A Values-Based Community

Pennswood’s founders sought to bring together people who would delight in each other’s company. All of the founders were Quakers, but they were clear that Pennswood would be a diverse community, not exclusive to any faith. It was the human social value sand respect that future residents shared that would make the vision a reality. They envisioned a caring and benevolent community that could be trusted to support a good and fulfilling lifestyle even as residents attained advanced age.

Today, the community remains true to that vision, diverse yet bonded. Below are the aspirations that root us:

• We look out for one another
• Welcome, friendliness, belonging
• Intergenerational relationships (among ourselves [ages 65-105] and between Pennswood and George School and Newtown Friends School)
• The Quaker values (simplicity, integrity, community, equality, stewardship)
• Engagement and gratitude for one another and this place
  • We never outgrow our capacity for love and service.
  • Together, as a community, we are safer and more resilient.
  • We age better together.
• Passion for the beauty of the land we live on (the trees, the Meadow, our gardens)
• High level of participation both inside AND outside of Pennswood
  e.g., “We are the harvest of someone else’s hope.  We sit under trees we did not plant.  We plant trees under which we will never sit.”
  • Music, art, beauty
  • Well-being (fitness, mental stimulation, engagement in current events, recreation [games, puzzles, dances, parties, dinners together, performances, lectures, book reading, photography, playfulness and laughter])
  • Governance and decision-making
• Mutual appreciation and respect (board, staff, administration, and residents)
• A high degree of trust in one another’s good intentions
• Generosity of spirit

These are the topics we think express Pennswood’s values best: