July 31, 2024 —Doug Helman from The Kendal Corporation presented on a marketing webinar in June hosted by Collington, a Kendal Affiliate, to discuss his perspective on what it means to be a community that is part of the Kendal System. Participants learned about the foundational aspects of the Kendal System, how it aligns with Quaker values, and the importance of community inclusiveness.
In a time when community and connection are more important than ever, many older adults seek environments that provide comfort and amenities and foster a sense of belonging. The Kendal System, with the unique influence of Quaker values and a strong commitment to resident engagement, offers just that. And Collington is part of what makes Kendal, Kendal. Collington prides itself on being a beautiful Life Plan Community committed to inclusiveness and shared values informed by the spectrum of interests, life and work experiences, beliefs and traditions of residents and team members.
Doug’s Journey—How Kendal Drew Him In
On the call, Doug shared his journey with Kendal, emphasizing the organization’s values and practices’ profound impact on him ten years into an over thirty-year career in senior living and aging services. He first learned about Kendal when he was in the for-profit world, and Kendal was considering a community in his backyard in South Carolina. So, he began to do some digging to learn more.
Though it was before the days of fast-speed internet at your fingertips, Doug was able to download Kendal’s Value and Practices booklet from the Kendal website using dial-up, which took several minutes but, as it turned out, was well worth the wait. Reading it became a life-changing moment for him.
He shared, “I was working in the for-profit sector, but I was going through some challenging times and doing some real soul-searching. The things that caught my attention about Kendal were philosophies around lifelong learning, creating quality work experiences and words like “transparency,” “integrity,” and “high ethical standards.” That just really drew me.”
Soon after that discovery, Doug was brought on as the first Executive Director for a new Kendal Community opening in Granville, Ohio. He stayed with that community through some transitions and is now working with The Kendal Corporation, serving as the Interim CEO of the new Zen-inspired Kendal community in Sonoma, California. Enso Village opened to residents in the winter of 2023.
Carpenters Measure Twice—Taking Time to Get It Right!
Doug talked about a conversation he had twenty years ago with John Diffey, the CEO of The Kendal Corporation at the time, that helped him better understand the role of consensus decision-making as part of Kendal’s Quaker values.
Doug explained, “We want to include others in the conversations and our decision-making process so we’re inclusive of the people those decisions affect, namely the residents and the team members.”
Doug said that John explained it so well with an analogy about consensus decision-making that he still uses now. “John said, think of a carpenter going about their work and the philosophy in their thinking is that the best carpenters are those who make sure that they ‘measure twice and cut once.’ They might even measure it more than twice. If you take extra time to measure the wood more than once, you’ll likely not have much wasted wood. Think about this as you consider how we like to go about our work within Kendal.”
Residents are involved in the day-to-day activities in Kendal communities and are highly involved in decision-making. For instance, Doug pointed out how residents serve on Kendal boards, so they’re involved and sit in the room of governance.
Doug shared that he now brings that unique Kendal influence to Enso Village. This is rather unique because it’s done in conjunction with the San Francisco Zen Center, and so, in many aspects, it’s Buddhists and Quakers coming together. That merging of history and philosophies also reminds him of how Collington and Kendal came together.
Collington and Kendal—Shared Values and Commitment
After over twenty years of being an established community, Collington became part of the Kendal family and, with that, discovered more similarities than differences.
There is a shared importance of values like lifelong learning, transparency, integrity, and high ethical standards. There is value in having team members and residents working together and actualizing Kendal’s value that “to be a great place to live, it should be a great place to work.” Community leadership is engaged in active participation and feedback from residents and employee team members to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and heard.
Kendal also upholds independence, not only when people can still do many things for themselves but at all stages of life. It is the community’s responsibility to get to know every resident personally and find ways to support them so they can maintain independence even when experiencing issues impacting their mobility or health.
Webinar Key Takeaways:
Through the webinar, participants learned about Collington’s and Kendal’s dedication to inclusiveness, community and creating a nurturing and supportive environment for all, which differentiates it in the senior living sector.
- Collington’s and Kendal’s history and principles align.
- The decision-making process is a significant differentiator of being an Affiliate of the Kendal system.
- The Kendal Corporation’s role is guiding and supporting Affiliate communities.
- Collington and Kendal are committed to creating a welcoming environment for all cultures, backgrounds, and differences with shared mutual respect and value for the individual, acceptance, cooperation, and teamwork.
- Kendal communities are dedicated to strengthening communities, people, and services enriched by a spirit of inclusion and a culture of diversity.
- And…. always remember to measure twice!
The team at Collington truly appreciates Doug’s sharing of his insightful story and perspective on the webinar with potential new residents.
Want to learn more about how Collington lives by Kendal values? Call us at 301-925-7707.