UI fitness expert’s nonprofit aims to deliver happiness to seniors
In her two decades of working in the University of Iowa’s Recreational Services department, Angela Charsha-Harney has seen firsthand how health and happiness are connected.
So, when one of her personal training clients was diagnosed with dementia, she dove headfirst into research on how to best help him — both inside and outside of his time exercising.
Through research on health, aging, dementia, and the affects joy can have on our lives, Charsha-Harney was inspired to create thinkJOY, a nonprofit she describes as “wish granting for seniors at the local level” in Johnson County. The vision: To live in a community where joy is a valued priority and people are nourished through meaningful moments.
With a small budget from generous community donors; about 40 volunteers; and help from friends, colleagues, and her two children, ages 14 and 12, Charsha-Harney’s nonprofit launched earlier this year.
