Don’s journey to Villa Gardens is marked by a deep connection to the city. After living in Pasadena and the surrounding area for over 45 years, Don moved to a retirement community in Orange County. However, following the passing of his wife, he felt a strong pull to return to Pasadena, a place he considers home, and settled at Villa
Gardens.

Don’s generosity extends beyond Villa Gardens. He also supports various other organizations, including the Old Mill Foundation, Huntington Library, Colonial Williamsburg and The Smithsonian. His diverse philanthropic interests reflect a commitment to enriching the cultural and historical fabric of his community.

At Villa Gardens, Don’s donations are driven by a passion for enhancing culture and life enrichment. “I like to bring additional programming to Villa Gardens, particularly more music programs,” he said, envisioning a community enriched by the arts.

Don’s story is a testament to the power of community and the impact one individual can have. His three years at Villa Gardens have been marked by a desire to give back to a community that resonates deeply with him, a sentiment that inspires many. His contributions to the Front Porch Communities Foundation and other charitable organizations demonstrate a deep commitment to enhancing the quality of life for those around him, making Don a true pillar of his community.

The post Don Cotton’s Generosity Shines at Villa Gardens appeared first on Front Porch.

Growing up in southwestern Wisconsin during World War II, the anxiety of conflict loomed even though the war itself was far away. “Having no idea about geography and distances, I learned to identify planes by silhouette in case they flew over the farm,” she said. 

As a student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Ellie joined the Methodist Youth Fellowship and attended a presentation by the American Friends Service Committee on the arguments against pacifism. “He was dealing with the very subject of war and peace and how to resolve conflict,” she said. “It answered all my basic questions. I spent the next year reading literature on ethical and moral violence and what a good Christian does.”

After graduating in 1956 with a double-major in English and History, Ellie went to New York City, looking for a role that supported her desire to work for peace. “I knew the names of the peace organizations and told them I was looking for a job.” She was hired by the Fellowship of Reconciliation as one of its first regional field directors, covering Michigan, Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and Western New York.

Her work coincided with the start of the Montgomery bus boycott. To avoid the impression she and other members of the Fellowship were northerners sent to tell others what to do, Ellie took a leave of absence and paid her own way to Montgomery to observe the movement. 

By the time Ellie arrived, the boycott had been going on almost one year. After her first night in Montgomery, she and Glenn Smiley, the national field secretary for the Fellowship of Reconciliation, walked over to Dr. King’s house. “Dr. King, of course, had studied Gandhi and nonviolence when he was in seminary, and he’d been thinking about it ever since,” Ellie explained. “When the boycott began, it was simply supposed to be a one-day strike. But when it became a movement of love and non-violence, [Glenn Smiley] just got on the bus, knocks on Dr. King’s door, introduced himself and the Fellowship of Reconciliation and said, ‘What can we do to help?’ So that’s how I got acquainted.”

Learning from Dr. King and others has continued to inform Ellie’s ongoing efforts for peace and justice. “We think we know exactly what needs doing in a situation whether we know anything about it or not,” she said. “I keep just trying to learn.”

Ellie continues her dedication to peace and non-violence as a member of the Society of Friends in San Diego.

She also shares what she’s learned with others, including a recent presentation to her fellow-residents at Wesley Palms on Martin Luther King Day. Along with recounting her personal experiences, she distributed copies of a comic book still used to illustrate the principles of non-violent resistance. Learning the principles “gives you the tools in advance, so when you do encounter a situation, you’re ready.” 

Even at 90, Ellie has more to do. “I’m always working on one project or another. Who would think that I would still be working and talking about it – something I did when I was 22?”

The post Wesley Palms resident Ellie Shacter shares lessons learned from working with Martin Luther King Jr. appeared first on Front Porch.

“At the time, it was done by hand,” Raleigh recalls. “The editor literally cut and taped each typewritten story onto a piece of paper and then created a master for the copier machine to print it out. So, we knew we’d have to change that.”

“We saw such pride and energy here at Spring Lake Village and that really wasn’t being reflected in the newsletter,” Patricia said. Raleigh added, “This community is blessed with a lot of smart people, who want to know what’s going on. We thought it was a great opportunity to bring us together as a community.

With this idea as their north star, the Wilsons set about reimagining the newsletter to be forward-looking, rather than backward. “We prefer to get people involved in what’s happening and to inspire participation,” Patricia said. “This has turned out to be the method of the newsletter and also why people gravitate to it, Now it’s more about what they can do.”

