What makes a community more than simply a place to live?

For Jordan Haegerich, Resident Life Coordinator at Carroll Lutheran Village, it starts with giving people opportunities to connect, contribute, pursue their interests, and make the community their own.

In this episode of Voices of Carroll Lutheran Village, Adam Stultz sits down with Jordan to talk about the unexpected path that brought him to resident life, what he’s learned from the people who call CLV home, and what goes into creating meaningful experiences for a community filled with different interests, backgrounds, and personalities.

Jordan describes CLV residents as “movers and shakers” who don’t simply participate in community life—they help create it. He also shares what it’s like to work at Carroll Lutheran Village, the relationships that develop between residents and team members, and why a strong workplace culture ultimately matters to the people who live here.

For anyone wondering whether they could find their place at Carroll Lutheran Village, Jordan offers a simple thought:

“You can be yourself. You can find your niche… You can make it your own.”

It’s a conversation about purpose, belonging, opportunity, and the people who turn a place to live into a community.

From growing up across the country to coaching cheerleaders at the U.S. Naval Academy, teaching gymnastics, and building a life that rarely stayed in one place for long, Shirley Tranquill has learned a thing or two about embracing change and finding community wherever life takes you.

In the inaugural episode of Voices of Carroll Lutheran Village, Shirley shares stories from her remarkable journey, the lessons she learned along the way, and what eventually brought her and her husband to Carroll Lutheran Village.

She also talks about making new friends, staying active, contributing to the community, and why she believes there can be real value in making the move while you still have plenty of life to enjoy it.

As Shirley puts it, “I don’t have any roots in a place. I have roots in people.”

It’s a fitting message for the very first episode of Voices of Carroll Lutheran Village: a conversation about change, connection, belonging, and making the most of whatever chapter comes next.