"They put their heart and soul into it. Everyone was so warm and friendly."  

Anna Marie Calabria
Lucille Manor

When Anna Marie Calabria moved into Lucille Manor five years ago, she wasn't just looking for an apartment. She was looking for a fresh start after years of loss and life-changing transitions. What she found was something she never expected—a community that welcomed her with open arms and reminded her she wasn't alone.

Anna had once owned a four-bedroom colonial home in Liverpool, but life took unexpected turns. After spending time living in Georgia with her sister, the two decided they missed their family and friends back in Central New York. Her sister found Lucille Manor and, without telling Anna at first, added her name to the waiting list.

When an apartment became available, Anna arrived with very little.

Her sister unlocked the apartment door, and behind her stood several residents she had never met. Together, they had furnished her new home with a bed, lamps, linens, carpets, and household essentials.

"I just stood there crying," Anna remembers. "These people didn't even know me, but they wanted me to feel at home."

That moment set the tone for everything that followed.

The day I moved in, everyone was so kind to me."

Today, Anna describes Lucille Manor as a place where neighbors become family. As she prepares for shoulder replacement surgery, she already knows she won't have to face recovery alone.

"I have four people in this building who check on me constantly," she says. "They'll ask if I've eaten, if I need a shower, if I need anything."

Recently, after becoming dizzy and falling in the middle of the night, a neighbor immediately came to help, staying with her until she was safe.

"They're good people," Anna says simply.

Anna has faced tremendous loss throughout her life. Unable to have biological children because of severe endometriosis, she adopted her daughter as a newborn in Virginia.

"She was 23 hours old when they placed her in my arms."

Although her daughter passed away at just 17 years old, Anna chooses to focus on gratitude rather than heartbreak.

"I was blessed to have 17 years to love her."

Today, she continues moving forward with remarkable resilience. She's preparing for surgery, celebrating nearly three years without cigarettes after serious lung disease, and remains determined to stay as independent as possible.

"I'm the type of person who would rather help someone else than ask for help myself."

While she misses owning her own home, she appreciates the freedom that affordable housing has given her.

"Christopher Community gave me the chance to have fewer responsibilities than I had owning my home."

More than anything, Anna is grateful for the people around her. She believes the warmth of the staff, neighbors, and supporters is what makes Christopher Community special.

Reflecting on a recent resident celebration made possible by generous donors, she says,

"They put their heart and soul into it. Everyone was so warm and friendly. I've never seen a place celebrate its residents like that."

For Anna, Lucille Manor isn't simply where she lives. It's where kindness showed up when she needed it most, and where strangers became family.