Riverwalk Village at The House of the Good Shepherd, a FellowshipLIFE community, recently hosted its first ever river clean-up event on May 21 to improve the health of the Musconetcong River. Riverwalk Village residents, staff and members of the greater Hackettstown community gathered to remove plants that were pulling nutrients from the river and replaced them with more ecofriendly, sustainable alternatives. 

The Musconetcong River, which flows through the FellowshipLIFE community, was in great need of attention. Residents from the senior living community invited ambassadors from the New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors program to audit the river alongside the senior living community’s property and make recommendations to promote a healthier river. The audit found that there were non-native plants draining resources and nutrients from the river – causing deprivation of essential properties and decreasing its chances of long-term sustainability. Residents then worked to develop a plan to address long-term biodiversity of the river and surrounding ecosystem, which included a river clean-up event.   

“Witnessing residents and the wider community come together to restore our beloved Musconetcong River was inspirational,” said Sue Lanza, Executive Director of Riverwalk Village. “It was a beautiful demonstration of collaboration and showed how each individual can take actionable steps to care for our environment.”

Tarcila Sutterley, a recent inductee into the Hackettstown Senior Hall of Fame and an active resident of Riverwalk Village’s community, led the river clean-up initiative with her neighbors. Tarcila and fellow Riverwalk Village residents are embracing sustainability efforts, knowing that they want to make the planet a cleaner place for their generation and the generations that will follow.

“It warms my heart to know how many people in our community care about the land we live on,” said Tarcila. “Working side by side with my fellow residents has been a rewarding experience, and I am grateful we were able to successfully begin to restore the river’s health.”

The river clean-up initiative is just one of the creative projects undertaken by residents of Riverwalk Village at The House of the Good Shepherd. Passion projects such as this provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment to all the participants, while helping residents stay engaged by making a positive impact on their community.

For more information about Riverwalk Village at The House of the Good Shepherd visit www.fellowshiplifeinc.org/riverwalk-village.

About Riverwalk Village at The House of the Good Shepherd
Riverwalk Village at The House of the Good Shepherd is a Life Plan Community and is part of FellowshipLIFE, a not-for-profit senior living and aging services provider based in New Jersey. Riverwalk Village is a thriving senior living community that uplifts the lives of older adults every day. From its original community located In Orange, New Jersey, to today’s Riverwalk Village in Hackettstown, New Jersey, Riverwalk Village takes pride in continuing their legacy of excellent service and care for over 140 years. Its offerings include Independent Living, Assisted Living, Outpatient Rehabilitation, and Respite Care. 

About FellowshipLIFE
FellowshipLIFE is a not-for-profit organization with a vision to transform the aging experience and empower all those we serve to live their best life. With four exceptional Life Plan Communities in New Jersey offering services that focus on personalized wellness, an active lifestyle, and establishing new and lasting friendships, FellowshipLIFE has a strong reputation for quality and excellence in senior living. Our dedication to older adults spans multiple aspects of senior living services, including Independent Living, Supported Living, Home Care, Medical Services and Wellness Programs for those who live in our active older adult communities or reside in surrounding areas throughout New Jersey.