Event held in recognition of Clarke’s 150th Anniversary in 2017

CANTON—State legislators, Boston University graduate students and local business representatives were among visitors from around the Greater Boston area to attend an open house at Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech on Nov. 15. They had the chance to tour the Boston-area campus, which is celebrating Clarke’s 150th anniversary this year, and to observe firsthand how Clarke teaches children who are deaf or hard of hearing to listen and talk.

Clarke’s visitors gathered on the campus at 1 Whitman Road for the event, held in recognition of the anniversary. In addition to receiving accolades about Clarke from State Senator Walter F. Timilty, Legislative Aide Hans Nagrath, and Joanne Tierney from the office of State Representative William C. Galvin, those in attendance also heard from a parent and child who received Clarke’s services.

Andrea Verlicco, of Braintree, said her 8-year-old daughter Kayleigh, received Clarke’s listening and spoken language services, beginning in a parent infant program when Kayleigh was 3 months old. When Kayleigh was 3 years old, she enrolled in Clarke’s preschool for deaf or hard of hearing children, which provided her with the skills and confidence necessary to successfully integrate into her neighborhood elementary school. Now a third grade student, Kayleigh is able to converse naturally with her hearing peers and to read above grade level. Most importantly, “She’s a happy, typical 8-year-old kid,” said Verlicco.  

“We were delighted to welcome state representatives, community leaders and a new generation of educators to Clarke so that they could meet our young students and see firsthand how Clarke changes the lives of children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families,” said Barbara Hecht, director of Clarke Boston. “We are proud of our students and our accomplished young alumni like Kayleigh, whose story helped our visitors to understand our work and the transformations we can accomplish.”

Timilty, whose state senate district includes Canton, has been a long-time supporter of schools and programs that provide opportunity to children who are deaf, hard of hearing or who experience other developmental challenges. “Senator Timilty has been such a great proponent of schools like Clarke and programs such as Best Buddies that provide children with new ways of learning and accomplishing things they never thought possible,” said Jennifer Whelen, development associate for Clarke Boston. “He really gets it.”

Timilty brought with him to the open house a citation issued by the Massachusetts State Senate, offering Clarke congratulations on its anniversary; he invited Kayleigh to help him read it.

“The Massachusetts State Senate extends its congratulations to Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech in recognition of its exemplary commitment to providing children who are deaf or hard of hearing with the highest quality therapy and education on the occasion of its 150th anniversary,” said the citation, signed by Timilty, Senate President Stanley C. Rosenberg and Senate Clerk William Welch.

Tierney delivered a citation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives in honor of Clarke’s 150th anniversary, reading and presenting it to Hecht.

Also among the guests were a group of graduate students from Boston University who are training to become teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students.

Clarke’s Boston campus opened 22 years ago, in 1995, and has been located in Canton since 1999. The campus includes four classrooms, therapy rooms, observation booths, a parents’ room, lunchroom, offices and an outdoor playground. Classrooms use sound field amplification systems and are designed to meet the unique acoustic needs of children with hearing loss.

Clarke Boston serves children from birth to age 3 for early intervention, from ages 3-8 in an on-site school program, and from preschool through high school in mainstream services provided to students in schools throughout eastern Massachusetts and beyond by Clarke’s itinerant teachers of the deaf. “We offer unique expertise and a learning environment designed to maximize each deaf or hard of hearing child’s development, while building their self-confidence and preparing them for success beyond Clarke,” said Hecht. “We partner with parents to provide the skills, knowledge and support they need to help their children reach their full potential.”

Children and families who receive services from Clarke Boston are from eastern and central Massachusetts, Cape Cod, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.

For more information on the anniversary events, or to donate to Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech in its anniversary year, contact Lillian Rountree, chief development officer, at lrountree@clarkeschools.org or 973-453-5635.

Learn more about Clarke at www.clarkeschools.org.

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Event held in recognition of Clarke’s 150th Anniversary in 2017

PHILADELPHIA— As part of ongoing 150th anniversary celebrations being held on the East Coast this fall, Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech will hold morning and afternoon open house sessions on Thursday, Dec. 7 at its preschool at 2 Penn Boulevard, Suite 220.

