Aging Forward
Aging Forward is a national alliance of 55 affiliate organizations working to reframe aging as an empowering, purpose-filled experience. Together, their network of volunteers, staff, and community partners has touched more than 2.5 million older adults across America.
The Challenge
Founded in Kansas City in 1974 as Shepherd's Centers of America — born from a beautifully grassroots idea of older adults banding together to deliver meals and give each other purpose — the organization had quietly become one of the most meaningful aging networks in the country.
Annually, more than 100,000 older adults participate in lifelong learning, 13,000 volunteers donate over 750,000 hours of service, and the estimated value of all services provided exceeds $21 million — at no cost to individuals. And yet the brand had become nearly invisible.
The name felt dated, the identity inconsistent across 55 affiliates, and the organization was openly "aging out" of the very audience it needed to reach next. The board knew it was time — and they were terrified.
The Awakening
Under the leadership of new CEO Sarah Cheney, Emery worked alongside the board to do something that takes real courage for a 50-year-old institution: question the name.
Rather than defaulting to a refresh, Emery led a structured exploration of every viable path — honoring the history and the deep belonging the organization had always cultivated, while honestly confronting what was holding it back.
The word that surfaced again and again was forward — in the spirit of the volunteers, in the belief that every phase of life deserves adventure, in the rejection of every tired stereotype about what aging means.
And bravely, Shepherd's Centers of America became Aging Forward.
After
Before
Before
After
Logo Marks
Primary Mark
Reverse
Brand Development
The Transformation
The rename gave the organization a platform as ambitious as the people it serves. Aging Forward now stands as a national alliance of 55 affiliate organizations serving more than 165,000 older adults each year.
Affiliates who once struggled to communicate what the parent brand stood for now have a name that does the work for them — one that signals purpose, momentum, and a bold refusal to let age be a ceiling.
The aspiration to become a household name, like Habitat for Humanity, finally has a name worthy of that dream.