Charles E. Smith Life Communities has received a historic $10 million gift to help provide resources and quality care for its residents.
Lenore England will make significant contributions over the next several years to the Jonathan S. and Patricia G. England CESLC Innovation Fund, which she established in 2019 in memory of her parents. England’s family was instrumental in founding and expanding the nonprofit provider organization in Rockville, MD.
A great-grandmother of England’s, Minnie Goldsmith, was one of the founders of Hebrew Home, now known as Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, a skilled nursing facility. Her father, Jonathan England, was president of Hebrew Home from 1973 to 1975. Today, CESLC serves more than 1,100 older adults in its independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and geriatric medical care facilities on its 38-acre campus. CESLC also offers temporary shelter and advocacy for elder abuse victims through its ElderSAFE Center.
“I developed a passion for innovation during my 20-year career,” said England, who retired in 2018 from the University of Maryland University College, now the University of Maryland Global Campus, where she was an assistant director for electronic resources management. “Upon my retirement, I wanted to give back in a meaningful way by applying new approaches to my philanthropic ventures and helping leading nonprofit organizations with new ideas, impactful initiatives and projects, from fundraising to supporting newly established programs and innovation hubs.”
Planning for the Innovation Fund’s implementation and future impact is ongoing, according to a spokesman, who said the fund “will provide resources to CESLC to explore numerous possibilities to advance the already meaningful experiences of the older adults that CESLC serves.”
CESLC President and CEO Bruce J. Lederman said CESLC is one of the largest older adult communities in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and has a 110-year history of incorporating new technologies.
“Lenore’s gift is transformative not only for our organization, but also for the entire aging services community,” he said. “With her generosity, we will be able to elevate our approach to innovation throughout our residences and services in order to design better solutions for the next generation of older adults.”
