Donna Marino

Review of Asbury Methodist Village

A new chapter of my life began with a move to Asbu...

A new chapter of my life began with a move to Asbury Methodist Village in May of 2019. My husband of 25 years passed in 2012 leaving me in a beautiful but very empty home. Prior to his passing, my husband and I had participated in many fun Asbury activities including Sunday afternoon tea dances, New Year s Eve parties, and trip planning meetings with friends. A move to the Gaithersburg campus was a logical next step in my life s journey.

After moving to Asbury, I began participating in many enriching activities including exercise classes in the beautiful swimming pool and large auditoriums. I also attended seminars offered by Johns Hopkins and periodic movies in the Rosborough Community Center.

Wildlife is a passion for me, so I joined the Habitat Action Committee. The wonderful birds at Asbury are well fed by the Committee. I am one of the feeders and also a member of a group of dedicated monitors who observe and document activities in the dozen Blue Bird nest boxes on campus. The summer of 2020, while challenging for us humans, was thankfully beneficial for campus Blue Birds.

I became a middle school mentor through art in connection with the Gaithersburg Beloved Community initiative and Asbury Pastoral Care program. Bingo is a fun event that I facilitate weekly and have even initiated a discussion group that also meets weekly to talk about a variety of everyday topics. Over time we have incorporated poetry and singing into our time together.

The campus offers two well-equipped computer centers that are overseen by the Cyber Asbury organization. A contribution that I make to this group involves maintaining the extensive membership list of Asbury residents who use the centers and receive the monthly fact-filled publication it produces.

The compassion of Asbury residents is demonstrated in many ways. The recent racial unrest sparked an expression of concern for persons of color in our society. As a result several individuals are involved in a series of discussion about issues of race. I facilitate one of the groups and have found it to be both educational and rewarding. Another effort of special interest is the group of folks who dress like clowns and make themselves visible throughout the community. They never fail to lift the spirits of all who reside in this tremendous community. My clown name is Speedy.

My decision to live here continues to be exceptionally rewarding for me.