In 1681, William Penn specified that settlers coming to the lands granted to him by English King Charles II (Charles called it “Pennsylvania”) must preserve one acre of trees for every five acres cleared. Their descendants extended Penn’s far-sighted conservation measures by planting and studying collections of trees. Nearly 300 years after Penn, Philadelphia-area Quakers opened Kendal~Crosslands Communities, a continuing care retirement community in Kennett Square, Pa., and immediately turned to improving the environment.

The beautiful grounds of Kendal-Crosslands Communities features mature trees and rolling hills.

It is therefore not surprising that Kendal still maintains a focus on sustaining the natural environment. The campus features a 500-acre, arboretum- like grounds surrounded by forests, meadows, tranquil water features, luscious manicured gardens, and rolling hills. Preserving the campus’ capacity to sustain and inspire requires a responsibility towards the earth that has been inherited from previous generations. It is the community’s intention to leave the next generation a legacy of sustainably managed resources that is rich in beauty and diversity.

Residents enjoy spending time outdoors on the 500-acre campus.

Both staff and residents take great care in maintaining and improving the landscaped grounds and have been very active in the stewardship of natural resources. On the campus, plans were established to restore a rich diversity of plants that provide native habitat for birds and wildlife. In the past few years, resident volunteers and staff have planted more than 500 woody plants in the forests and countless wildflower plugs in the meadows. Residents enjoy life and the natural beauty of the world around them, and it’s evident given their countless hours of labor to sustain it.

As a result of the efforts of the staff horticulturist and many residents, Kendal was awarded their official arboretum status, through the Morton Register of Arboreta. Joint committees work with horticulture and nature conservancy groups on each of the campuses to sponsor public events, service programs for area youth, educational programs and other events for the residents.

Kendal began 40 years ago in historic Chester County, adjacent to Longwood Gardens, and the Kendal organization has since grown to 12 other diverse Kendal communities in the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and Midwest regions. Opportunities to shape one’s social, cultural, intellectual, and spiritual life are combined with lifetime health care (within newly built and renovated health and wellness residences) and are all infused with the traditional Quaker values of integrity, care and respect. Consisting of four communities, Kendal at Longwood, Crosslands, Coniston and Cartmel, Kendal offers diverse choices in residential cottages and apartment living, featuring up to nearly 1,800 square foot homes with full basements. Neighboring local landmarks such as Longwood Gardens, Brandywine Battlefield, Winterthur, Brandywine River Museum, and local vibrant towns including Kennett Square and West Chester all contribute to the well-being of residents.

One of the area’s most highly regarded continuing care communities, Kendal has a long legacy to build upon and one to leave as well. Residents come from not only the local area but also from across the country, and they inevitably add to the diverse nature of the community’s outdoor spaces. The grounds of Kendal are a place of peace and tranquility, inspiration and joy; a place that supports each resident’s individual needs and interests, while reflecting the richness of community living.

While continuing outside pursuits, Connie and Carl Beresin have gotten involved with different committees at The Quadrangle and enjoy the many concerts, lectures and movies the retirement community has onsite.

Through their separate careers, Carl and Connie Beresin devoted much of their lives helping and advising others.  While they found their work rewarding in itself, it is safe to say they are currently enjoying some well-deserved perks living at The Quadrangle, a Sunrise Senior Living community located in Haverford, Pa.

Married in 1955, the Beresins had four children, after which Connie returned to school to receive a BA in sociology and a graduate degree in social services management.  She spent 30 years in non-profit social services management with the YWCA, WOMENS WAY and JEVS.

“My focus on other women to help them identify their strengths and future goals, to determine the best ways to work and/or to change their circumstances in positive ways was important to me,” she said.

Meanwhile, Carl, a Wharton School graduate who received his MBA from Temple University, worked 27 years for a national food service company before working as a business broker.  “I liked advising clients with respect to buying new businesses,” he said.  “My expertise has been in business operations and financial aspects thereof.”

