‘Living the Perfect Retirement’ at Fox Run

Novi community keeps the focus on family, friends and fun

These days, you can research just about anything on the Internet. From vacation destinations to tech devices, you'll find reviews for everything online. But more often than not, the best recommendations come from the sources we trust the most: our family and friends.

When you get a recommendation from someone who knows your tastes and lifestyle, you can be reasonably certain you'll end up enjoying it. That's why so many people move to Fox Run, a senior living community developed and managed by Erickson Living, each year after learning about it from a friend or relative.

"Resident referral year after year is always our number one referral source," says sales director Allison Murphy. "Because our residents love living here so much, they can't help but to encourage other people to do the same."

Murphy says residents often host their friends for lunch at Fox Run's on-site restaurants, which provides a great introduction to the community.

"It's hard to capture how many people indirectly refer others to us just by talking about how much they love living at Fox Run, but most people who move here know someone who does," Murphy says. "I'd guess that more than a quarter of our new residents were directly referred by an existing resident."

Case in point

Don and Madelyn Peruski moved to Fox Run from Lake Orion, Michigan, in 2016. Don had decided a few years earlier that he was ready to trade the hassle of maintaining a house for the worry-free lifestyle at Fox Run. But he had to wait a bit for Madelyn to warm up to the idea.

"I liked everything after the first visit. We saw all the facilities and all the things that could be done here—with 150 clubs, how could you go wrong?" Don says. "I decided then that I was going to come here eventually."

After a car accident left Don unable to do a lot of the things he previously did around the house, Madelyn started thinking more seriously about moving to Fox Run. They've both been enjoying all the amenities and activities available right on campus for the last few years. Don is in both the men's and co-ed resident-run choirs and also plays euchre with neighbors.

"It's the best place to be as you get older," Don says.

Both Don and Madelyn volunteer as ambassadors to introduce prospective community members to everything Fox Run has to offer.

"When my wife and I volunteer at sales events, people always ask, 'What is the best thing about Fox Run?' And we would tell them, 'The people. It's the people you socialize with here.'"

Don and Madelyn have been so pleased with Fox Run that they have recommended both friends and family members to move to the community. Their friend, Donna Behm, and Don's sister, Rachael Frizzell, both recently moved to the community after encouragement from the Peruskis.

"My sister was going to move in, but she was worried about selling her house in the middle of winter. She sold the place in four days, so I told Donna to put her place on the market and it sold, too," Don says. "We're going to have dinner with her tonight."

Perfect timing

Rachael moved to Fox Run in March, just a few days before Michigan and most of the rest of the world went into quarantine to slow the spread of COVID-19—and she says the timing couldn't have been better. She previously lived in a house on a lake in White Lake Township and no longer wanted to take care of a large property.

"I moved in just in time," she says. "Selling my house that fast—I believe some things are meant to happen."

Rachael says she's relieved to be living a maintenance-free lifestyle at Fox Run. Her previous house was on an acre of land, and things like taking care of the lawn and repairing appliances, which were already a hassle, would have been even more difficult to manage during the pandemic.

"I am living the perfect retirement. I am really happy here," Rachael says. "If I was living in that big house with all that acreage, I'd be worrying about who is going to cut my grass."

Spreading the good news

Don and Rachael are the oldest of nine siblings. After being encouraged by Don to move to Fox Run, Rachael says she's now telling her other brothers and sisters how great it is.

"Living close to my brother is priceless at this time in my life," she says. "It would be nice to have all my family living here one day."

Don agrees that having a family member nearby, especially during the pandemic, has been a blessing.

"We spend a lot of time together," he says of Rachael. "We only have to walk over to other side of the community to see each other."

Rachael is enjoying getting settled in her Harrison-style apartment home at Fox Run. The two-bedroom, one-bath home features a spacious dining room and a bay window with southern exposure.

"I get a full view of the moon at night," she says. "I don't think I could have chosen a better apartment."

Consider Fox Run if you're interested in living in an active senior independent living community. Beautiful walking paths, gardens, resort-style amenities, an on-site medical center staffed by full-time medical professionals, and new friends await. Request more information today.