Branching Out Chestnut Ridge: A Budding Community

This past year, Chestnut Ridge at Rodale has transformed from a concept taking root to a full-fledged community, even though the walls haven’t been built yet! As of January, the community was halfway to its presales goal of 86 apartments under contract prior to groundbreaking. The sales team at Chestnut Ridge at Rodale has hosted a myriad of events to garner interest in the new continuing care retirement community, including a holiday open house, a social at Brookside Country Club, and a luncheon at House and Barn, with more to come!

Additionally, the events are helpful for establishing friendships in the soon-to-come community. Depositors are getting to know one another and learning who is going to be neighbors and who has the same interests and hobbies. Allan and Nancy Kramer-Moyer were early to sign on as future residents, and have watched the group of depositors grow from single digits to over 50 at the last event they attended. “These events have given us the opportunity to meet new people. With each encounter we learn more about each other, find common interests, and discover new things. We are all embarking on this adventure together,” Nancy and Allan shared.

Chestnut Ridge Lifestyle is Beginning to Blossom
While Chestnut Ridge at Rodale will be a community with 126 apartments featuring on-site amenities like a restaurant and bar, fitness center, salon, and learning center, the true heart of the community will be in the lifestyle opportunities it presents to its residents. Even before the community has been built, staff at Phoebe have spent hours developing a lifestyle package that future residents will find engaging and appealing. Programming is coming from input we’re receiving from our depositors, as well as from Phoebe’s expertise in providing a lifestyle where seniors can thrive each and every day.

Star High, Executive Director at the Phoebe Berks campus, spent many years as the Wellness Director at Phoebe Berks and developed a wellness curriculum there second to none. She’s honed her expertise in wellness and has been the driving force planning a lifestyle at Chestnut Ridge where residents can expect holistic, autonomous, and healthful living. “Wellness is so much more than exercise and eating, though those aspects certainly are important. At Phoebe we take into regard the psychosocial and spiritual aspects of living a healthy life, and create ways for each resident to make choices that support healthy aging,” says Star.

Additionally, Phoebe recently hired a Lifestyle Specialist, who has started developing relationships with the current depositors, ensuring the activities provided will meet the expectations and needs of today’s residents, as well as prepare them to age healthfully into the future.

Rachel Ritz, a depositor at Chestnut Ridge, is a nurse inspired by wellness in every aspect. Rachel says, “As I age, good health is one of my main goals. As an RN of 51 years, I am acutely aware of the changes that come along with aging. My philosophy is that I can either care for my body now or pay the price later on.”

She and her husband, Alan, joined the Chestnut Club and are excited to enjoy the amenities at Chesnut Ridge. “We are so excited to move into Chestnut Ridge at Rodale so we can swim in the pool, work out in the gym, walk the beautiful trails, garden in the raised beds, attend health-related educational events, eat the good food our chef will be cooking, and socialize with the many great folks we have met at the depositor activities.”

What’s Next?
The relationships the depositors are cultivating are developing in tandem to the construction planning, and provide a beautiful example of how people can create a community. “My husband Alan and I already feel as if we are part of a fabulous group of people and we can hardly wait to move in and start our next journey. I think that the Rodale family would be very happy with what Phoebe
is accomplishing at Chestnut Ridge,” Rachel says.

This story was originally published in the Spring 2020 Messenger. For the full magazine, please visit: https://phoebe.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/10375_MESSENGER_20-13457_WEB.PDF