Sherry Jensen remembers walking alongside the Cedar River with her husband, looking fondly at the back of the senior center and its impressive architecture. She didn’t consider ever attending the center or signing up for a class.

“We were in our 50s then,” she said. “We didn’t notice it.”

But when her husband passed away in 2013, a friend suggested Jensen check out the center. She relented, and immediately fell in love with it.

Now Jensen, 63, finds herself religiously visiting the center every Monday and Friday to visit friends, go on trips and find healing.

“I didn’t expect to be here this soon. I’ve been coming here three years now,” she said. “It has been a great outlet to be around other people. I’m the youngster around here. It’s a good resource to me to be around others.”

Jensen’s favorite activity is the weekly beanbag baseball game, a ski bowl-like game with beanbags.

“I got talked into that about a year ago,” she said regarding beanbag baseball. “I have to say it’s a game of laughing, not of skill. It’s just a great time. I’m very energetic. It’s really good because everybody gets involved. There are people who are handicapped so I will run for them. I just get very involved.”

Every Friday morning, Jensen is the one who’s cheering everyone on (even her opponents), collecting the tossed beanbags and keeping up the morale in the room.

One of Jensen’s favorite things to do at the senior center is to attend the trips and tours. In fact, Jensen has taken on the unofficial role of assistant to Debbie Little, recreation (and trip) coordinator.

“We wear badges, so I collect the badges at the end of the trip. They call me the badger,” Jensen said. “I also make sure everybody is accounted for. If someone is not staying with us, I’ll be the bad guy. I just take it upon myself because I try to make it easy for [Little].”

According to Little, these trips have become a catalyst in creating deep relationships.

“Going on a trip, they are experiencing something new,” said Little. “It bonds us all together, myself included. The community that is created, it’s a positive side of aging. I’ve always said, ‘Old age isn’t for sissies’. One of the positive things is the friendships and bonds that have been formed. It’s wonderful to provide that for people.”

For Jensen the senior center has been played a restorative part since her husband’s passing.

“I call [the center] therapy and a distraction,” she said. “I love to talk to people. It’s an outlet to be around other people and socialize.”

Little notes that Jensen’s story captures the heart of senior center.

“I’m a programmer,” said Little. “My whole goal is to get people active, doing things, providing opportunities for them to take classes, go on trips, and do something. A byproduct of that is these lifelong relationships that have been nurtured.

“Sherry is perfect example of that. She came in here and she knew nobody, not a single soul. She has made so many friends. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for what the senior center does. Yes, we do trips and lunch and have classes, but really, it’s all about the socialization. And it’s wonderful to see these friendships and bonds be created. It’s something as a programmer you hope happens. It’s the first thing you want to provide for them.”

Jensen takes it as her mission to spread the cheer and happiness to everyone she meets, a gift she offers to the patrons of center, as if it was her way of showing gratitude for all that the place has done for her.

“I’ve noticed that young people are a little more agitated and grouchy,” said Jensen, “So if you have a smile it tends to change the mood. A smile is as easy as a frown, so why not smile. Being happy is the best way. There is plenty of time for sadness when you’re alone. So I always try to put on a happy face.”