And it’s come to be something residents depend on.

A Perfect Match for Publishing

Raleigh and Patricia bring unique skills and perspectives to the task. It was Raleigh’s idea to create a consistent structure for the newsletter, so people would know where to find what they’re looking for—the same way you know where to look for the weather in your local paper, for example.

Patricia’s advertising background taught her that when people are smiling, they’re more likely to buy your product. Or in this case, to get involved. “We keep that in mind when we’re writing,” she said. Patricia also understands the value of photos while Raleigh’s deft hand can transform what anyone writes into a crisp, engaging piece.

“One of the joys of being an editor is taking something that someone else wrote and helping them express it better—in essence, coming up with a piece that makes them think, ‘That’s exactly what I wanted to say,’” Raleigh said.

Plus, they both love being involved in the community—and publishing the newsletter is both a motivator and a reward. People expect to see them at events and like getting involved in the process. “Residents feel it provides a glue, pulling everything together. They really look forward to it. We even get a lot of thank you notes,” Patricia said.

Putting it Together

So, how do they actually go about creating the newsletter each month? Well, it takes a village. The Wilsons start with a list of ideas, from upcoming events to administrative happenings and new resident profiles. They also receive submissions from both staff and residents each month, including some regular features, such as the new books section that the community’s librarian compiles. “There’s a lot of back and forth involved,” Patricia explained. “We have to pay attention to what’s going on and sometimes dig in to find out more details.”

Once they have all of the content together, it’s time to put it into layout. Rather than using a set format, the Wilsons let the content dictate the design. They use a frame-based program called Open Office to lay out the content, allowing for last-minute changes, then put the PDF on a thumb drive and head to the business office to print out 390 copies—enough to put one in each resident’s mailbox. In addition, they have about 350 residents and family members who’ve signed up to receive the newsletter via email.

The Wilsons also exchange issues with half a dozen other communities, some of which they guided in launching their own newsletters. When asked for advice, “We always tell people it takes a commitment to consistency,” Patricia said. “The graveyard of newsletters is littered with Volume 1, Issue 1. People may not glom onto it immediately, but stick with it and you’ll get there.”

With 12 years of newsletters published, you can bet the Wilsons have come across some interesting stories. Raleigh loved keeping tabs on the campus remodel that took place over about 18 months. “We reported on different aspects of the project every month, sharing photos and details with residents,” he said. “We’re a senior living community, so not everyone is able to walk from point A to point B to see for themselves. So, they really enjoyed seeing it in the newsletter.”

Patricia loves any story that brings the community together. She’s proud of the high-caliber events and guests they host and enjoys getting a window into what’s going on. She also loves knowing that what she does matters to her neighbors. It’s this strong sense of purpose that makes the Spring Lake Village newsletter so special and makes residents smile when they find it in their mailbox.

“People really look forward to the newsletter,” Patricia said. “Every month there’s something new and intriguing. Almost every story fascinates me—and I figure if it fascinates me, it’s going to be interesting to somebody else, too.”

The post Wilsons Keep Spring Lake Village Informed — and Involved appeared first on Front Porch.

“You could say Santa Barbara is part of my DNA,” Marjorie said with a laugh. “Why would I want to live anywhere else?”

But Marjorie’s roots in California go back even further – seven generations further. She is the direct descendant of Luis Quintero, one of the original founders of the City of Los Angeles on September 4, 1781, then known as El Pueblo de Los Angeles. Her descendants moved to Santa Barbara in 1783. Given her historic past, it’s no wonder Marjorie chose to stay in Santa Barbara when selecting a senior living community.

“When I broke my leg on vacation in India, that was a significant moment in my life,” Marjorie said. “I started to think about my future. My kids took care of me when I had the broken leg but I did not want them to have to take care of me forever.”

Fortunately, around that time, Marjorie was a volunteer at Vista del Monte’s renowned Fitness and Aquatic Center, where she also enjoyed jazzercise classes. She did her due diligence and checked out other communities but they did not feel like home.

“I knew deep down Vista was the right place,” she said. “The other places I looked at were large and impersonal. Here, the community is intimate and inspirational.”

One of Marjorie’s desires was to live in a place where she could continue her active lifestyle, not only at Vista but in the greater community. Every August, she enjoys attending Old Spanish Days Fiesta, a citywide celebration of its heritage and attends mass at her long-time church nearby.

