Unity in Community
Fran and Roger Field Support Benevolence at Johanna Shores
Like many PHS residents, Fran and Roger have decorated their home with photos of family and friends and treasures from travels. A favorite painting hangs in their living room.
“My God moment,” says Roger Field, “is looking out of our patio door to what must be a 70-year-old pine tree. Here, right in the middle of the city, we’re surrounded by nature.”
Fran and Roger Field moved to Johanna Shores, the PHS community in Arden Hills, Minnesota in 2012. They were living in Rochester, Minnesota at the time and knew they wanted to move closer to one of their children—and be surrounded by nature. Johanna Shores fit the bill.
“Once we moved in, I realized that I have been exchanging Christmas cards for years with two friends from Rochester,” says Fran. “And I was sending them to Johanna Shores’ addresses! It’s been a joy to reconnect with friends from the past.”
Fran and Roger began their retirement in 1992. Fran worked as a nurse and Roger was a teacher, then an elementary school principal. Roger’s Marine Corps service was the start of a lifetime of travels, including visits to 33 countries.
“After retiring, we wanted an international volunteering experience,” says Fran. “We signed on with the Amity Foundation and lived for a year in a seaport town in eastern China. We lived in an apartment about five blocks from the school. The Chinese people in the area were very interested in learning conversational English, so we talked with them for a year.”
“I’ve continued my daily practice of walking the halls and checking in with staff and neighbors,” notes Roger. “Walking the halls was a key way for me to know what was happening in the schools that I served. Now I chit-chat with folks here and learn about their lives and more about PHS.”
Fran and Roger are quick to share that everything they want is at Johanna Shores. They are frequent visitors to the Wellness Center. Fran helped to start a book discussion group, using the Ramsey County Libraries’ Books in a Bag Program. Roger especially enjoys Music Together, a physical fitness program for preschool children that is held at Johanna Shores.
“We see neighbors watching out for each other here. We care for each other,” says Fran. “The fact that PHS has communities that provide a continuum of care is one reason why we support the Benevolence Fund here at Johanna Shore.”
Roger and Fran have taken advantage of the Monthly Sustainer giving option to make annual cash gifts to the Benevolence Fund. They also made a future gift through their estate that will benefit residents who face financial hardships. Their estate gift makes them a part of PHS’ Legacy Society, a circle of donors who have established a future gift arrangement with Presbyterian Homes Foundation.