nurse Association of Texas, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, and Ann’s Haven of Denton, which was founded 30 years ago and became a member of the VNA in 1995.

DRC/Al Key

Robert P. Carpenter, president and chief executive officer of the Visiting Nurse Association of Texas, and Roberta Donsbach, a member of the advisory board of Ann’s Haven VNA, are shown at Emily Fowler Central Library, where an exhibit about the two organizations is on display.

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Titled “75 Years of Caring for Texans,” the displays will remain on view through Oct. 31 and offer insights into agencies that were organized in response to community needs.

A small group of volunteer nurses started the VNA of Texas to provide care for the poor, elderly, infirmed, and new mothers and their babies during the Great Depression. Today, the VNA provides physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, long-term care for those with chronic illnesses or disabilities, hospice care and services to meet a wide variety of other needs.

Ann’s Haven was founded through community efforts to offer care for people with terminal illnesses and their families following the death of Ann Winter Lockwood, a nurse who died of cancer. Her husband, Denton radiologist Dr. Robert Lockwood, asked the Rev. Charles Walling of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Denton to help start a study group on death and dying.

The group eventually focused on making hospice care available to Denton County residents and was the genesis of the organization that became Ann’s Haven Hospice and, after its merger with the Visiting Nurse Association, Ann’s Haven VNA.

Much has changed in the last three decades, but longtime Denton resident Roberta Donsbach, who has been associated with Ann’s Haven since its founding, said the purpose of the organization has been preserved.

“It’s made up of caring individuals who provide comfort when you very much need it,” she said.

Donsbach and her husband, the Rev. Alton Donsbach, came to Denton in 1955 when he accepted a call to become pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church. She became involved in 1974 after the couple’s youngest daughter died of leukemia.

“The hospice was organizing,” Donsbach said. “I was invited to become a member of the board. I was there from the beginning.”

She later served as interim director of Ann’s Haven and continues to serve on the advisory board.

Several years ago, Donsbach said, her association with Ann’s Haven entered a new dimension.

“My husband developed cancer,” she said. “Ann’s Haven was there for us. I began to see them as angels.

“I’m very indebted to Ann’s Haven.”

Robert P. Carpenter, president and chief executive officer of the Visiting Nurse Association, said that Donsbach is a good example of the type of people who have made the organization such a valuable community resource.

“They have compassion and a desire that others not go through what they’ve gone through,” he said. “They are stewards.”

The scope of VNA continues to grow, Carpenter said, and its home-based support services can help keep families intact.

“Our whole mission is to allow seniors to stay in their homes,” he said.

The challenge for VNA and other community organizations is to continue traditions in the face of change, Carpenter said.

“We have to make sure that the quality of care doesn’t get lost,” he said.

LES COCKRELL can be reached at 940-566-6887. His e-mail address is lcockrell@dentonrc.com .