Instead of calling it retirement, Erickson envisions “freedom years,” when people have the opportunity to express everything they want to do. And every Erickson community—Tallgrass Creek is the 18th—is living proof of the freedom to experience “engagement and connectedness and involvement” as never before.
Unique place, unique individuals
John Harned, executive director of Tallgrass Creek, compared the first residents to the pioneers who moved through Kansas when the country was being formed. Tallgrass Creek, he said, will be an energetic community “where people live life to the fullest, respect and care for one another like family, and share lifelong gifts.”
McIntire thanked the pioneer residents for choosing a unique environment where they can celebrate their past, live fully in the present, and look forward totheir futures together.
“You are businessmen and businesswomen, homemakers, mothers, fathers, grandparents, volunteers, war veterans, artists, world travelers,” McIntire said. “You are passionate, spiritual, committed, and engaged in life. I am humbled by your experiences and the lives you have been leading.”
A view of home
When the formal ceremony concluded, the residents headed down the hallways of Bluebird Crossing to check out where they would be living.
Don and Elaine Alexander walked through an apartment with the same floor plan as their new home. They will move in this month. Don Alexander stood in the den, where his office will be. He looked up and down and quietly planned. Then, without saying a word, he smiled—a big smile.
Elaine Alexander opened closet doors and looked out windows and ventured toward the bedrooms.
“This is going to be my sewing room,” she said with a clap of her hands.
Together they stood in the closet of the master bedroom, surprised by how large it was.
“This is beyond my expectations,” Elaine Alexander said. “I just want to pack my clothes and come.”
Family-style
Wanda Williams, who cut the ribbon during the grand opening ceremony, has been excited about moving in all year. “This is the life I want to continue,” she said. “I want to socialize, start meeting new friends, and start doing new things. I’m going to have a big family, a great big family—at Tallgrass Creek.”