Stephen Keller (center), a Souderton High School senior and BSA Scout Troop 16 member, hopes to share his joy of reading with The Community at Rockhill Personal Care residents. (Courtesy of Grace Inspired Living)
Eagle Scout candidate Stephen Keller of BSA Scout Troop 16 spent Sunday, September 28 expanding the Personal Care library at The Community at Rockhill, a Grace Inspired Living assisted living facility, to complete his Eagle Scout Project.
Keller, a senior at Souderton High School, conducted a book drive and fundraiser throughout September to support the project, coordinating with Rockhill’s staff from multiple departments. The collection prioritized large print books, and Keller even offered to arrange local pick-up of donations by email, scheduled at the individual donor’s convenience, if they could not be hand-delivered to the Rockhill campus, said a Grace Inspired Living press release.
In addition to the many books that were collected, Keller used supplemental monetary donations to purchase new, flat-pack bookshelves, which he, alongside fellow scouts from Troop 16, assembled, placed and filled on site in the facility’s Personal Care Activity Room, said the release.
“We are honored to be the beneficiary of Stephen’s efforts through his Eagle Scout Project with Troop 16,” said Ted Leister, The Community at Rockhill’s Executive Director. “It was clear that he dedicated a great deal of time and leadership to this endeavor.”
“We’re grateful for the way our greater community came together to make the lives of our Personal Care residents even better,” Leister continued. “We saw their excitement standing outside the Activity Room to watch the project come to fruition in real time and are thrilled that they now have an expanded library at their fingertips.”
Keller shared that reading has always had a special place in his life, and he hopes to bring that same joy to PC residents at Rockhill in an effort to enhance their daily life. Keller is the son of Personal Care Administrator Pamela Keller, who oversees most day-to-day operations of Personal Care, or assisted living, within the community’s care continuum.
Any surplus funds from Keller’s project will be contributed to Rockhill’s Benevolent Care Fund, which supports residents who may exhaust their financial assets so they can continue to live at the community with stability and peace of mind. The fundraiser will continue through the month of October, and public donations can be made via Paypal (QR code) or by visiting www.graceinspiredliving.org, said the release.
The Community at Rockhill was founded in 1974 as “Rockhill Mennonite Community,” and became jointly affiliated by not-for-profit Grace Inspired Ministries in 2017, along with Lutheran Community at Telford. The parent organization rebranded as Grace Inspired Living in November 2023. Both facilities are continuing care retirement communities, offering a full continuum of services and programs for retired seniors of Bucks and Montgomery Counties under the same roof, including independent living, personal care, memory support (Telford only), skilled nursing and short-term rehabilitation.
Grace Inspired Living (GIL) operates as a not-for-profit, faith-based entity, guided by God’s love, dedicated to providing communities and services that enhance the lives of older adults in a supportive setting that values residents, employees, volunteers and families. For more information, visit graceinspiredliving.org
