June 13, 2011--Collington Episcopal Life Care Community, which has served older adults in suburban Washington, D.C., since 1988, has become the newest member of Kendal’s family of not-for-profit communities and services, now in eight states. Collington became an affiliate of Kendal on June 2, with the approval of the Maryland Department of Aging, and the affiliation was celebrated at Collington on June 10.

“Collington’s affiliation with Kendal grew out of the natural affinity between the cultures, missions, visions and values of the two organizations,” says John Diffey, President and CEO of Kendal. “As a Kendal affiliate, Collington will enjoy the extra measures of strength that come with being a part of the Kendal System. Of equal importance, it will be wonderful for Kendal to have a strong presence through Collington in the Washington metropolitan area.”

Collington is located on approximately 125 acres in Prince George’s County, Md., roughly 15 miles east of downtown Washington, D.C., and 22 miles west of Annapolis, Md. With 361 independent living residences—including cluster cottages and a three-story apartment building—Collington currently serves more than 400 residents and employs a staff of more than 250 people. The community’s health and wellness center provides 65 accommodations licensed for assisted living and 44 licensed for skilled nursing care. Other amenities include restaurant-style dining, a fully equipped auditorium, a fitness and therapy center, extensive library, barber/beauty shop, interfaith chapel, two miles of wooded and lakeside paths and an indoor swimming pool.

“This affiliation brings together two organizations that are soul mates,” says Paul Cooney, chairman of Collington’s board of directors. “In a way we’ve come full circle because Collington was designed very much on the inspiration of Kendal’s communities. Together with our friends at Kendal, we believe great things are in store for Collington.”

Values rooted in Quaker principles led Kendal to establish a federal-type governance system that blends autonomy with shared strengths. Each Kendal community is an independently owned and operated not-for-profit organization with its own volunteer board. Assets remain within each local organization and under the care of each community’s board and staff.

Over Kendal’s 40-year history, only three already established communities have become Kendal family members:  Barclay Friends in West Chester, Pa., in 1994; the Lathrop Community in Northhampton and Easthampton, Mass., in 2004; and The Admiral at the Lake in Chicago in 2009. Kendal communities also are located in Hanover, N.H.; Ithaca and Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.; Oberlin, Granville and Cleveland, Ohio; Lexington, Va.; and Kennett Square, Pa.

Click here to see a newsletter with more information about Collington’s affiliation with Kendal.