Building EngAGE Beverly
What's happening now, what we're working toward, and how we're getting there.
Most families caring for someone with memory loss can't find what they're looking for close to home: a place that is genuinely home-like, where meaningful engagement slows the disease and every person is known for who they are, not just what they need. EngAGE Beverly is building it in Beverly.
The Beginning
EngAGE Beverly began the way a lot of things begin in a family, with a problem we could not solve and a refusal to accept the answers we were being offered.
When we started looking for a place that would feel like home for "Pops," my father-in-law, after his Alzheimer's diagnosis, what we found felt binary: exhausting in-home care on one side, large institutional facilities on the other, and very little in between. Most of what existed was too big, too clinical, too inconsistent, or simply not built for the person Pops is. We kept looking and kept coming up short, and at some point the question shifted from what do we do to what would the right place actually look like, and finally, how can we build it?
The full story is told in Pops's Story. This page picks up where that one leaves off.
What We're Building
EngAGE Beverly is a small, home-based gathering for older adults experiencing memory loss. As of April 2026, we come together twice a week, just a few people at a time, for mornings that feel calm, familiar, and meaningful. No rush, no noise, no sense of being managed. A steady rhythm of conversation, movement, time outdoors, and shared meals.
At full capacity, eight Daily Care Members will spend their days in connection and in rhythm, in a place that genuinely feels like a home. Members will be known, the pace will be unhurried, the activities authentic and drawn from the actual life of a household, with intergenerational connection built into the fabric of the day. Caregivers are welcomed as partners, not just clients, with weekly shared lunches and ongoing communication that keeps families as partners in their loved one's care.
The model rests on a few commitments that shape every other decision we make:
A real home, not a facility
Familiar architecture, household rhythms, and a deliberately small scale, designed so members feel they have arrived somewhere they belong, not somewhere they have been placed.
Relationship-centered care
Consistent faces, intentional intergenerational connection, and the kind of trust that builds in a strong community, where people care about one another and honor what they value.
Evidence-based practice
Daily rhythms shaped by the research on what protects cognition, supports wellbeing, and builds belonging in older adults, particularly those experiencing memory changes.
Family as care partners
Caregivers welcomed into the community, with shared meals, ongoing communication, and a model that treats families as partners.
Open to the neighborhood
A Community Membership tier for older adults at every stage, with classes and gatherings that connect EngAGE Beverly to the broader community.
This First Year
This first year is what we have come to call our Design Year, a time to learn, to listen, and to shape something that works for the people we serve. "Pops & Friends" gather in our home on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while we continue to build the foundation we need to operate as a public-facing community.
We gather for four hours each morning. Tuesdays are quieter, centered around the engagement needs of each member, while preparing to share a meal alongside caregivers at the end of our day. Thursdays are more active and intergenerational, with time outdoors, nature-based activities, and the presence of children in the home.
We are paying close attention to what helps people feel at ease when they arrive, which activities create the most engagement, how small-group dynamics evolve, and how caregivers experience this kind of support. Simple feedback, both informal and through short check-ins, is helping us shape what comes next.
Where the Work Stands
EngAGE Beverly is incorporated as an Illinois not-for-profit, with its federal Employer Identification Number issued by the IRS in April 2026 and its Certificate of Good Standing in hand through April 2027. The 501(c)(3) application is in preparation, with public charity recognition anticipated by late 2026.
General Timeline:
Learning, listening, and shaping the model through weekly gatherings in our home.
Exploring properties in Beverly and working through the Special Use Permit process with the Chicago Zoning Board of Appeals.
Small groups. A home-like environment. Thoughtful, well-trained support. A focus on dignity, connection, and daily life.
The Board
EngAGE Beverly is governed by a board of directors who bring expertise in finance and nonprofit leadership, estate planning and elder law, hospice and palliative medicine, and decades of executive leadership in services to older adults in Chicago.
Bob Otter
Finance & Nonprofit LeadershipA 40+ year member of the Chicago Board of Trade and a seasoned nonprofit board leader who has served as director and chair of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Chicago Jesuit Academy, and the Hinsdale Public Library. He brings financial sophistication, governance experience, and high integrity to the EngAGE Beverly board.
Mark R. Singler, JD
Estate Planning & Elder LawA lifetime Beverly resident and one of Illinois's top-rated estate planning attorneys, with a practice that encompasses elder law. A Super Lawyers honoree and co-founder of FMS Law Group LLC, he has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. Mark brings sharp legal grounding, deep Beverly roots, and steady judgment.
Dr. Ann Navarro-Leahy, MD
Hospice & Palliative MedicineA board-certified hospice and palliative medicine physician, Castle Connolly Top Doctor, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado. Her clinical expertise, systems-level thinking, and commitment to advocating for older adults bring a vital voice to the board.
Beth O'Grady
Nonprofit Executive LeadershipMore than four decades in the field of aging, including thirteen years leading the Coalition of Limited English Speaking Elderly (CLESE). A longtime Beverly resident, lifelong learner, and active community leader. These experiences and a life well-lived has taught Beth what matters most: family, purpose, gratitude, and connection.
What Helps Right Now
EngAGE Beverly is not yet open and gifts are not yet tax-deductible (501(c)(3) recognition is pending), yet there are real ways to support this work today.
Make an introduction
Know someone in elder care, dementia research, community health, or philanthropy in Chicago? We'd be glad to connect.
Follow the research
Our Research & Insights series shares what the evidence says about dementia care, memory, and belonging. Worth a read.
Plan to give
Once 501(c)(3) recognition lands, gifts will become tax-deductible. If you're thinking ahead, we'd love to hear from you.
Stay in touch
Write to julie@engagebeverly.com. We read every message and respond to all of them.
Who We Are
EngAGE Beverly is rooted in family. It began with a simple question: what would the right kind of place feel like for someone we love? We are building the answer slowly, carefully, and in community.
EngAGE Beverly NFP | Chicago, IL | julie@engagebeverly.com