Seniors in the Park

Organizational+members+stay+active+by+playing+pickleball+out+in+the+sunshine+on+a+warm+Wisconsin+day.+

Seniors in the Park

Organizational members stay active by playing pickleball out in the sunshine on a warm Wisconsin day.

Caroleena Hallock, Assistant Lifestyle Editor

There’s a lot to do for seniors living in Whitewater. Just one of many local programs is called Seniors in the Park. It offers a variety of creative and engaging activities such as hybrid watercolor classes, in-person pickleball and even virtual yoga. Seniors in the Park also implements a variety of Dementia Friendly Activities for their seniors as well.
As an organization, Seniors in the Park has been around for 40 years and continues to strive to build a lively and dynamic program in Whitewater that seeks to promote and enhance a vital aging community.

Although for a moment in time, their routine halted from March to August due to the pandemic. As a program they are now back with hybrid learning, Zoom classes and COVID-19 in-person guidelines such as masks being mandatory and sanitation being thorough with social distancing enforced.
As COVID-19 cases see improvement and vaccines getting out, Seniors in the Park is slowly moving a few activities inside too, with small gatherings such as movie showings.
“At this point the CDC has recommended a lot of activities to be outside, so for the most part they are,” says coordinator Deb Weberpal.
That’s no problem at all with warmer weather, so the group is moving outside for activities such as hiking and fitness classes. A recent grant also allowed them to build an outdoor fitness playground right by the Whitewater Senior Center.
For avid members and best friend duo Lynn Wolfe and Bonnie Wagner, Seniors in the Park became highly influential in both of these ladies’ active lives.
“When I first came to Whitewater, I didn’t know anyone. I signed up for an exercise class at Seniors in the Park and my friend circle started to grow. that’s how I met Bonnie. Bonnie and I now travel and hang out all the time. Before COVID I used to go to Seniors in the Park at least three times a week, now I mostly exercise at home through their Zoom classes,” says Wolfe.
Participation in the activities can be as active or relaxing as the participant chooses with a wide array of options.
“My husband and I both retired. We decided to join Seniors in the Park. I have made a lot of friends since then, this past winter recently I was actually in charge of our snowshoeing activities at Willow Brook Golf Course or Nature land Park,” says Wagner.
And although senior citizens are their usual attendance group, as an organization Seniors in the Park welcomes adults of all ages join their trips and programs. To learn more, contact Coordinator Deb Weberpal at [email protected].