Following their retirement, the couple eventually decided it was time to make the transition to a retirement community that could meet their potential future needs.  When researching their options, the Beresins said they were immediately drawn to The Quadrangle for its ambiance and beautiful grounds.

“We liked the culture, the stimulating and challenging intellectual and creative environment,” said Connie.  “We knew it had been established by Quakers and having lived in a Quaker town, although we are Jewish, we felt at home and welcome.”

Also important to the Beresins was the fact that the community is a perfect middle ground between two of their sons in West Chester and Philadelphia.

After settling into their cottage, the couple wasted no time getting involved in the various programs at The Quadrangle, most of which are facilitated by the residents.  Connie heads the Art Program, and is a member of the Poetry Committee and Writers Group. She enjoys spending time painting in the Fine Arts Studio. Carl is cottager representative to the House Committee, one of seven rotating residents who facilitate weekly current events discussion and has been preparing for a script-in-hand play.

“We both swim laps regularly a few times weekly while I go to water exercise 2 to 3 days a week,” said Connie.  “We enjoy the many concerts, lectures, and movies here at The Quadrangle as well as dining with a wide variety of friends.”

Although they are highly active at the community, they appreciate having the flexibility to continue their various pursuits offsite.  The couple attends the 1807 & Friends series of chamber concerts in the city and a film group in Swarthmore. Connie, a published poet, participates in the Swarthmore Poetry Workshop while Carl plays bridge at the Drexel Hill Bridge Club and attends sporting events at the University of Pennsylvania.  They spend summers in Vermont with family and friends visiting.

Most importantly, the Beresins are able to stay on-the-go with the knowledge that a range of healthcare services is available at the community.  From independent living to skilled nursing and memory care, The Quadrangle provides amenities and services to meet the specialized needs of each of its residents.

And with this security, the couple is just enjoying living in the moment. As Connie said, “We both feel fortunate to be here. My husband and I are having the time of our lives!!”

As a pilot, Norman served in the Marine Corps during World War II, but left the military following his graduation from college in 1948. Two years later, he married and went on to start a 20-year career in the manufacturing and construction business, through which he and his family traveled to various parts of the U.S., England and Canada. After serving as executive vice president for the Canadian subsidiary of Turner & Newell, Ltd, he left his Montreal home of eight years to return to the U.S. where he joined Merrill Lynch. For 20 years, he managed several offices in the Delaware Valley and eventually retired in 1988.

It was in 1999 that Norman’s wife passed away and he began to seriously consider the idea of a making the transition to a retirement community. Wanting the convenience of staying near his hometown of Berwyn, Pa., Norman had visited Dunwoody Village on several occasions to see his mother and cousin and was impressed with the care they received.

“It was very important to me to have the healthcare facilities that Dunwoody has. My mother had a couple of health incidents in which they took very good care of her,” he said.

Aside from the medical care that extends to assisted living and skilled nursing, it was also the luxurious residential accommodations and friendly service Norman knew he would find that further attracted him to the community.

“Dunwoody has all of the amenities that I wanted,” he said.

And for the past 10 years, he has enjoyed the amenities that have offered him a fun and maintenance-free lifestyle, from housekeeping services to transportation to a fitness center and game room. He also noted how easy it is for one to assimilate in the community, thanks to the welcoming staff and residents.

“I had a couple of friends who lived here as well, but I found it very easy to meet other people. There is a New Resident Hospitality Committee that gives people the opportunity to meet and go to dinner with some of the current residents if they wish,” said Norman.

While a range of activities keeps residents socially engaged, there are also several organizations in which to get involved. Norman is the treasurer of the community’s Residents’ Association and also the chairman of the Model Railroad Committee.

“Dunwoody has a large collection of trains that belonged to one of Dunwoody’s original residents and the whole thing has been expanded and maintained,” he said.

Although there is always something going on within the community, Norman also feels fortunate in being just a short trip away from his two daughters and twin granddaughters in West Chester and New Jersey.

As a second generation resident, Norman’s decision to make the move to Dunwoody may have been an obvious one, however, it a decision that for the past 10 years he has never regretted.