She is a theater buff and attends plays at numerous venues in the area. In fact, for 30 years, Marjorie was a volunteer usher at the Granada, Garvin, Arlington and the Lobero, the oldest continuously operating theater in California and the fourth oldest performing arts theater in the country. “During that time, I crossed paths with Desmond Tutu, Joe Biden and when the Russian Ballet performed here, Mikhail Baryshnikov.”

At Vista, Marjorie enjoys water volleyball, Pilates, meditation, Rummikub and doesn’t miss the Friday night happy hour each week. She also reads a book a week while enjoying quiet times. She was thrilled in 2015 when King Felipe the VI of Spain visited Santa Barbara to meet with Spanish decedents. “I actually shook hands with the King!” Marjorie said. “That was exciting.”

“I love having choices here at Vista,” she said. “I can be as busy as I would like to be. I pick the things I like and I do them in a community I love.”

The post Marjorie Elkin Continues to Find Inspiration in Santa Barbara and Vista del Monte appeared first on Front Porch.

Joining the Frontlines of Labor Organizing

Raised along the San Francisco Peninsula, Susan’s life took an unexpected direction. At 23, she joined her husband to work with what was then the California Migrant Ministry in the Central Valley. Within a month of her starting, the organization was actively collaborating with Cesar Chavez, the charismatic labor leader and civil rights activist. His non-violent methods of community organizing ultimately transformed the Migrant Ministry while his own movement grew into a large, history-making labor union.

In 1965, Susan found herself on the frontlines of the Delano grape strike to fight against the exploitation of farmworkers. She remembers a tense conversation where her organization was accused of being Communist., “I was blessed with the right thing to say: ‘I don’t know much about Communism, but I think there’s a lot in Christianity about taking care of the poor,’” she said. “I finessed my way out of that really well.”

Susan and César: A Dynamic Relationship

In 1970, Susan got to know Chavez well as his secretary. “I was hired for a couple weeks, and stayed almost three years!” Susan recalled. She remembers Chávez as charismatic and perseverant; she appreciated the “vicarious power” that came with being around someone so influential.

She and Chávez had their ups and downs. “César’s mom and I were the same astrological sign, Cancer; he and my dad were Aries. We were acting out our childhood dynamics in the office,” she laughed. When Chávez found out she was writing a memoir that he appeared in, he joked, “You better be careful. Maybe I’ll write one about you!”

Susan’s second memoir, “Step by Step” tells of how she used what she had learned, after nine years with the farm workers movement. Susan had the opportunity to attend a conference on non-violence in New Delhi alongside well-known social justice leaders, including Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. After a day full of talks, she sat down with a group of participants to discuss what really needed to change. She wanted to lead a march on the American embassy in New Delhi to protest the Vietnam War. Despite her husband’s opposition to the idea, she went through with it—and gained the confidence to end an unhappy marriage.

She ultimately left the organization after disagreeing with him on organizing strategy.  

One thing Susan would like readers to take away from her experiences is that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. Despite his fame and accomplishments, Chávez was an ordinary person, with ordinary foibles like everyone has: He was human.

“At 85, I still find it so hard to accept being human, but we’ve got to do it,” Susan said. “The only way we’re going to bridge the current political gap is to see each other as valued human beings with different ideas and then to find common ground.”

Staying Engaged

Recently, Susan has been working on another memoir, based on old letters to her parents and her journals, about her adventures living in Mexico. She loves writing and would spend multiple hours a day doing it if she had the time!

At Spring Lake Village, Susan is involved with the Outreach Committee and the Conservation Committee, helps edit the literary journal, and participates in a variety of ways to welcome new residents. She finds Spring Lake Village to be a “loving and responsible community.”

While she’s no longer on the frontlines of social movements, Susan brings that same ethos to her everyday life — and encourages others to do the same. “I hope that more people will take local responsibility seriously, in terms of where they order their food and where they buy,” she said. “It’s important to support local businesses and non-profits. It’s about recognizing the faces of people working for you, whether they’re farmworkers or employees where we live. It’s also about taking our citizenship privilege seriously enough to vote.”

With a sense of what really matters, Susan embodies the values of Spring Lake Village.

The post Spring Lake Village Resident Susan Drake Recounts A Life Committed to Social Justice appeared first on Front Porch.

“He doesn’t just breathe life into paper, he breathes magic into it,” said one of his students. From the elegant sweep of graceful swans and the intricate bloom of flowers, to mesmerizing geometric marvels and puppetry that dance with life, David’s origami creations evoke nothing short of sheer awe.

