New ‘Wellness Way’ At Cape Cod Village Took Many Hands

ORLEANS – At the rear of the Cape Cod Village campus on Childs Homestead Road last week, a brand new adaptive fitness station stood with a ceremonial ribbon hung across it, waiting to be cut. 

 And with one snip of the scissors, a project more than three years in the making became a reality, giving the village’s 16 residents a new space to exercise and recreate. 

 The new “Wellness Way” features brand new equipment including a four-person leg lift, an upright bike, an elliptical cross trainer, a sensory music station, kickboxing station and an accessible vertical press. Apart from the exercise area, the new space also includes a new pergola, picnic area and equipment shed. The project was officially completed in October of last year.

Each piece of equipment also features a QR code that can be used to access instructions on how to use it. The equipment is designed to help village residents with developmental disabilities the opportunity not only to exercise, but to gather together and socialize.

 “As we gather here, we’re celebrating much more than a new pathway,” Executive Director Jeni Landers said during the June 17 ribbon cutting event. “The Wellness Way represents connection, accessibility, inclusion, health and possibility. It’s a space designed to encourage movement, exploration, reflection and community engagement for anyone who visits here.”

 Planning for the Wellness Way dates back to March 2023, when the late Phil Johnston, former state secretary of health and human services, alerted the Village’s then-executive director, Richard Hoffmann, of community project funding that might be available for the initiative through U.S. Rep. Bill Keating’s office. A proposal was crafted and submitted to Keating as well as U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey.

 A year later, approximately $434,000 in funding through the Office of Housing and Urban Development was granted for the project. Hoffmann oversaw a large team of supporters from Village staff and board members to town officials, project designers, architects and product vendors, who together saw the project through to completion.

 “Richard Hoffman saw the potential for what this space could become, worked tirelessly to secure the funding needed to bring it to life, created a specialized team and provided guidance and oversight throughout its creation,” Landers said. “His commitment to enhancing the lives of people we serve has left a lasting impact on our campus and our community.”

 Last week’s ceremony carried something of a bittersweet note, as Johnston, who died in April of last year, was unable to see the end result of the project he was instrumental in supporting.

 “He was never able to see the completed project he helped to fund,” Hoffmann said. “But we will never forget his strong friendship, unwavering support and empathetic caring he always showed to people with special needs.”

 In his remarks, Keating leaned into the community-oriented effort that was central to making the new Wellness Way a reality. At a time of pronounced political division, he said the collective work that went into making the project happen should be seen as a model for how communities can work together, not against one another. 

 “It’s that concept of a village that brings us here today,” he said.