The event is free and open to the public and is offered as a way to show community members how Clarke teaches children who are deaf or hard of hearing how to listen and talk. Light refreshments will be served.

From 9:30 to 11 a.m., and again from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., members of the community are invited into the school to observe teachers and staff teaching and interacting with young children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Tours will also be offered.

“We are eager to show members of the public the remarkable work that we do to change children’s lives,” said Judith Sexton, director of Clarke Philadelphia. “Teaching a child born profoundly deaf or hard of hearing to listen and talk is an inspiring mission and one that we are passionate about.”

Registration is required to attend the open house by contacting Jenna Frederico at JFrederico@clarkeschools.org or 267-434-1802.

Clarke Philadelphia was founded in 2000 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and approximately five years ago, a second program was created in Philadelphia; that program now serves 45 families and children in the Birth to Three Program; 32 children in the Preschool and more than 120 students in the Mainstream Program, offering speech and language services to children of all ages in their school settings.

“We offer a unique learning environment designed to maximize each child’s development, while building their self-confidence and preparing them for success beyond Clarke,” Sexton said. “Clarke partners with parents to provide the skills, knowledge and support they need to help their children reach their full potential.”

Children and families come to Clarke Philadelphia’s locations from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

The open house in Philadelphia—and a private event for donors and supporters that was held on Nov. 8 at the Museum of the American Revolution—are being held in recognition of Clarke’s 150th anniversary to underscore Clarke’s rich history in serving children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families by teaching them to listen and talk.

Clarke was founded in 1867 in Northampton, Massachusetts, thanks to a $50,000 bequest from John Clarke, a wealthy Northampton businessman who lost his hearing in his later years. Alexander Graham Bell was also critical in the early development of Clarke’s listening and spoken language program, holding leadership positions at Clarke for over 51 years. His granddaughter, Sarah Grosvenor of Washington, D.C., now sits on Clarke’s Board of Trustees. She is the founder and president of The Alexander & Mabel Bell Legacy Foundation.

For many years, Clarke offered residential educational services for children who were deaf or hard of hearing in Northampton, and at that time, students often did not enter mainstream schools, learning or working alongside peers with typical hearing, until they were teenagers.

Today, newborn hearing screenings along with technology such as cochlear implants enables most students to enter their neighborhood schools by kindergarten. For this reason, 20 years ago, Clarke transitioned away from running one residential campus in Western Massachusetts to operating five campuses along the East Coast that together serve more than 1,200 children, and their families.

Clarke has campuses in Northampton and Canton, Massachusetts; New York City; Philadelphia; Jacksonville and a preschool program in Orlando, Florida. Clarke serves children from birth to age 18 who use hearing technology—including cochlear implants or hearing aids—to maximize their access to sound; they receive individualized support from Clarke’s teachers and therapists.

Among its wide range of programs, Clarke offers early intervention services for children from birth to 3, early childhood classes, and a team of itinerant teachers of the deaf who serve students in mainstream school settings from preschool through high school. In recent years, Clarke has also developed a virtual learning program through which it uses technology to reach children and families globally.

“I don’t think Clarke would still exist if it had tried to hang on to what it used to be,” said Ward Caswell, president of the Beveridge Family Foundation, Inc., in Westfield, Massachusetts, which has supported Clarke for roughly 50 years. “The transition has been marvelous. It’s rare that you see such a high level of success in dealing with change.”

Clarke, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is currently funded by foundations such as Beveridge, and the Oberkotter Foundation, which support its model for listening and spoken language, as well as private organizations, businesses and individuals.

While Clarke today is serving nearly 300 children from birth to age three, it has been identified that there are roughly 60,000 families with children in that age group in the United States who will need services by the year 2020, giving Clarke strong motivation to continue to expand its mission so that it can reach and teach more children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

As part of the 150th Anniversary celebrations, Clarke has established an 1867 Society, for those who make gifts of $1,000 or more, and it is actively raising funds with the hope of serving more families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing—in this region and across the globe.

“We have to be very nimble and figure out how to provide services to more families,” said Bruce A. Rosenfield, JD, executive director and one of three trustees of the Oberkotter Foundation, “Clarke is uniquely poised to do this.”

In recent years, Clarke has implemented new, innovative teaching tools, such as Project LENA, a technological coaching tool for parents, and the fun and educational Listening Walks at the Zoo, held in both Philadelphia and in Mendon, Massachusetts, and expanding to New York City in the spring of 2018.

Combined with the listening and spoken language tools Clarke has employed for many years, it is introducing sound to babies born into an otherwise silent world and inspiring young people who excel academically and grow into playwrights, actors, physicians and audiologists.

Upcoming anniversary events will also be held Dec. 9 in Jacksonville, Florida.

For more information on the anniversary events, or to donate to Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech or join its 1867 Society, contact Lillian Rountree, chief development officer, at lrountree@clarkeschools.org or 973-453-5635.

Learn more about Clarke at www.clarkeschools.org.

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Event held in recognition of Clarke’s 150th Anniversary celebrations in 2017

CANTON— As part of its ongoing 150th anniversary celebrations to be held on the East Coast this fall, Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech will hold an open house on Nov. 15 at its preschool at 1 Whitman Road.

The event is free and open to the public and is offered as a way to show community members how Clarke teaches children who are deaf or hard of hearing how to listen and talk.

From 10 to 11 a.m., members of the community are invited into the school to observe teachers and staff interacting with young children who are deaf or hard of hearing. “We are eager to show members of the public the remarkable work that we do to change children’s lives,” said Barbara Hecht, director of Clarke Boston. “Teaching a child born profoundly deaf or hard of hearing to listen and talk is an inspiring mission and one that we are passionate about.”

In honor of Clarke’s 150th, Gov. Charles D. Baker has issued a citation to Clarke, offering congratulations on the anniversary. Other legislators, including State Sen. Water F. Timilty and Jessica Doonan, chief of staff for the city of Boston Mayor’s Commission for Persons with Disabilities, are expected to attend the event.

Doonan assists the commission in reducing barriers for people with disabilities within the city of Boston. She got her undergraduate degree from Northeastern University in theater and American Sign Language and has been heavily involved with the deaf community in the Greater Boston area. At the commission, she has served on the Boston Deaf Tax Task Force, which works to provide free tax preparation to the deaf and hard of hearing community.

Doonan lives in Jamaica Plain and is pursuing a master of art degree in global inclusion and social development at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Registration is required to attend the open house by contacting Jenny Whelen at jwhelen@clarkeschools.org or at 781-821-3499, ext. 2226.

Clarke’s Boston campus opened 25 years ago, in 1995, and has been located in Canton since 1999. The campus includes four classrooms, therapy rooms, a parents’ room, offices and an outdoor playground. Classrooms use sound field amplification systems and are designed for the unique acoustical needs of children with hearing loss.

Clarke Boston serves children from birth to age 3 for early intervention, from ages 3-8 in an on-site school program, and from preschool through high school in mainstream services provided throughout eastern Massachusetts by Clarke’s itinerant teachers of the deaf. “We offer a unique learning environment designed to maximize each child’s development, while building their self-confidence and preparing them for success beyond Clarke,” said Hecht. “We partner with parents to provide the skills, knowledge and support they need to help their children reach their full potential.”

Children and families who receive services from Clarke Boston are from throughout eastern and central Massachusetts, Cape Cod, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.

The open house in Canton—and a private event to be held at the Endicott Estate in Dedham on Oct. 26—are held in recognition of Clarke’s 150th anniversary to underscore Clarke’s rich history in serving children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families by teaching them to listen and talk.

Clarke was founded in Northampton, thanks to a $50,000 bequest from John Clarke, a wealthy Northampton businessman who lost his hearing in his later years. Alexander Graham Bell was also critical in the early development of Clarke’s listening and spoken language program, holding leadership positions at Clarke for over 51 years. His granddaughter, Sarah Grosvenor of Washington, D.C., now sits on Clarke’s Board of Trustees. She is the founder and president of The Alexander & Mabel Bell Legacy Foundation.

For many years, Clarke offered residential educational services for children who were deaf or hard of hearing in Northampton, and at that time, students often did not enter mainstream schools, learning or working alongside peers with typical hearing, until they were teenagers.

Today, with the advent of technology such as cochlear implants, most students enter their neighborhood schools by first grade. For this reason, 20 years ago, Clarke transitioned away from running one residential campus in Western Massachusetts to operating five campuses along the East Coast that together serve more than 1,200 children and their families.