Origami is a centuries-old art form that traces its origins to the Land of the Rising Sun in the 17th century, although China, with its rich tradition of paper manipulation, also has a stake in this captivating tale. The word is derived from the fusion of two Japanese words — “ori” meaning “fold” and “kami” meaning “paper”. It involves creating paper forms entirely by folding — typically birds, other animals, geometric shapes, puppets, masks, and boxes.

Artists find inspiration in many ways. For David, a retired educator and college professor, being an eyewitness to the historic events of World War II and its aftermath was his catalyst. Born in Hawaii of Japanese descent, David was 12 years old when he was an eyewitness to the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. He also read about the terrible devastation caused when four years later, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the war.

David’s artistic journey began after reading about Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who was severely burned by radiation as a result of the Hiroshima bomb. While the 12 year old girl was recuperating in a Japanese hospital, she believed her illness would disappear if she completed 1,000 origami cranes.

Sadako fell short of her goal of folding 1,000 cranes, having folded only 644 before her death in 1955, at age 14. But her friends completed the 1,000 and buried them all with her. David was one of those friends.

“Her story really moved me,” David said. “I wanted to help. I needed to help.” At that point, David knew nothing about origami but used his newly realized inspiration to take action. He read several books on paper folding and taught himself how to make a paper crane. He ended up sending 100 cranes to Sadako.

“I realized what a beautiful art origami is and continued learning,” David said. “Soon, it became a passion.” David describes origami as a union between the mathematics of geometry and the visual arts. It’s a place where right brain meets left.

Dozens of origami cranes are displayed throughout his apartment at Claremont Manor. One of David’s most intricate pieces is an elephant folded from a dollar bill and one of his most ambitious pieces is a wreath that hangs on his front door, a collage of 50 colorful cranes strung together. “Some take a few hours and some take up to 50 hours to make,” David said. “For me, it’s relaxing, a way to be creative and most of all, it’s very enjoyable.”

“Origami is a blend of geometry and visual art,” David said. He showcases his favorite pieces at Claremont Manor and welcomes all skill levels to fun-filled workshops, sharing secrets and guiding students to create their origami masterpieces in just a few hours.

“Origami stimulates creativity and imagination and develops patience and dexterity of hand,” David said. “With a little time and desire to make something of beauty, anyone can enjoy this art.”

During his teaching career, David authored a textbook titled “Proofreading and Editing Precision,” which was widely used at high schools and colleges throughout the U.S. He has a degree in business communications with applied psychology.

The post David Kane Finds Joy and Inspiration in the Folded Magic of Origami appeared first on Front Porch.

After being shown around by the sales team, the Texas couple asked if they could explore Walnut Village on their own. As they strolled the community, several staff and residents struck up conversations.

“It was amazing,” Doug said. “The chef just happened to walk by us. Not recognizing us, he asked if he could help us find anything. The gardener did the same. But what really surprised us was when we told a resident we are considering moving in, he invited us into his home to show us his floor plan and asked if he could answer any questions about the community and lifestyle. That type of culture of caring is everywhere here and it comes from the top down. That made a big impact on us.”

After moving in three years ago to a two-bedroom, first-floor apartment with a patio view of the community’s Serenity Garden, the couple’s lives continued to blossom. Doug, a retired commercial pilot decided to learn billiards and enjoys a weekly lesson taught by an expert player. Ellen, a former educator and homemaker, loves to play cards like bridge and hand and foot (a game similar to canasta). New friends also introduced her to euchre, a card game popular in the Midwest, which she loves. The quilting group is her chance to catch up with friends while quilting for local charities. And a few years ago, the couple helped establish the monarch butterfly garden a few feet outside their home.

Doug works out in the fitness center while Ellen enjoys the indoor saltwater pool. “Swimming is very important to me,” she said. “That was a major factor in our decision to move here.” Ellen is also a member of the community’s Hospitality Committee, an opportunity for her to welcome new residents to the Village just as she and Doug were welcomed.

“That committee really fits my personality,” Ellen said. “I love meeting new people and making new friends.”

While Ellen is busy enjoying her interests, Doug is happy to volunteer as treasurer of the Resident Council and entertain fellow residents by singing in the Walnut Village Chorale.

The Bostons moved to Walnut Village from the Dallas suburbs after realizing their home was beginning to become a burden. They were looking for a nonprofit, continuing care retirement community.

