practice and Janet worked in nursing. Tey moved to Millersville in 2000 when Roger purchased a dental practice there. After living in Millersville, they knew the next move they made would be to downtown Lancaster. Janet says, “I have always wanted to live in a refurbished building. Te high ceilings and large windows immediately interested me.” After looking at a lot of apartments, they knew Steeple View Lofts was the right place for them (and their dog).
J
anet and Roger Gibbon spent the first years of their life together in Philadelphia, where Roger owned a dental
Cultivating
Community, Together
“We love being here with people our own age,” Janet comments. “Immediately, I saw so many ways to be involved and now that I am not working anymore, I have time to do things and I want to use that time wisely.”
One way she is engaged is through a collaboration between two of Landis Communities partners, Pathways Institute for Lifelong Learning® and Lancaster Downtowners. Pathways Institute provides lifelong learning opportunities with over 40 classes in two semesters each year for persons age 55 and over in Lancaster County. Te Downtowners is a welcoming, caring community of seniors living in Lancaster City that supports independence, social connection and learning for its members.
Janet is one of seven Pathways Institute participants paired with students from the Lancaster Partnership for Learning Equity Remote Summer Learning Program. Tese students, from Kindergarten through second grade, build reading confidence by reading online via Zoom to members of the Pathways Institute class.
Melissa Ressler, Executive Director of Lancaster Downtowners, describes the program. “Tose who sign up for the Pathways Institute classes are given training both on how to use the technology as well as understanding how to help the students grow. Once they are trained, we match them up with a student who benefits from these reading times. Everyone seems to benefit, not just the student.” Janet agrees, “We often went much longer than ½ hour. My student partner would always say, “I want to read just one more book,” or “I just want to finish this book.”
Janet sees herself as a student as well. “My whole life I have taken educational courses. Tese have no pressure and come with no degrees, but always keep me learning.” She finishes by saying, “Pathways Institute offers such a variety of courses. You are bound to find something of interest. And if you don’t have transportation, there are Zoom classes! Living at Steeple View Lofts and participating in Pathways Institute classes provides me with social interaction with others my age.”
Te tutoring program will be offered again in the spring. For more information, contact Pathways Institute at 717.381.3577 or
inquiry@thepathwaysinstitute.org.
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