Clarke has campuses in Northampton and Canton; New York City; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Jacksonville and a preschool program in Orlando, Florida. Clarke serves children from birth to age 18 who use hearing technology—including cochlear implants or hearing aids—to maximize their access to sound; they receive individualized support from Clarke’s teachers and therapists.

Among its wide range of programs, Clarke offers early intervention services for children from birth to 3, early childhood classes, and a team of itinerant teachers of the deaf who serve students in mainstream school settings from preschool through high school. In recent years, Clarke has also developed a virtual learning program through which it uses technology to reach children and families globally.

“I don’t think Clarke would still exist if it had tried to hang on to what it used to be,” said Ward Caswell, president of the Beveridge Family Foundation, Inc., in Westfield which has supported Clarke for roughly 50 years. “The transition has been marvelous. It’s rare that you see such a high level of success in dealing with change.”

Clarke, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is currently funded by foundations such as Beveridge, and the Oberkotter Foundation, which support its model for listening and spoken language, as well as private organizations, businesses and individuals.

While Clarke today is serving nearly 300 children from birth to age three, it has identified that there are roughly 60,000 families with children in that age group in the United States who will need services by the year 2020, giving Clarke strong motivation to continue to expand its mission so that it can reach and teach more children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

As part of the 150th Anniversary celebrations, Clarke has established an 1867 Society, for those who make gifts of $1,000 or more, and it is actively raising funds with the hope of serving more families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing—in this region and across the globe.

“We have to be very nimble and figure out how to provide services to more families,” said Bruce A. Rosenfield, JD, executive director and one of three trustees of the Oberkotter Foundation, “Clarke is uniquely poised to do this.”

In recent years, Clarke has implemented new, innovative teaching tools, such as Project LENA, a technological coaching tool for parents, and the fun and educational Listening Walks at the Zoo, held in both Philadelphia and in Mendon and expanding to New York City in the spring of 2018.

Combined with the listening and spoken language tools Clarke has employed for many years, it is introducing sound to babies born into an otherwise silent world and inspiring young people who excel academically and grow into playwrights, actors, physicians and audiologists.

Upcoming anniversary events will also be held: Oct. 26 in Dedham; Nov. 6 in New York City; Nov. 8 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Dec. 9 in Jacksonville, Florida.

For more information on the anniversary events, or to donate to Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech or join its 1867 Society, contact Lillian Rountree, chief development officer, at lrountree@clarkeschools.org or 973-453-5635.

Learn more about Clarke at www.clarkeschools.org.

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Events at the Integrated Preschool on Round Hill Road and Clarke’s K-8 program at Leeds Elementary School are part of continuous 150^th Anniversary Celebrations in 2017

NORTHAMPTON— As part of its 150^th anniversary celebrations to be held this fall, Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech will hold two open houses on Nov. 3 at its Integrated Preschool on Round Hill Road and at its K-8 Program co-located at Leeds Elementary School.

The events are free and open to the public and are offered as a way to show community members how Clarke teaches children who are deaf or hard of hearing to listen and talk.

From 9 to 11 a.m., community members are invited into the preschool at 45 Round Hill Road to observe students and their teachers, playing and learning in a listening and spoken language environment, along with peers from the community.

From 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., the K-8 Program at Leeds Elementary School will open its doors to the community. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet and interact with students and staff, visit classrooms and learn first-hand about the program.

Staff members will be on hand at both locations to answer questions and to offer tours to anyone who is interested. Visitors to the preschool can also experience the observation rooms, inside which parents of Clarke students can watch their children in their learning environment.

Registration is required for each open house by contacting Jan Folts at jfolts@clarkeschools.org.

Clarke Northampton’s Parent-Infant/Toddler Program and Integrated Preschool is led by Marian Hartblay, director of Early Childhood Services, and embraces Clarke’s philosophy that a student’s family is his or her most influential asset.

“Clarke’s work often begins with families shortly after an infant is diagnosed with hearing loss,” Hartblay said. “We meet with families in their homes, at the center and through virtual telepractice visits, made possible by technology. At age 3, children come daily to the preschool.  While our students are learning to listen, observe actively and interact with new concepts and people, their parents and other family members are learning, too.