“We wanted to live in a CCRC because once we moved here we did not want to move again,” Doug said. “We chose a nonprofit community because it matches our values of giving back to the community in which we live. The best part about it is that our son lives nearby.”

If there is one piece of advice the Bostons would give those looking to make a move to a senior living community, it would be not to wait too long.

“If you wait you may not have the vitality and stamina to enjoy all of the choices you will have, especially here at Walnut Village.”

The post Texas Couple Enjoys Back-Home Hospitality at Walnut Village appeared first on Front Porch.

It’s mid-summer and the landscape surrounding Eleanor Foerster’s cottage at Claremont Manor is mostly solid green, with just a few dots of white, yellow and red blooms from her rose bushes. But just wait until spring.

For almost a decade around April, there’s been a block of endless color around Eleanor’s Claremont home. Purples bumped up next to oranges, lavender-gold next to a steely blue. The Irises have bloomed!

Eleanor’s love of irises began in the 1960s while living in Porterville, in Tulare County, California. “My mother and grandmother adored irises,” Eleanor said. “My parents were teachers but also farmers. We had chickens, cows, horses and of course irises.”

Her mother Marguerite’s passion blossomed into a collection of dozens of varieties of the flowering plant. Eleanor’s parents befriended cross-town neighbors Jim and Edna Gibson. Jim was a teacher but also an Iris hybridizer who crossed different varieties of the plant to create new colors. He shared Marguerite’s enthusiasm for the colorful plant.

“He outlived both my parents and became somewhat of a mentor to me with regard to irises,” Eleanor said. “He taught me and my husband everything about them.”

In 1982 Marguerite passed away but not before insisting to Eleanor that she take her irises. “She said they are your inheritance. Take them everywhere you go.” She did so and when she and her husband, who she calls “my partner in gardening” before his death last year, moved to Claremont Manor in 2015 she brought more than 50 irises with her. “I was not going to move somewhere where there was no dirt,” Eleanor said with a laugh. “I was fortunate to find exactly what I was looking for at Claremont Manor.”

Eleanor moved to a one-bedroom cottage on the east end of the campus. The home had recently been remodeled so the landscape was a blank slate. “I told the landscapers that I would take care of the plants because I knew exactly what I wanted to do.”

Her front, side and back yards are filled with enough irises to make any gardener proud. Row upon row surround walkways by slim barriers of stepping stones and edging. The perennial plants are the result of countless hours of digging, composting, fertilizing, staking, labeling, weeding and clearing. She currently raises 42 different Tall Bearded irises in various colors.

“Irises are just beautiful,” Eleanor said. “Looking at an iris is like looking at a piece of lace. They have a special place on earth.”

From a humble beginning of just a few plants on her parent’s farm, Eleanor says the passion has taken over. While there are other trees, plants and flowers in her garden — king palms, roses, salvia and gerbera daisies, among others, It’s the irises for which Eleanor is most known.

Irises come in four original colors called flags – blue, yellow, bluish-purple and white. All other colors are the result of hybridization, which causes more blooms and heartier plants. For years, Eleanor said, growers have tried to create a red bloom through hybridization but have not yet been successful, although coming close with a pink flower.

Iris flower history dates back to Ancient Greece and drawings are still visible in a number of ancient palaces. According to Greek mythology, Iris was the messenger of the gods, a connection between heaven and mortal human beings on earth. Iris was the goddess of the rainbow and beautiful flowers sprouted wherever she stepped. 

Walking her garden, Eleanor can unfailingly recite the whimsical names of her plants, (given by the grower-hybridizer), including “Achy-breaky Heart,” “Going My Way,” “Drama Queen,” “Gypsy Lord” and “Bottle Rocket,” among dozens more. She keeps a detailed hand-written log (for her own enjoyment) as to when each flower blooms (or doesn’t bloom) each spring. “It’s hit and miss,” she said, pointing to several plants that did not bloom this year. Irises are draught tolerant so the worst thing a grower can do is over water, “The roots can rot and destroy the plant’s rhizome (rootstock) with too much water,” Eleanor said with conviction.

Eleanor’s knowledge of Irises is so vast that she recently prepared a detailed audio-visual presentation to share with fellow residents. She hopes one or more of her 6 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren will embrace their inheritance and carry on the tradition of raising irises.

“My mother said it best,” Eleanor said. “Each Iris speaks to you. Once you get to know them you know exactly how to take care of them.”

The post Plant, Grow, Love appeared first on Front Porch.

