Passport to Meadowlark
Barb Pretzer
Long-time Manhattan resident Barb Pretzer, 63, is not quite ready to move to Meadowlark, but she knew at an “early age” that she’d like Manhattan’s premier retirement community to be her future home. Barb, who worked for 23 years as an administrative assistant to the director of Kansas State University’s Student Union, joined Meadowlark’s Future Residents Club when she was 59, saying she wanted to give her two daughters and four grandchildren peace of mind in her later years.
“I didn’t want my kids to deal with making these kinds of decisions, and I’m not going to be moving in with them,” said Barb, who became a widow at 45 when her second husband died in 1990.
Her family genetics also were a factor in preparing for a home at Meadowlark.
“Alzheimer’s is in my family, and I know that Meadowlark can take care of people with Alzheimer’s disease.”
Pretzer is one of many who have taken the simple step toward the secure, convenient, wellness-oriented lifestyle that Meadowlark offers by adding her name to Meadowlark’s “waiting list.” What once was called the Future Residents Club has been re-invented as the Passport Program, with three levels of membership: Passport Holders, Passport Diplomats and Passport VIPs. All former Future Residents Club members become Passport VIPs with no additional fee required.
Dana and Carol Dodderidge
Like Pretzer, Dana and Carol Dodderidge also have planned ahead by getting their passports. The couple first learned about Meadowlark while Dana was a trust officer at Manhattan’s First National Bank in the early 1980s, and have watched closely as Meadowlark has developed into a pioneer in the long-term care industry. An aunt of Dana’s previously lived in the community.
When the demands of ownership at their current Manhattan residence become too great, they plan to make their new home at Meadowlark, with their sons and grandchildren close by in the Kansas City area.
“We want to stay in Manhattan; our friends are here,” said Dana, 66. “We feel comfortable with that decision because of the reputation that Meadowlark has established.”
Carol, 65, a former public school music teacher, added, “Signing up early gives us more options.”
Becky Fitzgerald, Meadowlark’s residential marketing representative, agrees that the new program takes the pressure off by allowing people to secure a spot at Meadowlark before they’re actually ready to move in.
“The three levels of membership were designed to appeal to a wider variety of people, including people in their 40s and 50s who are just starting to picture their lives after they’ve stopped working, and retirees in their 60s, 70s and 80s who’d like to benefit from the amenities of a full-service community like Meadowlark,” Fitzgerald said.
“Vacant apartments or cottages generally don’t stay vacant long at Meadowlark, so the sooner you become a Passport member, the better your opportunity to move to the Meadowlark residence of your choice.”
Note: All existing members of the Future Residents Club automatically become Passport VIPs and receive their own Meadowlark ID card. |