Dottie moved back to the North East several years ago and has found many social and emotional connections here. Many of these connections are related to knitting, all because she picked up her knitting needles sixty years ago and decided to let her girlfriend teach her how to knit and purl. Later, she formed a connection with a live in border and her husband’s neighbor through knitting.

Dottie beams as she tells the story of vacationing in Maine with her long-time girlfriend, Kay. “We stayed up late into the night knitting. We had a ball,” she says. She confirms what most knitters know: “You meet people through knitting.”

Recalling the days when she knitted while warming her feet in a coal oven, she thinks about the differences between knitting then and knitting now. “We knitted out of necessity then, we needed to wear those mittens or socks that we made. We couldn’t afford to just go out and by a sweater,” she states. Nowadays, Dottie notes that there is more attention to style, design, and all the beautiful yarns.

“I’m just a plain knitter,” Dottie humbly states. “My advice for those young knitters just starting out is to simply keep knitting!” Dottie knows firsthand what a wonderful experience can be attached to a ball of yarn.

Dottie and I have become great friends over the past three years. I am very grateful to have met her, and thank my knitting needles for casting me her way. The women that I have met and continue to meet along my knit one, purl two journey have been inspirational to me in so many ways. They are the moving force in the creation of a newly formed organization called Wool Power. The mission of Wool Power is to bring knitters together to celebrate the art of knitting, through social and educational interactions.

Please contact Sheri Von Urff at 610-431-7335.

This Spring I decided to start asking elders about the origins of their most sought after past time. Of course I was under the assumption that they had learned from their grandmothers or mothers, as my six-year-old daughter Emily had learned from me. The stories were varied, the majority learning from a diverse group of wonderful women in their lives. Amongst the many stories and reflections, I thought you’d enjoy the following short but unique indoctrinations and antidotes.

“There isn’t anything that you can’t do, her boss surprisingly proclaimed as she walked out of her office doorway. The knitting facilitator was searching for one more knitter. “But, I don’t know how to knit,” Fran replied. It was war time and the women were knitting blankets strips for the service men. In this particular case they needed one more volunteer, one more strip. “Now you put your name on that list, Fran and I’ll teach you to knit personally”, her boss proclaimed. Fran was knitting shortly afterwards and the final blanket strip was completed. Fran, now living in West Chester, Pennsylvania still pursues the art and pleasure of knitting at the age of 85, always remembering her beginnings.

Helen also 85 years of age recalls how she got started knitting. She was in her 50′s, ” my friend taught me”, she replied. Her first project was a queen size bedspread which took her four years. “I stopped knitting after that”, she said. Helen started knitting again when she came East, twenty years ago. She attributes her current knitting motivator to the following origin. “I walked into this women’s store and there was a hundred dollar knitted scarf”, she stated in disbelief. Knowing that she could knit it just as well and for less, she did, and has been knitting multiple projects ever since.

“What I love most about knitting explains Dottie, 87, is that it takes my mind off of things, and gives me a great deal of satisfaction when I see my finished work”. Knitting for her granddaughter out in California was a delightful venture, as Dottie selected a novelty yarn for yet another fuzzy neck wrap. “The winter last year was cold in California, and folks where Dottie’s granddaughter worked were asking her where she had acquired the cozy neck accessories. Well, after knitting more than several scarves, which sold quite well at her Granddaughter’s office, Dottie decided that her labors of love were no longer to become labors of business. She started knitting a baby sweater about a month later.

It is comforting to know that creativity and knitting are alive and well. There is such a craze presently going on in the knitting world. Everyone seems to be casting their stresses to the wind and experiencing this piece of heaven for themselves. Knitters are being featured in so many magazines. Even celebrities are getting attention for their knits and purls, which Richard Rutt in his book, A History of Hand Knitting, states has historical roots dating back to the Bible. A passing fancy? The latest craze? Let’s hope not. Hopefully, the rhythmic clicking of those needles are transporting the current group of new comers to a place that only a knit one or purl two can satisfy, now and forever.