Living at Cedar Community can offer more than a new place to call home. For many residents, it also creates new opportunities to contribute, connect, and share their experiences with others.
One example is Cedar Community’s resident ambassador program. Ambassadors volunteer their time at open houses, seminars, socials, tours, and other events, helping prospective and new residents understand what everyday life at Cedar Community is really like.
They offer something especially valuable: the perspective of someone who has already made the move.
Helping Others Feel at Home
Moving to a senior living community can come with plenty of questions and some uncertainty.
Cedar Community ambassadors help make that transition more personal. They provide tours of apartments and amenities, welcome new neighbors, answer questions, and share their own experiences with people considering a move.
They can offer an honest look at what surprised them, what mattered most in their own decision, and what they wish they had known before moving.
For the residents who volunteer, the ambassador program is also an opportunity to stay involved and use their own experiences to help someone else.
Bill Hansen: “Don’t Wait Until You Can’t Enjoy Everything”
Bill Hansen chose Cedar Community because of the opportunities to stay active and engaged.
As an ambassador, he enjoys showing prospective residents the amenities and seeing their reactions as they discover everything available to them.
His advice is simple:
“Don’t wait until you can’t enjoy everything that is offered!”
Bill’s perspective reflects a theme shared by many Cedar residents: moving earlier can create more time to enjoy the activities, friendships, amenities, and freedom community living can provide.
Ann Heath: Making the Move While You Can Enjoy It
After being widowed, Ann Heath eventually decided it was time to leave her condo and move to Cedar Community’s Cedar Ridge Campus.
Her daughters were delighted with the decision.
Ann became an ambassador because she enjoys meeting new people and sharing what she loves about living at Cedar Community.
Her advice echoes Bill’s: don’t wait too long to make the move.
For Ann, making the decision while she could fully enjoy the amenities and community around her made a meaningful difference.
Pat Henke: Helping Someone Through a Decision She Already Made
Pat Henke and her late husband made the decision to move to Cedar Community because he wanted to know Pat would be supported after he was gone.
Today, Pat uses that experience to help others who are navigating the same kind of transition.
“Making the move is hard and it helps to have someone who has done it explain it.”
Pat acknowledges that downsizing can be difficult, but she encourages prospective residents to think about what they may gain from the change.
“Possessions don’t define you, and you will be a lot happier and stress free if you make the move.”
Laurie Hendrickson: Plan Before You Need to Move
Laurie Hendrickson chose Cedar Community in part because of its continuum of care.
She wanted the freedom to enjoy her life today while knowing that additional care would be available if she needed it later.
As an ambassador, Laurie enjoys connecting with people who are entering a new season of life themselves.
Her advice is to plan early. Joining the waitlist before you are ready to move can provide more options when the time eventually feels right.
She also encourages people to begin downsizing and simplifying their homes gradually rather than waiting until a move is imminent.
Frank Miezio: Looking at the Whole Picture
For Frank Miezio, choosing Cedar Community involved looking at both lifestyle and practical considerations.
He appreciated Cedar’s faith-based mission, natural setting, continuum of care, activities, customer care, leadership, and approach to financial stewardship.
As an ambassador, sharing Cedar Community with prospective residents has also reminded Frank of what he appreciates about his own home.
His advice is to compare the full picture: the costs, benefits, services, amenities, and lifestyle offered by each community rather than focusing on one factor alone.
John Kocourek: One Visit Was Enough
John Kocourek’s move happened quickly.
After one visit to Cedar Community, he sold his home in one day and moved just six weeks later.
“The decision was one of the best of our life.”
John became an ambassador because of his own positive experience making the transition.
He especially values Cedar Community’s range of services and levels of care, which can allow residents to continue living within the same community even if their needs change.
His description of Cedar living is memorable:
“It’s like living on a cruise ship where you know the passengers and crew. Everything you need is right here, and you can invite family and friends to come aboard too.”
Nancy Naab: Freedom From Homeownership
For Nancy Naab, one of the benefits of Cedar Community is the peace of mind that comes with no longer being responsible for a home on her own.
She appreciates being able to close her door at night and know she is in a safe environment without worrying about everything that comes with maintaining a house.
She also values the social side of community living.
“It’s a wonderful place to make new friends and get involved.”
Kathy Piepenburg: Nature, Activities, and the Full Cost of Living
The park-like setting, acreage, and social opportunities helped draw Kathy Piepenburg and her husband, Jim, to Cedar Community.
As an ambassador, Kathy enjoys meeting prospective residents and showing them around the community.
Her advice is practical: compare both the expenses and the amenities when evaluating different options.
The monthly cost of senior living is only one part of the equation. Looking at what is included and what expenses or responsibilities may disappear after a move can provide a clearer comparison.
Yury Shafir: Independence With Community Around You
When Yury Shafir first toured Cedar Community, the friendliness of the residents immediately stood out.
He remembers the smiles and encouraging words from people already living there.
Yury also appreciated the balance of having neighbors and a sense of security while still maintaining his independence and choosing how involved he wanted to be.
After comparing several communities, he felt Cedar offered a strong combination of cost, amenities, activities, and continuity of care.
Those experiences ultimately inspired him to become an ambassador himself and welcome others the way residents had welcomed him.
Rondi Weber: Make the Choice for Yourself
For Rondi Weber, the woodworking shop, housekeeping, carefree lifestyle, continuum of care, gardens, lake, and natural setting all played a role in choosing Cedar Community.
She later became an ambassador so she could share her experience with prospective residents.
Her advice focuses on making the decision while it is still yours to make:
“Make the choice yourself before someone else has to make it for you.”
She also found an unexpected benefit in downsizing.
“Downsizing is liberating—asking yourself what do I really need versus what do I really want.”
Purpose Through Helping Someone Else
Each Cedar Community ambassador came to the community for different reasons.
For some, it was the continuum of care. For others, it was nature, financial considerations, maintenance-free living, activities, security, or simply the feeling they had when they first visited.
What they now share is the opportunity to make someone else’s transition a little easier.
By opening their homes, answering questions, giving tours, and sharing what their own moves were really like, resident ambassadors give prospective residents something no brochure can provide: the perspective of someone who has already been in their shoes.
And for the ambassadors themselves, helping someone else find their place at Cedar Community creates another opportunity for purpose, connection, and service.Originally published in the Spring 2024 issue of Live More magazine.
