From the President: Sharing the power and the joy of community

For years, aging in community has been the rallying cry of 2Life Communities. While we define it as “living a full life of connection and purpose,” what we mean by that is not always obvious to others. 

For 2Life, it means providing dynamic, supportive environments designed to foster community. But aging in community is made possible by the power of community — and that becomes evident even before the first resident moves into a new building. It starts with the donors who so generously share of their abundance to ensure 2Life’s communities can offer enhanced programs and services. It includes 2Life’s board of directors, who are dedicated to our mission and work behind the scenes to guide and grow the organization. It includes volunteers from the wider community who selflessly give of their time and talents to lead discussions, offer musical performances, teach classes, and more. And it’s certainly evident in 2Life staff, who show up every day — not to “do a job” but to live out a mission to serve older adults.

And then there are the residents themselves. It only takes one visit to any of our campuses to feel the joy and see residents’ level of engagement as they build community together. At every moment of the day, you can feel the spirit of camaraderie and togetherness that infuses every part of 2Life. You’ll find: 

• Residents checking on their neighbors, sharing something exciting or interesting that’s come in their mail, arranging for meals at special times, or accompanying each other to medical appointments. 
• Lifelong learning sessions where residents gather early to share anticipatory ideas and stay afterward to continue the conversation about what they learned as they marvel at how much knowledge remains to be discovered. 
• Volunteers reporting lively and positive-yet-challenging conversations in book groups or current-event discussions and noting how residents discuss difficult topics with mutual respect. 
• Joy on residents’ faces as they share with their neighbors the holidays and cultural celebrations that are important to them — and even find similarities. (I was delighted to learn how much the Chinese Moon Festival celebration and the Jewish holiday of Sukkot have in common.)

The stories of all the ways residents interact and care about each other are endless. But they’re not just involved in their 2Life communities. They’re contributing to the broader community through their own volunteer efforts as they knit blankets for local shelters or hats and scarves for local schoolchildren, conduct canned food drives for local food pantries, and mentor young people who are learning a new language or who need help learning English as a second language. 

I once heard Archbishop Desmond Tutu explain the beautiful African concept of “ubuntu,” and it underscores our philosophy: “My humanity is inextricably bound up in yours. It is not ‘I think therefore I am,’ it is ‘I am human because I belong. I participate. I share.’” And we’re all better off because we do.