By Marlena Ballinger

Let’s start with a little bit about yourself. Do you have family? Where do you live?
I do have a family. I have been married for 100 years--not quite, but a long time to my sweetheart, we have two children, three grandchildren and many bonuses who've just added on, who call us Mama, or Pops, and/or Grandma, and Pops. So we have a village.

Do you live here in Bluffton? Where did you grow up?
We do. We lived on the family farm and moved into town about 11 years ago. I grew up in New Mexico, but we have a family farm between Cairo and Beaverdam. Our son marks the fifth generation on the farm.

What is your favorite childhood memory?
My grandparents helped raise me along with my mom, and we were a very close family. My grandparents were phenomenal; they were very good to me. We all loved music, and we all grew up singing and dancing. I remember when the Beatles came out, my brothers were all excited. We all would sing and dance at the house; we would competitively change words to popular songs, make them funny, and sing them differently. It was fun and just simple.

What led you to become the Activities Coordinator at the Senior Center?
I'm a people person, and with my previous background, I believed I would be a good fit here. At the time, I had retired from an extremely demanding job, but I was not ready to be home all the time. I needed a little more ‘peopling’ than that.

I had prayed about what I was going to do next, and that very day, I saw an ad for the activity’s coordinator, and I thought, “I'm going to apply.” I had also applied for a couple of other jobs, which would have been just going back into what I retired from. But when I looked at what they wanted me to do, it was the same as what I had left. So, the day that the ad appeared, I came in with a resume, and after an interview, Tonya called me and asked if I wanted to work here.

What does a typical day look like for you at the Senior Center?
I love Mondays because I get to call every member who has a birthday within that week to personally wish them a “Happy Birthday,” which is so much fun. It also works as a great way for us to touch base with our members whom we haven’t seen in a while. It also offers me a way to do a wellness check on people. Typically, when I call, they laugh. They think it’s so great that someone called to wish them a happy birthday.

Other days throughout the week, I help set up for activities like exercise, bridge, and stuff like that. I also take care of helping people set up for trips, and I run the cash register here. I come from a retail background, so that comes naturally to me. I just really like being here to talk to people and befriending them. My typical greeting is “Hey friend!” because I really want people to see me as their friend.

Tell us about leading excursions for the seniors.
I’ve only led one. I took a group to Delphos to go shopping downtown, and we walked around everywhere. We went on the RTA bus, which we are trying to encourage people to use. I went another time with Tonya, and we went to Lima to Beer Barrel.

What are some things that you have helped start here at the Senior Center?
One of the fun things that I’ve helped launch is our Teen Tech time. I met with Courtnee Morris at the (Bluffton) school, and we get senior citizens and teens together twice a month. The group works to help the seniors with any technical help they need.

Something else that’s new is that we are going to become “star cutters” for Stars For Our Troops. Our senior citizens will be cutting stars out of flags that are decommissioned. Before the flags are burned, you are allowed to cut the blue part off, which is called the canton; then you can cut the stars from that. We will then be able to give the stars to our first responders. Our first “cutter day” is October 8.

In your past life, you were a speech-language pathologist for Ada Schools. Does any part of that career transition to helping senior citizens?
Yes. I worked in five counties and (I think) 29 different school buildings. I worked with students from kindergarten through the age of 22. A lot of that experience transitions to working here. I have a medical background, so I can spot things that others can’t. I can manage the wheelchairs. We are very blessed to have a wheelchair ramp for people here, and just knowing how to communicate, I think, is a big part of this job.

What do you love about being the activities coordinator?
It's fun and interesting finding new speakers or entertainment for our monthly dinners. I try to find things that are different, but I also like to showcase local talent. And local restaurants are used for those dinners. One of the things I'm super excited about is that in November, our meal is going to be connected with Youth for Christ. They will be having a brief moment of testimony, and then they will sing praise music; they love it. They did it last November. The youth who were here were encouraged to sit and have a meal with our seniors. I love multigenerational activities. I think it's a win-win for everybody.

What is something about the Bluffton Senior Center that you wish more people in the community knew?
That we were 55-plus center, yet there are youthful people here, and our seniors have plenty to offer the community. So please come and visit.

What is the most rewarding part of working with the seniors who come to the center?
I love that the seniors who come here call me “friend”, but they know that I can also be a helper. You know, Mr. Rodgers always said, “Look for the helpers.” They know that I will help them if I can, and I can [help]. I have enough background and enough connections that I can help steer people in the direction they need to go.

Is there a particular moment or experience at the Senior Center that has stayed with you?
Yes. When the teens were here, giving testimony for a very packed house. I looked around, and the seniors were tearful. They were really listening, and our seniors were so affirming and proud of the testimonies that the kids gave. They went and talked to them individually and told them, “I’m proud of you.” It was just a sweet moment. When a senior feels compelled enough to go talk to somebody who may be the age of their grandkids or even great-grandkids and tell them how proud they are of that student, I just love that.

Also, I have to say that our director Tonya is really good at trying new things. She may think it’s crazy, but she’s willing to take a risk. Some things go better than others, but the fact that she’s open to it is compelling.

What's something people might be surprised to learn about you?
I am very safety-conscious. I have received extensive training in public safety in terms of active shooters, women’s self-defense, and I’ve done extensive training in very physical women’s self-defense. I am positive that if we had an intruder here or anywhere, I could get myself and whoever was with me out. I will lay down my life to get everyone out. I am kind of fearless at that point. I have the ability to be calm in a crisis. The extensive training that I’ve had really helped.

What's one thing you've learned from the seniors at the center that you think everyone should know?
They’re brilliant, smart, capable people who have lived and learned so much through coming up through the Depression. They have skills that are completely lost, and people don’t realize that they’re such a great resource.