Visit any of our community locations and you’re likely to meet someone or learn something new. We encourage you to stop by for a visit! Find a location near you by visitng www.agingahead.org. We are all aging together—the connections made can be life-changing! Get to know Shane and Christina:
Shane Johnston, St. Clair SCA
What’s the best part of your job? Being able to help the people of my community and working for a nonprofit. I would have never expected to find such peace in working in an industry that’s focus is on the help they can provide rather than the amount of monetary gain that can be achieved. The more chances I get to make a difference in my community for the better, the better I feel about being here (Both in life and at Aging Ahead).
What is an achievement you are proud of? I am most proud of getting the Support Committee started. It was not easy and not easily sustained but it has been an energetic boost to the center and has created many unexpected avenues for fun that would not have happened if it wasn’t for forcing these people to organize.
How do you like to spend your spare time? In my spare time I enjoy my family! I have 5 kids, so my days are never spent alone and in most cases are jammed packed with things that are not on my personal agenda but very fulfilling when completed and the family is happy. Personally, I love to garden and cook. It has taken me 4 years to make a garden that is picture worthy and producing an abundant crop, it is a lot of work that pays off when I catch my kids spending time out there eating and finding all the different types of bugs that come along with it.
Christina Bramer, Ferguson SCA
What’s the best part of your job? The best part of my job is making meaningful connections with the seniors I work with. I love to hear about the senior’s childhood stories and family history, I find it so fascinating and something we must as a collective take the time to hear from our elders about the past. Also, they make me laugh every single day.
What keeps you motivated? I’ve had clients tell me that after my interactions with them they feel less lonely, heard and understood, this is what keeps me motivated in my work is making a difference in clients’ lives no matter how big or small. Also, what keeps me motivated is embracing challenges in life and always finding the lessons in the good and bad times.
How do you like to spend your spare time? In my spare time I love to be in nature, going for walks in the park, or simply sunbathing on a blanket and a good book. I have a passion for plants, currently I am growing 2 sequoia trees from seedlings, and I love to garden in my neighborhood.
What’s the most valuable career advice you’ve been given? The most valuable career advice I’ve received is to take one step at a time. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr says, “You don’t have to see the whole staircase to take the first step”