April 29, 2020 —One of the best ways for Kendal at Lexington residents to get involved on the Kendal campus is to join a Residents Association committee. The Association dedicates all of their efforts to working with the Kendal administration, staff and board of directors to sustain the current thriving and resident-driven community. We caught up with the president of the Residents Association, Joe Skovira, during the final weeks of his tenure before he passes the baton to the newly nominated executive committee.
“The Residents Association is an official and active way that residents can participate in the Kendal community,” Joe says. “You can find out what’s going on and communicate things back to the administration that they should know about.”
In addition to the Board appointed committee that include resident members, such as the Finance Committee and Audit Committee, the Residents Association also includes several Standing Committees, which have open membership. Each year, residents are encouraged to sign up for one or a few committees that interest them.
“We encourage all residents to join committees, because they do so much to keep us in contact with the administration,” Joe says. Plus, with 12 current standing committees to choose from, there are options to suit all interests and activities.
The Residents Association Standing Committees
While each committee serves a distinct purpose on campus, some are more active than others. For instance, Joe says the most “critically active” committee is the Culture and Entertainment Committee. “That committee keeps us all occupied here,” he says. “The do a really good job of getting in performers, speakers, instructors and have a lot of special events. It really adds to the life of the community.”
This year, the Culture and Entertainment Committee has followed the theme of “Celebrate YOUR Story: Exploring the History and Experiences That Shape Us.” You can read more about some of the events from earlier this year in this post.
Another committee that’s gearing up for a busy season: The Welcoming Committee. With the opening of the Sunrise Ridge Cottages bringing a rush of new residents, the committee has put together a “Kendal 101” class to help ease the transition. “The intent is to try to cover some main topics for the new people so they can come up to speed with living here more quickly,” Joe explains.
There’s also the Facilities Committee, which serves as the residents’ eyes on the physical plant and campus facilities. “We have a very good facilities staff, but they obviously can’t be everywhere at once,” Joe says. “We depend on some degree on residents walking by and seeing something that might not be right and reporting it to the facilities director.” By operating as a liaison between the facilities staff, this committee helps keep the lines of communication open. Similarly, the Horticulture and Landscaping Committee does the same for the overall appearance of the Kendal grounds and landscaping.
But that’s not all. There’s also the Library Committee, which maintains the Tutwiler Library, the Food and Dining Services Committee, which meets monthly with the dining staff to share resident feedback and help plan events, the Wellness Committee, which promotes health and wellness on campus, and the Newsletter Committee, which — you guessed it — produces the esteemed Connections monthly newsletter. There’s also a committee to oversee furnishings and interiors of indoor common areas, as well as a committee to plan ecumenical Vespers services. In short, there’s something for everyone.
Getting Involved With Residents Association Committees
In fact, that’s exactly why Joe says they encourage everyone to choose a committee — or three! — to join. As he steps down from his role as president, he’ll be joining the Facilities Committee and the Food and Dining Services Committee.
“It’s important to participate,” he says.