Belmont Village Senior Living has once again made a major investment in the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology with a new gift to help establish the Adam Will Prize in Arts and Healthy Aging. The competitive prize was created in memory of Adam Will (1987-2024), the son of Belmont Village co-founder and CEO Patricia Will and her husband, Ed Will.
“The Adam Will Prize is a fitting way to honor Adam, who spent his career at the intersection of the arts and seniors,” Patricia Will said.
The USC Leonard Davis School recently launched the Arts and Healthy Aging (AHA) Center. The new prize, envisioned to be complementary to the AHA Center and the school’s Arts and Healthy Aging Initiative, will provide financial awards for USC Leonard Davis students who submit winning posters and presentations at the AHA Center’s symposia or public events.
The AHA Center’s research efforts will focus on assessing the advantages associated with active participation in the creation of art by older individuals and evaluating the benefits derived from engaging with the arts, such as listening to music and attending theater or art exhibitions. The AHA Center also supports activities such as hosting Arts and Healthy Aging Symposia, providing support for Arts and Healthy Aging Visiting Scholars and offering other public programming about the arts and healthy aging that engages students, the public and faculty from other universities.
“We are grateful to Board of Councilors members Patricia Will and Mercedes Kerr and to Belmont Village Senior Living for their continued investment in the success of the Leonard Davis School,” said Pinchas Cohen, dean of the USC Leonard Davis School. “This is a wonderful way to help memorialize Adam and support students and the new AHA Center at the Davis School.”
If you would like to contribute to the new Adam Will Prize Fund, please contact the Development Office at 213-740-1361.
