It began with a selfless donation and a passion for helping people that continues today. Plantation Village was established as a nonprofit organization, so everything goes back into the community. This has exerted a range of implications, the most significant of which is an ongoing expansion of the services and amenities we provide for our residents.
 
As a nonprofit, Plantation Village has a solid financial footing and a philosophy based on continuous improvement that has been maintained since the community was founded in 1988. This has placed us at the forefront of communities that specialize in serving the senior population.
 
Our story begins when Champ McDowell Davis donated 56 acres of land for the development of a Continuing Care Retirement Community in 1962. A former railroad executive, Davis had a passion for helping other people that was born from his mother, Cornelia Nixon Davis, a chief proponent of the movement to provide better health care options for seniors.
 
George Nadeau, credited as the visionary behind the concept of Plantation Village, scouted premier retirement communities across the nation to get ideas. The impact of Nadeau’s work and success in pitching those ideas to the Cornelia Nixon Davis Foundation board can still be felt today.
 
Selling the concept of a Life Plan Community with a full range of amenities and health care facilities located nearby was not without its challenges. One of the first marketing directors for Plantation Village, Lois Draper, noted that the initial residents were mostly from out of town or out of state, admitting that, “Wilmington residents don’t want to move way out in the country!”
 
Times have certainly changed. The growth of Wilmington has resulted in a variety of options for shopping and dining, as well as golfing and other forms of recreation, all within close proximity to Plantation Village. Adding to the appeal is the fact that the new Highway 17 bypass allows for a quick connection to Highway 40 and easy access to the historic Wilmington riverfront, as well as areas to the south.
 
With many wonderful artists, craftsmen, gardeners and artisans as residents, Plantation Village has a gorgeous campus and a rich cultural heritage. Beautiful reminders of the talents of both existing and previous residents are on display everywhere you look.  
 
The men and women who have spent their time in the woodworking shop have built bridges, benches, planters, bookcases and even the grandfather clock in the Fireplace Lounge. One of our most popular pieces of hand-crafted woodwork is a six-foot-long portable beverage bar that was constructed by three of our residents.
 
Many of the specimen trees, flowers and shrubs on campus are the result of our residents’ passion for getting their hands dirty. If you’ve strolled through our hallways and found a work of art or painting you fell in love with, chances are it is the work of one of our residents. The jewelry making and lapidary area, or “rock shop,” got its start because of Everett Rush and his dedication to collecting and polishing exotic stones.
 
The lapidary, garden and woodworking areas are just a sampling of the places here where our residents enjoy their time, and there are many others. For example, one of the reasons we get discounted fees at neighboring golf courses is our residents’ passion for the game.
 
We have a comprehensive history book filled with fun anecdotes and information about the impact our residents have made on our community. If you would like to borrow it or have a personally guided tour of our wonderful community, call 910.319.1416, or visit www.PlantationVillageRC.com.

Lisa Polanski is the director of marketing at Plantation Village. Plantation Village is a nonprofit continuing care retirement community that offers independent living on a 56-acre campus in Porters Neck, just minutes from downtown Wilmington and area beaches. Residents enjoy first-class services in a wide variety of home styles, from one- and two-bedroom apartments to cottage homes and two-bedroom villas. Plantation Village is managed by Life Care Services™, the nation’s third-largest elder care management company. For more information, visit plantationvillagerc.com.