As an emerging painter in the 1950s, Simone Forti became interested in movement.

“I spent a lot of time at the zoo in those days,” said the Kingsley Manor resident. “The natural movements I saw in animals was fascinating and I began sketching them.  There’s a lot of poetry in movement.”

Simone soon began to explore human movement through dance and with the avant-garde art movement exploding in the 1960s, took the next logical step – her medium became movement.

For six decades, Simone has created iconic performance art, including a show at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles earlier this year. The show, simply titled “Simone Forti,” showcases more than 80 works including her 1960-61 “Dance Constructions,” in which dancers use knotted ropes to suspend themselves in space or, on a slant board, shifting their weight off the usual horizontal plane.

Now a renowned artist, that was not always Simone’s life plan. Following her graduation from Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, she attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon to study biology. She continued to paint and soon came to a crossroads. She had to decide whether to continue “to play it safe” by studying biology or follow her passion and become a full-time artist. “I knew it would be difficult to make a living as an artist but it’s something I never had second thoughts about.”

After studying for four years with famed dancer and choreographer Anna Halprin, who Simone considers her mentor, she knew there were many opportunities in New York City for artists. She was correct. “Dance Constructions” was first performed at Reuben Gallery in 1960, a pioneering gallery of happenings, events and new media art. Further “Constructions” debuted at Yoko Ono’s loft, the following spring.

She and several other artists rented a loft in Manhattan, working together and encouraging each other. “It was an exciting time,” Simone said. “Being with other artists really inspired me.”

While she is widely celebrated as a choreographer and dancer, Simone views herself more broadly as an artist who works with movement, using her own body alongside other materials and media. She has expressed this philosophy through her experimental holograms, drawings and videos from her “Illuminations” and “News Animation” series and drawings and photographs from her lifelong exploration of animal movement and the natural world.

“My challenge has always been to make something out of nothing,” Simone said. “That may be the challenge of any artist.”

These days, Simone’s inspiration comes from her life at Kingsley Manor, located not far from the excitement of the city, which she loves. She has shifted her focus to writing, while enjoying the relaxed atmosphere among friends.

“I’m glad I can now be part of the Kingsley Manor community as an artist,” Simone said.

Photo Credits:

Simone Forti portrait, courtesy of Zuma News, LA, 2013.

“Dance Constructions” courtesy of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Photos by Jeff McLane

The post Simone Forti’s Medium is Movement appeared first on Front Porch.

Sallie developed her passion for gardening as a child growing up on her parents’ farm in the Salinas Valley, one of the most productive agricultural regions in California. It was there where she found a deep connection to the earth – a connection she maintains at Canterbury Woods. Anyone who visits her home immediately notices the beautiful flowers and plants that circle her bungalow. Immediately after arriving in 2011, Sallie saw the potential for a beautiful garden, not only for her own home but for the entire community.

“There was a big plot of Canterbury Woods land next to the parking lot that was once a garden when the community was first built in 1965 but that had not been tended to, so the first thing that came to my mind was why not revitalize this space?” Sallie said. She soon got to work with a local landscape designer who had consulted for Canterbury Woods to create an oasis for all residents to enjoy.

When Sallie moved to Canterbury Woods working in the gardens and contributing to the   community’s landscaping fund via the Front Porch Communities Foundation, were her ways to pay it forward. “I have this community in my heart,” she said. “It’s so meaningful to me to be able to provide support for Canterbury Woods through my time and gifts.”

Sallie’s contributions to the landscaping fund made the garden’s rejuvenation possible. The result is multicolored plants, camellias, and a Japanese black pine tree to complement the nearby koi pond.

“We’re making it a modern garden,” Sallie noted. The project updates the heart of the garden and creates a space for residents to gather. Residents regularly host happy hours there and have plans to enjoy barbecues and other social events.

When it came time to christen the new garden, residents voted unanimously to rename the space “Sallie’s Garden,” in honor of all of Sallie’s contributions to the garden and the wider Canterbury Woods community.

“I never expected the garden to be named after me,” Sallie said, “but I felt proud and honored.”

No doubt Sallie has established deep roots at Canterbury Woods literally and figuratively. Her parents, Henry and Muriel Brun, lived at the community in the 1980s and ‘90s paving her way to residency.

“I remember visiting them all of the time and saw how happy they were,” Sallie remembers. “I knew even back then that when I retired I did not want to live anywhere else.”

The post Sallie Grows a Gathering Space at Canterbury Woods appeared first on Front Porch.