Meet Sam & Lynda Burd
This Month's Spotlighted Independent Living Residents
Sam and Lynda Burd have always been dedicated to a life of service. “Lynda and I like to be involved in every community we live and work in,” said Sam. “We are both lifelong educators — I was a chemistry teacher for much of my career, and Lynda was a language arts specialist and literacy coach for many years. But beyond our classrooms, we both invested a lot of time and effort in our districts. Lynda was active in school government, and I was the President and Chief Negotiator for the Brookfield Education Association in Brookfield, Connecticut. After we retired, we downsized and moved to a condo community, where I was President of the Condo Association and on the Board of Directors. We want to give back to each community we are a part of, and that desire figured prominently in the senior living community we chose to move to. Pomperaug Woods was the community that felt like the best fit for us for so many reasons, one of which is the opportunity to make a difference here. We’ve only lived here for 14 months, but in that short time I have been elected to the Resident Council and I’m the Chairman of the Landscape Committee, and Lynda is a member of the Welcome Committee and the Food Committee. There are so many ways for residents to get involved here.”
Sam and Lynda had very specific attributes they were looking for in a senior living community. “First, we knew the community we chose had to be a CCRC — a Continuing Care Retirement Community,” said Lynda. “I had many aunts and uncles that lived in CCRCs, and we could see the many benefits of having the full continuum of care all under one roof. No matter how your health needs change, the full spectrum of care is at your disposal, and you never have to move. We felt that it was imperative that we live in a CCRC. Pomperaug Woods not only offers the full continuum of care here, but when you need more assistance, they come to you, so you can continue to live in your apartment independently. That stood out to me as a huge benefit.”
“Second, we wanted the community to be a non-profit,” said Sam. “In my research, I felt that non-profit communities were more stable, and their governance was resident-driven, not shareholder-driven. That was very important to us. And third, of course we wanted a community that had an excellent reputation for a wide variety of activities. I’m up very early and exercise every day, so I love that the Fitness Center is open 24/7. I can go anytime. Megan Boyd is our Wellness Coordinator, and she is wonderful, so I make it a point to attend as many of her exercise classes throughout the week as I can. There’s a group of us that plays pool once a week, and another group of us who play poker together, and I also really enjoy that.”
“Sam and I also attend as many of the entertainment offerings as we can,” said Lynda. “We especially love the concerts and lectures. Lisa Huebenthal, the Director of Community Life, does an amazing job with the programming here. And I also want to add that as a member of the Food Committee, I’m really excited about the new chef that has joined the community. He has a lot of great ideas, and I can’t wait to see how he transforms our menus.”
Sam and Lynda — we love that you take such an active role at Pomperaug Woods and appreciate all your time and effort. Thank you!
Complete the form below for more information on our community.
"*" indicates required fields