POMPANO BEACH, Fla. (May 23, 2016) – State and local officials, together with senior care industry professionals, will celebrate the grand opening of The Woodlands at John Knox Village at 700 SW 4th Street on Thursday, May 26, at 10 a.m. The Woodlands is Florida’s first Life Plan Community GREEN HOUSE® Project based on three core values: Meaningful Life in a Real Home provided by Empowered Staff.

The grand opening activities will commence with a welcome from Gerald Stryker, president and CEO of John Knox Village and a motivational address by Dr. William Thomas, founder of THE GREEN HOUSE Project, followed by a ribbon cutting with Elizabeth Dudek, secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), The Honorable Gwyndolen Clarke-Reed, state representative, and The Honorable Lamar Fisher, mayor of Pompano Beach. Opening ceremony activities and musical entertainment will be provided by Pompano Beach High School’s Junior ROTC Cadets, band and chorus plus gospel group Craig Walden and Company and the John Knox Men’s Villagers and Women’s Note-ables Choruses.

“This is an incredibly emotional and fulfilling time for John Knox Village as we celebrate the culmination of our vision – to change the face of care and rehabilitation services in South Florida,” said Stryker. “Our residents’ dedication and determination has fostered an incredible sense of community – a home where families and elders will come together and set a new progressive standard for healing as set forth in THE GREEN HOUSE Project model.”

The $34 million project, located on the northwest corner of the 70-acre campus, will serve the more than 900 John Knox Village residents and those individuals in the community requiring greater levels of care. The innovative, private home-style 144-suite residence will feature the Palm Bistro, rehabilitation services, the Rejuvenation Salon & Spa, the Wellness Center and the Life Enrichment Center available for social gatherings and other occasions.

Key assets that separate The Woodlands from other choice rehab facilities is the John Knox Village residents’ involvement, sense of community and dedication to maintaining a superior model of care. The John Knox Village Foundation was instrumental in researching and raising more than $5 million to build the innovative care residences.

“The Woodlands is the first Green House to be initiated by resident involvement,” said Nancy Lee Matthews, one of several John Knox Village residents sharing input when the project was being planned. “It was us, the residents, who initially researched The Green House and presented the information to administration and the board of directors.”

In 2013, John Knox Village’s Board of Directors approved the construction of the seven-story facility and in 2014, more than 400 residents, guests and staff attended the groundbreaking ceremony. Many came back for the Tree Topping celebration in April 2015, which recognized reaching the building’s maximum height and the accomplishments of the construction team’s safety record.

With the main floor reserved for common and social areas, the remaining six floors each have two Green House homes with 12 private bedroom suites with personal bathrooms surrounding a hearth living room, open kitchen and dining room. Gourmet meals are cooked fresh in each home. Residents will be cared for by the Shahbazim (Shahbaz is singular), certified nursing assistants trained to go above and beyond protecting, sustaining and nurturing in order to develop a deep knowing relationship with the elders and their family members. There are six dedicated Shahbazim per home.

“The Woodlands will offer a highly sophisticated level of care,” said Mark Rayner, director of health care services at The Woodlands at John Knox Village. “These private residences were designed to protect our elders’ privacy, honor choice and assure their dignity. The institutional ‘feel’ of a hospital or rehab facility has been removed, creating a home-resort-like environment which is the fundamental philosophy of THE GREEN HOUSE Project; where individuals thrive.”

One of the most compelling and interactive features of THE GREEN HOUSE Project is participation; the elders and family members, if able to, can become as involved as they wish with the daily activities; including housekeeping, laundry and helping prepare the fresh meals.

Because The Woodlands at John Knox Village is the first-of-its kind Life Plan Community in Florida to adopt THE GREEN HOUSE Project model, it will be utilized as a training ground and operational model for other future planned residences incorporating the GREEN HOUSE Project philosophy.

John Knox Village stands as one of Broward County’s largest employers contributing a tax base of over $1 million a year. With the completion of The Woodlands, John Knox Village has added an additional 41 full-time employees with a payroll of more than $1.7 million.

The Woodlands at John Knox Village was designed by RDG Planning & Design (Architects John Birge, Scott Pfeifer and Kevin Ruff). The Weitz Company served as the construction manager, and William Gallo, of Gallo Herbert Architects, worked with John Knox Village as the Owner’s Authorization Representative.

For additional information about The Woodlands at John Knox Village, please call (954) 247-5804 or visit www.WoodlandsJKV.com. Discover more about THE GREEN HOUSE® Project by visiting www.thegreenhouseproject.org.