Carrying on a Long Tradition, Plymouth Place Deepens its Commitment to Local Community

Plymouth Place, a vibrant continuing care retirement community in LaGrange Park, Ill., expanded its outreach to the local community in 2024. The senior living community provided more than $160,000 in financial support, time, space and meals to partners in the community.

Plymouth Place is focused on long-term sustainability through its philanthropy. Anchored by a spirit of giving from residents’ generosity and a leadership culture of giving back, Plymouth Place supports its staff with scholarship programs and other critical support, elevates its partners through strategic outreach and donations and builds a strong local community through good will, donations, volunteerism and constant attention on the greater good.

“For more than 80 years, Plymouth Place has emphasized giving back to our community and operating in a way that puts others first,” Plymouth Place CEO Jay Biere said. “We are more committed than ever to our philanthropic mission, and we look forward to deepening our partnerships throughout the broader community.”

Biere and the senior leadership team also give back by serving on several local boards, including the West Suburban Chamber, La Grange Park Chamber and the Western Springs Rotary. Biere also serves on the national board of the United Church of Christ’s Council for Health and Human Services Ministry (CHHSM). The organization is made up of senior living communities, affordable housing programs, day care facilities, churches, hospitals and related ministries that provide mental health services, support children and families who have experienced violence, and give to those in need. In total, CHHSM members provide more than $1 billion of uncompensated care to those in need across the country.

Plymouth Place partners with more than 20 local community organizations like Pillars Aging Care Connections and the La Grange Area Department of Special Education to provide meeting rooms, support and volunteers. Additionally, the senior team and Plymouth Place residents spend hundreds of hours volunteering with local organizations each year. Plymouth Place, with its one-of-a-kind dining experiences, also provides meals to local churches, including the La Grange First Congregational UCC.

Plymouth Place is constantly looking for ways to serve as a bridge to the broader community and has sponsored public events like the Artist in Residence Series with the City Lights Orchestra and Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra. Support comes from Plymouth Place residents, grateful family members, local partners and residents who recognize the value of having Plymouth Place in the community.

Plymouth Place looks to expand its community giving with scholarships to Lyons Township High School and Nazareth Academy students, as well as other high school students outside of the community, in spring 2025. Biere and the senior leadership are also excited to begin providing scholarships for children of Plymouth Place employees early this year.

Plymouth Place was originally established to support pastoral and lay men and women who serve in ministry. Eighty years later, Plymouth Place is more deeply engaged in serving others through its partners, churches and the CHHSM organization. In its 80-year history, Plymouth Place has never asked a resident to leave if he or she can no longer afford to stay.