“Parents, grandparents and other adults in the child’s life find a support network of families and professionals at Clarke, where they can share and learn,” she added.

Claire Troiano is the director of Mainstream Services and the educational administrator of the K-8 Program. She said the program—also family-centric—is led by creative and committed professionals, teachers who are all master level teachers of the deaf, and speech-language pathologists, all specifically trained in developing listening and spoken language in children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Clarke’s Mainstream Services Department originated in 1977 and celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. It provides itinerant teacher of the deaf services in mainstream schools to students who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as consultation and training to staff.

The open houses—and several other recent events—are held in recognition of the school’s 150^th anniversary to underscore Clarke’s rich history in serving children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families by teaching them to listen and talk.

Throughout 2017, Clarke will host additional events in the four other cities in which it provides services: Boston; New York City; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Jacksonville, Florida.

Clarke serves children from birth to age 18 who use hearing technology—including cochlear implants or hearing aids—to maximize their access to sound; they receive individualized support from Clarke’s teachers and therapists. The school has been teaching children who are deaf or hard of hearing to listen and talk for 150 years. It also continues to evolve to best meet the needs of children and families today through its toddler, virtual tVISIT, preschool, K-8 and mainstream and summer programs, as well as through is hearing center, comprehensive educational evaluations, and research and professional development.

As part of the 150th Anniversary celebrations, Clarke has established an 1867 Society, for those who make gifts of $1,000 or more, and it is actively raising funds with the hope of serving more families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing—in this region and across the globe.

Upcoming anniversary events will also be held: Oct. 26 in Dedham; Nov. 6 in New York City; Nov. 8 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Dec. 9 in Jacksonville, Florida.

For more information on the anniversary events, or to donate to Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech or join its 1867 Society, contact Lillian Rountree, chief development officer, at lrountree@clarkeschools.org or 973-453-5635.

Learn more about Clarke at www.clarkeschools.org.

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Practice now located at 551 Newton St.

SOUTH HADLEY—Stephen R. Duval, a private wealth advisor with Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., recently announced he has moved his practice to a new location at 551 Newton St. and changed its name to the Summit House Wealth Partners. Duval has also expanded his team of financial advisors by one.

A Certified Financial Planner^®, Duval moved his office in June from 130 College St., and colleague Justin Osowiecki, a financial advisor, made the transition with him. At the same time, Duval partnered with Edward Boscher, who is also now serving clients as a Summit House Wealth Partners financial advisor.

The team will hold an open house for the public at the new Newton Street office on Thursday, Sept. 21 from 2-7 p.m.

Duval holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts in business administration and is a graduate of the College for Financial Planning. He has been with Ameriprise for 25 years. A native of South Hadley, he lives in Northampton with his wife, Kimberly, and he is very active as a fundraiser for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Boscher also is a Certified Financial Planner^® and a Certified Investment Management Analyst^®. He has spent much of his career working with Voya Investment Management out of its Windsor, Conn., office. Boscher holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Westfield State University. He lives in Belchertown and sits on the Belchertown Finance Committee.

Boscher made the transition to Summit House Wealth Partners “to put my 23-plus years of asset management experience to work for people around here, because I live here,” he said.

Duval’s practice is an Ameriprise Financial Franchise. Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. offers financial advisory services, investments, insurance and annuity products.

For more information, or for details on upcoming workshops—on topics ranging from social security to identify theft to retirement planning—call 413-540-0196.

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LONGMEADOW–Mildred and Gabe Kitchener lived on Williams Street in Longmeadow for over 50 years, and they loved the beautiful, four-bedroom home they raised their two children in. They were paying attention, though, when their next door neighbors, Naomi and the late Mickey Schoenberg, moved to Glenmeadow, a retirement community across town.

“They invited us to have dinner there with them in the dining room, and we loved their apartment,” Mildred Kitchener, who’s known as “Cissie,” said.

So when the Kitcheners decided their home was too much to take care of on their own, they packed up and moved to Glenmeadow too, settling in in September 2015.

“Now we can enjoy ourselves,” Cissie Kitchener said. “We love it here. They take care of your every need. They call you by your first name, and they make you feel special.”

