At The Heritage of Green Hills, Shillington, Pa.’s premier senior living community, giving back is part of the daily rhythm of life. Residents arrive with years of experience, purpose, and talent, and they bring all of it to a community that values generosity, friendship, and warmth. Whether they are raising funds to support neighbors, volunteering to lead activities and spend time with residents of the Care Center, creating art for charitable events, or just quietly checking on a friend who is having a difficult day, the people who call The Heritage home understand that community grows stronger when everyone contributes to it.
Neighbors Supporting Neighbors
One of the clearest examples of that spirit is the Heritage Resident Benefit Fund. This nonprofit was created by residents to ensure that no one would ever need to leave the community because of unexpected financial hardship. The guiding belief of the Fund is simple: when someone commits to living at The Heritage, the community commits right back. “We’re a family here at The Heritage, and we want to keep our family together — even in the cases when residents outlive their financial resources despite careful planning,” explains Executive Director Doug Walther.
Residents draw on their professional backgrounds in banking, fundraising, law, and nonprofit work to keep the Fund strong, working alongside an independent board from the wider community. Fundraising events for the initiative include Casino Night, a beloved annual tradition full of laughter and festive spirit. The Golf Outing brings together residents, families, and supporters for a day of friendly competition. Seasonal craft fairs showcase handmade items created by talented and generous residents who take pride in knowing their work supports this greater purpose.
Tri-C Committee
Service at The Heritage also takes shape in deeply personal ways. A group of residents known as the Tri-C Committee — which stands for both the Care Center Committee and Continuity, Companionship, and Connection — dedicates its time to ensuring that no one feels isolated. Volunteers make phone calls, visit neighbors across Independent Living, Personal Care, and Memory Care, write birthday cards, help welcome newcomers, and offer friendly check-ins to those who need a moment of connection.
Members of Tri-C also lead and facilitate special events and programs at the Care Center, including bingo, book clubs, book mobile, music programs, therapy dogs, and more. “The work they’ve done in our Personal Care and Memory Care neighborhoods is truly amazing and has benefited our residents in so many wonderful ways,” says Michele Butch, Heritage Care Center Administrator. “The volunteers understand the importance and beauty of being connected to each other through shared experiences and interests.”
Giving Back
The Heritage’s wellness philosophy, Well By Design, reinforces the idea that purpose is essential to wellbeing. One of its core dimensions focuses on vocational wellness, encouraging residents to find fulfillment through meaningful work, contribution, and service. Many community members lead clubs, volunteer at major events, mentor peers, assist in organizing activities, or lend their expertise to projects that benefit everyone. Purpose is not tied to career, but rather to being useful, being engaged, and being part of something larger than oneself.
The act of creating something with the intention of helping someone else adds meaning to the work and joy to the giver. Many residents are passionate artists, crafters, and makers who use their skills to support various charitable efforts on and off campus. They sew quilts, paint notecards, create jewelry, and make decorative items that are sold to benefit great causes. Participating in these projects gives them a strong sense of purpose and connection.
Residents also carry their generosity beyond the community’s boundaries, volunteering at local food banks, donating handmade quilts to those in need, participating in church outreach efforts, and giving their time to charitable causes in Berks County. In addition, The Heritage participates in several clothing drives and other local fundraisers throughout the year.
Residents, family members, and team members all come out to support the annual campus-wide Walk to End Alzheimer’s, which serves as the grand finale of a month-long fundraising campaign supporting the Alzheimer’s Association.
Friends Old and New
At Heritage, residents cultivate a community where friendship, belonging, and emotional support are part of the everyday experience. People invite newcomers to join them at dinner, save seats for one another at programs, offer rides to appointments, and share their knowledge in discussion groups and clubs. Those small acts of kindness often have the greatest impact, especially for individuals who are adjusting to a new stage of life.
“The friends you make living at The Heritage are true friends,” resident Billie Snyder says. “It’s amazing and it’s really heartfelt. When you’re not feeling good or you’re not around, somebody’s knocking on your door or calling you on the phone, asking if you are okay and checking in. That says a lot for the whole place. It’s a true community where people care about each other.”
In every corner of The Heritage of Green Hills, residents are finding ways to lift each other up. They use their talents, time, and compassion to make a difference. They step forward when someone needs help. They celebrate together, volunteer together, create together, and strengthen the place they call home. The Heritage isn’t just home to beautiful apartments, scenic grounds, or engaging programs — it’s a place where people choose every day to make their community better, kinder, and more connected.
Learn More
The Heritage is a full-service senior living community set on a beautiful 78-acre campus. Independent living residents enjoy the peace of mind of knowing that they have access to additional levels of care, should they be needed, in the community’s state-of-the-art Care Center. The Heritage was recently named the Best Senior Living and Best 55+ Community. Visit www.HeritageofGreenHills.com or call 484-269-5100 to schedule a tour and consultation.