You’re an interesting person enjoying a fascinating life filled with good friends and unique experiences. You also have no intention of slowing down, even if the responsibilities of home ownership have become more of a burden than a joy.
If you’re thinking of simplifying your responsibilities by moving to a senior living community, you probably want to know your new neighbors share your enthusiasm for life because you don’t want to just be a part of senior living – you want to be a part of seniors thriving.
While we can talk about all the clubs, committees, interest groups and activities as reasons why you should consider Friendship Village Tempe, here are some interesting facts and insights into some of the amazing people who call our community home.
Unique Friendship Village Facts
- We’re an active biking community and love getting around on two and three wheels. In fact, we’re a Gold-Level Bicycle-Friendly Community Award winner.
- Our community is LGBTQ+ friendly.
- We’re passionate about inclusion and believe a more interesting life starts with a more diverse lifestyle.
- We’re the first senior living community with a rooftop brewery. It was also Awarded Best Dining Innovation of 2023 by Senior Housing News. (More information on the brewery below.)
Meet A Few of the Interesting People who Live and Work at Friendship Village
A full circle moment
Current Friendship Village resident, Larry Laird, worked for our management company Life Care Services for 43 years and represented the purchase of the land where our community stands today. Larry and his wife had been living in Mesa, Arizona, for a long time and even have friends that moved here. So, when the time came, they knew this was the place for them to be.
More microbrewery news (as promised)
Michael Franzone and Scott Plachecki are our two new in-house brewmasters. Scott is one of approximately 170 Advanced Cicerones® which requires distinctive expertise in beer, strong sensory skills and mastery of flavor vocabulary for both technical and consumer audiences. They have six tanks in the brewery and will have four house-made beers on tap at any time.
Executive director Cole Marvin even brewed a batch of beer called Cole’s Porter with the previous executive director and current vice president of our community’s board of directors, Darrell Jensen. Plans are under way now to start a resident led brew club called Brew Crew.
Helping everyone feel included
Dave Seaman and his wife Carol moved into Friendship Village in 2007, and Karen Schrade, who is visually impaired, joined our community with her husband in 2018. Dave and Carol dined with Karen and her husband a lot and quickly became friends. When Karen’s husband passed suddenly, Dave stepped up to help guide Karen around the Village so she could become more familiar with her surroundings. In return, Karen is teaching Dave braille. Dave has an MA in Ancient Languages & Literature from University of Kentucky, Lexington and a PhD in Linguistics & Modern Greek from Indiana University, Bloomington.
See Why the Name Friendship Village Says It All
Doesn’t our community sound like an interesting place to live? Explore our floor plans and schedule a visit by contacting us here to learn how you can add your distinct personality to Friendship Village Tempe.