The Residents’ Association at Dunwoody Village plays an integral role in developing the programs offered to its residents. As an independent, self-governing body comprised of and elected by residents, the Association welcomes a new president every two years to guide them in organizing activities and other events to further enhance life at Dunwoody.

Dunwoody Village is a continuing care retirement community that has offered residents high-quality healthcare and rehabilitation since 1974 at its campus in Newtown Square. Their mission is to provide a welcoming and compassionate community with distinctive residential and healthcare services that promote wellness, dignity, and respect for residents.

Upon entry to Dunwoody Village, every resident automatically becomes a member of the Residents’ Association and may choose to serve on any of the approximately 30 active committees. According to Charles Ladner, the Association’s outgoing president, what makes the Association different than those at similar facilities is that the organization is truly self-supporting.

“Our Association raises its own funds,” said Ladner, a former resident of Berwyn and Chief Financial Officer at UGI Corporation. Ladner has also put in 20 years of service on Dunwoody’s Board of Trustees. “The Residents’ Association is not supported by any other means except independent fundraising, and it uses the money for the direct benefit of the residents in ways that we think make sense.”

The Association is able to raise about $50,000 each year, with the principle sources of revenue coming from the annual Holiday Bazaar and proceeds from Dunwoody’s Resale Shop. A significant amount of those funds goes to social activities, planned and organized by the entertainment committee, that include classical and jazz concerts, a speaker’s series, and other social events. Proceeds also help fund the library that has more than 7,000 volumes and is managed by residents who are former librarians.

Another of the Residents’ Association’s committees is involved in advocacy for the residents, addressing issues of the residential community and working with Dunwoody’s administration to resolve those concerns.

“Many similar communities simply rely on management to do this,” said Ladner. “This committee takes an active part in every resident’s life.”

“Life at Dunwoody is very resident-driven,” said Monica Knauss, Community Relations Coordinator. “People don’t check their gifts and experiences at the door when they arrive; they continue to contribute in very meaningful and positive ways.”

A sampling of other Residents’ Association committees at Dunwoody include:

• Hospitality
• Dining
• Fire Safety
• Inside Dunwoody (the community newsletter)
• Games
• Arts and Crafts
• Capital Improvements
• Building and Maintenance
• The Memorial Garden

“The job of the president is basically a full-time position,” said Ladner. “But what makes the job pleasant is that everyone on those committees and every one of the officers takes seriously their responsibilities, and they are absolutely reliable. It makes life so much easier, and I attribute that to the quality of the people here.”

Connie Stuckert began her tenure as the newly elected president of the Residents’ Association on Jan. 1. As an 11-year resident of Dunwoody, she knows that the Association can go a long way in helping enhance the lives of the Dunwoody community.

“The Residents’ Association is absolutely key,” she said. “We work closely with the administration and provide a lot of services to the residents beyond what the administration and staff provide. We’re an active bunch.”

One of those services for residents is the Wildlife Refuge on 45 acres of Dunwoody property, with two miles of nature trails, a multi-year project shepherded by Stuckert.

“I started it at the request of the then-president of the Residents’ Association,” she said. “I got a committee to work with me and then got the administration on board, so it’s been a collaborative project.”

Stuckert brought to that project the same philosophy and drive she will bring to the Residents’ Association as its new president, based on her years as a management consultant.

“I am a firm believer in planning,” she said, “and in doing your homework before you make decisions. For example, when we started the Wildlife Refuge four years ago, we spent the first six months of that project just planning, doing a lot of research and gathering a lot of information, then using that to figure out what our goals and objectives would be.”

One of Stuckert’s goals as president involves helping residents through the upcoming renovations at Dunwoody, which will include extensive work on the dining room, auditorium, hallways, and meeting rooms.

“We have a fairly major construction project that will start sometime this year, and my main goal is to get us through that,” she said.

She will also be looking at the current structure of the committees to see what improvements can be made and would like to see if she can inject a little more humor and fun into resident meetings.

“What’s nice about Dunwoody is that we are a community in the best sense of the word,” said Stuckert. “People are friendly, people are helpful, and we get along well. We don’t have any internal factions. Everybody kind of hangs out and chips in.”

It is that sense of community that both the outgoing and incoming presidents of the Residents’ Association continually cite as one of the main benefits of life at Dunwoody in general and as members of the Residents’ Association in particular.

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