The Kitcheners are among 156 residents at Glenmeadow, an accredited not-for-profit retirement community known for its holistic mission and innovative programs and outreach to the wider community. In hopes of demystifying the lifestyle choice, the community will open the doors to some of its apartments on Sunday, May 22 from 2 to 4 p.m.

Area residents who are considering alternative living situations, for themselves or for someone they care about, are welcome to stop by, look at floors plans and visit with residents like the Kitcheners and staff members as well.

Linda Edwards, marketing director, said independent and assisted living options of up to 1,500 square feet are available at Glenmeadow. “Extra support is available to those who need it, and we have a variety of services and programs as well,” Edwards said.

Information will also be available on Glenmeadow’s programs that serve the wider community, such as Glenmeadow Getaways, the travel program, and the Lifestyle Pass, through which community members can access programs and amenities at the retirement community but still live at home.

Home and property services, such as housekeeping and handyman services, are also available to those 62 and over living throughout the area through Glenmeadow at Home.

“Glenmeadow offers everything you need for a fulfilling life,” Edwards said.

Registration for the open house is preferred by contacting Torrie Dearborn at tdearborn@glenmeadow.org or 413-567-5547.

Gabe Kitchener is a retired podiatrist; Cissie Kitchener is a retired dental hygienist. They love their two-bedroom apartment at Glenmeadow and, longtime athletes who play golf and walk, they make good use of the community’s wellness center, taking yoga and fitness classes together several times a week.

Cissie Kitchener takes a creative writing class at Glenmeadow. Gabe Kitchener takes out dozens of detective novels in the library, and together they eat lunch in the café, dinner in the dining room, and they take frequent van trips to the museum and other events.

“They make everyone feel like they’re important, and that’s a good feeling,” Cissie Kitchener said.

Said Gabe Kitchener, “I call it my home away from home.”

Patricia “Pat” Smith is another resident who said she settled into her Glenmeadow apartment with ease—but Smith came from Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, much further away.

Smith raised three children in Waynesburg and lived there for over 50 years with her late husband, G. Wayne Smith. She was involved at First Baptist Church and the local hospital as a volunteer. She played bridge with friends. She was a member of groups that raised funds for education and women’s issues.

But, like the Kitcheners, there came a time when Smith couldn’t take care of the house, the car and the yard by herself. Her daughter Leslie Smith Frank had taught mindfulness classes at Glenmeadow for many years and developed close connections with staff; she helped Smith make the move in June 2015.

“Of course it was a gigantic change. It was a completely different lifestyle to come here,” said Smith, who has three children, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild. “I just felt right at home here right away. Everybody was so nice and helpful, and I made real friends very soon.”

Now, Smith plays bridge four afternoons a week in several Glenmeadow clubs. She sings in the Glee Club, takes yoga class, and she sees Leslie and her husband, James Frank and their four grown children as often as they are able. Smith goes on Glenmeadow’s various trips to the symphony and other events, and she attends the frequent musical programs and lectures on site.

“I’ve just been made to feel at home here very quickly, and I think I’ve adjusted to the new lifestyle very nicely,” she said. “I think it’s a beautiful, beautiful area, and Glenmeadow itself is quite lovely.”

Established in 1884, Glenmeadow is a nonprofit, accredited continuing care retirement community; it provides independent and assisted living at its campus at 24 Tabor Crossing in Longmeadow and expanded Glenmeadow at Home services throughout greater Springfield.

To learn more about Glenmeadow and its history and offerings, visit www.glenmeadow.org.

About Glenmeadow

In the 1800s, elderly individuals without family or means were sent to live at what was called “the poor farm.”  In 1884, a group of civic leaders raised funds among themselves and other area families and purchased a house on Main Street in Springfield’s south end. Quickly outgrowing that house, land was purchased on the corner of Chestnut and Carew streets, where a new home was constructed and opened in 1900.  In 1960, the name was changed to Chestnut Knoll, and in 1992, it began to admit men.

In 1993, the organization purchased a 23-acre parcel in Longmeadow to build a new community that would provide both independent living and assisted living in one building with various common areas.  This was a new concept known as a continuing care retirement community.  Existing residents from the old Chestnut Knoll property were moved to the new campus in 1997.  Shortly after the move, the board voted to change its legal name to Glenmeadow to coincide with the name being used by the developer of the property.

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