CommonBond Communities

Meet Ardella: A Story of How CommonBond Builds Connections Across Community 

Ardella, CommonBond resident

After surviving stage four cancer, Ardella gained a newfound gratitude for life. "I don't take it for granted. It makes you grateful to wake up in the morning," she says. Her philosophy is to "go for the adventure" and never miss an opportunity to learn new things.

Ardella has been living at CommonBond's Shingle Creek in Minneapolis for 15 years. While living there, she has enjoyed participating in many of the programs that CommonBond provides, including Health & Wellness classes, as well as Arts & Aging programming.

You can power these programs with a gift: 

CommonBond's Arts & Aging program offers high-quality arts education for residents 55 and older, completely free of charge! Seniors have a chance to learn new skills and keep their minds sharp while accessing creativity. Most importantly, participants can combat isolation and foster a sense of community where they live.

CommonBond's Health & Wellness program is provided within our housing communities via workshops and classes that support residents’ capacity to thrive and remain independent. This programming promotes healthy living and aims to improve participants’ well-being.

Ardella has enjoyed both programs but has always been especially passionate about the arts. She has loved the arts programming so much that she is now a part of a group lovingly coined the "die-hards" because they participate in every Arts & Aging class offered!

Colin, Community Engagement Manager at CommonBond, has seen the impact of Arts & Aging classes firsthand as he has managed and shifted the program so that residents can now travel to other sites around the Twin Cities, to meet new people and learn a new craft, as opposed to classes only being offered to residents within a given building. That means we are currently offering Arts & Aging to every single CommonBond resident over 55 – that's over 3,000 residents! 

Colin says, "My hope is that we can open more doors for other residents to express themselves through art and community, and we can only do that with you by our side." 

Make your impact for Arts & Aging programs and give to the max today!

Learn more or get involved at commonbond.org.