Campus Ponds Inspire Brooksby Village Residents to Care for Their Home and Give Back

The lush, 90-acre campus at Brooksby Village, an Erickson Senior Living community in Peabody, Mass., boasts an abundance of flora and fauna--especially around its large, serene ponds. 

From groups to initiatives and newsletters, residents are passionate about honoring the waterways at the community they are proud to call home. 

Friends of the Ponds

For the Friends of the Ponds group, launched in October 2021, that means promoting the ponds and their related watersheds as habitats for native plants and animals. 

To communicate this, the group produces Nature Alerts, a weekly publication emailed to hundreds of resident subscribers with stunning resident and staff photos of wildlife sightings and intriguing plants on campus. 

"We currently have 398 subscribers who enjoy photographs taken by residents and staff, accompanied by educational information," says Lynne Holton, Friends of the Ponds chair.

A recent Nature Alerts included vibrant, colorful photos of a late-season Monarch butterfly, a Great Blue Heron stalking sunfish, and three American Crows silhouetted on a tree branch having a tête-à-tête.

"Nature Alerts helps bring the natural world that exists at Brooksby to residents who are unable to get out in it," Lynne notes. "And a number of residents say they send it on to their families to share."

The group's 10 members also meet monthly to organize activities and events that enhance residents' interaction with and appreciation of Brooksby's ponds. 

"We offer one or two bird walks weekly, depending on the season, as well as a late summer plant walk," Lynne says. "We also lead an Earth Week Walk with members of the fitness center, leading exercises intermittently as we look for birds, turtles, mammals, and native plants. We also have booths at two community fairs each year to educate residents about Brooksby's natural world."

Theater at the Pond 

About 20 years ago, just a few years after Brooksby was built, residents started a theater group. To honor Brooksby's ponds, which residents cross over when traveling from one part of campus to the other, the group was named Theater at the Pond.

Today, the group hosts entertaining performances and events during each season. In addition, Theater at the Pond raises and donates funds to Brooksby's Staff Appreciation, Scholarship, and Resident Care funds--averaging more than $2,000 for each, totaling over $6,000 annually. The group hopes that number will only grow. 

"I've been here for 20 years plus," says John Murphy, vice chair of Theater at the Pond. "I was in the first play in 2005, along with still-active residents Dorothy Pickett and Joanne Averay." 

Dorothy White is the group's chair, organizing an array of activities under the Theater at the Pond's umbrella. They include script readings, a performing arts committee, a yearly play, and an                               improvisation group.

Recent script readings have included Our Town, Spoon River Anthology, and My Dearest Friend: Letters of John and Abigail Adams.

John is the chair of the performing arts committee, which brings in outside entertainers regularly throughout the year. A popular local community chorus will be the next performance.

Each yearly play, usually a comedy or a musical in June, is written by Brooksby resident Loren Schechter. Play rehearsals start in February and get increasingly more frequent for the cast (of about ten) as opening night approaches. Loren also leads the Improv Group.

Bill Phelan, one of the group's most versatile members, serves as treasurer and creates all the props and scenic designs for plays and productions. 

‘Slice of heaven'

But that's not all! Theater at the Pond also mounts an annual talent revue in January. All residents are invited to audition and perform in some capacity: musical groups, singers, musicians, poetry readings, and more. 

Theater at the Pond members work hard behind the scenes for the love of the theater, performing, and entertaining their neighbors. 

"Being part of this group helps all of us to be active, both mentally and physically," Dorothy says. 

John adds, "Brooksby is a slice of heaven, and we love it. What other retirement community provides you with so many opportunities? Brooksby has everything and is a wonderful place to live. Theater at the Pond members are trying to give back--and say thank you--to our fellow residents for being here for us."

To learn more about affordable, independent senior living at Brooksby, request your free brochure to get the scoop on amenities, floor plans, and so much more.