Continuity and Transformation
From the earliest days, Cross Keys Village-The Brethren Home Community has evolved and grown under the leadership of talented and visionary individuals. How else could a humble, isolated home for impoverished Brethren widows thrive and transform itself into the largest single-site nonprofit retirement community in Pennsylvania, known to all who drive through the busiest intersection in Adams County? ... Read More
A New Team Member’s Perspective
I was looking at my calendar to see what day in September is the last day of summer. It got me thinking that September marks six months since I joined Cross Keys Village – The Brethren Home Community, as the Foundation Coordinator. Half a year, gone so quickly. No wonder CKV is known for its long-term team members. ... Read More
Pioneers From the Home’s Early Days
The fathers of both Esther and Opal encouraged their daughters to consider working at the new Brethren Home in Cross Keys. “I was here for about a week before any of the patients came,” Esther said. Her father, Rev. Henry Miller, had been appointed by the Church of the Brethren district to supervise the hotel’s conversion into a nursing home. “I didn’t know whether I was going to stay,” she recalls, “but in the end I did.” ... Read More
One Grocery Bag at a Time
The Good Will Committee at Cross Keys Village was formed in late 2023, with a mission to support team members and their families using funds from the Team Member Benevolence Fund. “Thanks to the generosity of donors over the years, we could start this new effort,” said VP of Advancement Vanessa Berger. “We still want the Team Member Benevolence Fund to be a relief fund for team members who are experiencing an acute crisis, as originally designed, but also to provide support to more members of the team throughout the year.” The committee, consisting of team members from several departments, joined by several villagers, wasted little time in setting ambitious goals. Soon they were handing out grocery store gift cards during the holidays, as well as free budget planning and educational resources through a partnership with the Dave Ramsey Solutions financial counseling platform. ... Read More
Learn Here, Grow Here
When Trisha Miller was in high school, her mom began taking care of her aging grandparents. Together, she and her mother progressively became full-time caregivers. After earning her CNA in 2014, Trisha found employment at CKV. She worked a flexible schedule at first, eventually moving to the day shift on the Honeybrook neighborhood. “I loved helping people, but nursing wasn’t a lifelong vocation for me,” says Trisha. Her heart was torn. She explains, “I loved CKV, but I didn’t see a clear path for me.” That is when she noticed a job posting on our Purchasing team. “I remember seeing team members from Purchasing, but I didn’t know much about their jobs, other than they refilled the supply dispensing machines.” Trisha loved to organize, so she applied for the job and transferred in August 2018. ... Read More
Updating the Village Life Gallery
Opened in late 2021, the Avenue of the Arts is the crown jewel in the Harmony Ridge apartment complex and Community Center. Along with other new spaces in the same area, the avenue was financed through a successful capital campaign, the Vitality Campaign. From the start, vitality was meant to be more than a mere label for the program. As we wrote at the time, "Vitality is described as highly developed physical or mental vigor. Accordingly, we see our community as a bountiful space for vitality and passion." ... Read More
Understanding the Financial Qualifiers
Individuals and couples who decide to move to a Continuing Care Retirement Community do so for the attractive maintenance-free homes, for the inviting common spaces that host engaging activities, and for the promise of care if ever needed in the future. This promise allows residents to sleep easier with the knowledge that a plan is in place should they exhaust their resources while paying for their care. ... Read More
The Donor Wall: a Work of Art
When we enter a public space such as a hospital, community center, or library, we often notice a prominent wall area where the names of individuals, businesses, and foundations are listed. These names represent generous community members and entities that cared deeply for a cause or project, trusted the mission, and made a gift to positively impact the organization and the people it serves. ... Read More
A New Environment at CKV
Between 2006 and 2020, Cross Keys Village built 115 homes in the Bridgewater area, at the southwest edge of our campus. Generously sized Country Homes (single family) and Garden Homes (duplex) were adopted with enthusiasm by retirees preferring not to downsize… too much. Since Bridgewater cannot be seen from Route 94 or Route 30, visitors routinely exclaim: “I had no idea this was here.” ... Read More
Taking Villager Training By Storm
Vast amounts of information and updates flow between various groups in a large organization like ours. For this reason, there are elected leaders in each residential neighborhood in our community, who serve as the communication liaisons between the people who live here and the people who work here. We call these villager-leaders Village Council Delegates. Not all Village Council Delegates have previous life experience with such responsibilities. Some are born leaders, possessing natural abilities to take a leadership role. Others may not be so confident in their leadership skills but still willing to take on the challenge. ... Read More