2Life celebrates Jeff Sacks and welcomes Laura Efron as new board chair
For Jeff Sacks, the outgoing board chair, the past decade has been an incredible journey.
“When I joined the board in 2011, I felt fortunate to become part of an organization that was on the move and had the potential to have a tremendous impact on the senior housing market,” says Jeff. “Today, I’m proud to say we have one of the best teams of skilled, affordable housing practitioners in the business.
“Opportunities come to us because we’ve built a great organization,” he adds. “Funders want to work with us because we have proven we can succeed.”
Jeff believes the success of our new option for the middle market, Opus, is the priority for 2Life, adding, “Opus is an extraordinary, groundbreaking model. We need to finish building Opus Newton, ensure it succeeds, and then build another one to prove that our dream for a middle-market solution works.”
While Jeff’s career as a real estate attorney naturally focused on building, his time as board chair gave him insight into and appreciation for the resident services side of our work. Laura Efron, who began her tenure as board chair at our annual meeting, shares Jeff’s passion for resident-centricity. Before Laura became involved with 2Life, she was actively volunteering with older adults. She is passionately committed to treating all seniors with dignity and respect, and joined the 2Life board 13 years ago, when she found out how aligned our vision is with hers.
“Growing up, I had a wonderful relationship with my grandparents, and it fostered an affinity for older adults,” says Laura. “I was inspired to join 2Life because of its mission. Housing is a basic human need that must be met for an individual to feel secure and cared for, and to thrive.”
Laura emphasizes that 2Life campuses aren’t simply places to live. They are communities that give seniors the vibrant lives they deserve, and 2Life must stay true to that mission. One of Laura’s priorities is to expand and strengthen our communities through 2Life’s volunteer programs, which she sees as going hand-in-hand with community outreach.
“I want to increase our efforts to engage volunteers from the local communities because it will strengthen
our connections with them,” says Laura.
In addition to expanding 2Life’s volunteer network and programs, Laura hopes to drive even more community engagement from the board in the years ahead.
“Talking to residents, staff, and volunteers helps you understand how a program works and its impact. Being in the building gives you a deeper sense of what’s really happening and the special character of each community,” says Laura. “It always puts a smile on my face.”
Toward that end, a new volunteer portal is available to all potential volunteers. You can learn more at https://2lifecommunities.org/volunteer.
“2Life is offering seniors a unique opportunity by wrapping community around housing,” Laura continues. “I want to ensure that, as an organization, we continue to have a positive impact.”