Newly selected LARSO Executive Director Jacci Gruninger will take the reins June 1 of the Betty Ehart Senior Center in Los Alamos and the White Rock Senior Center. Courtesy/LARSO

LARSO News:

The Los Alamos Retired and Senior Organization (LARSO) has announced this afternoon that Jacci Gruninger has accepted the position of executive director for the non-profit organization that oversees the senior centers.

Retiring Executive Director Bernadette Lauritzen said that Gruninger is an excellent fit with a love of investing in human potential and wellbeing. She added that Gruninger feels working for LARSO is a logical next step on her personal journey and mission of helping others to live fully alive and thrive no matter what their age.

“I appreciate that our small community can support two active senior centers,” Gruninger said. “I am excited about continuing the work of prior directors and at the same time bringing my past programming and directing experience to the center.”

Gruninger has extensive experience creating and managing both an organization and a business, Lauritzen said, adding that she loves new ideas and likes to experiment as well as honor the organizational cultural history that has been established in the past.

She has been a dedicated team player and enjoys collaborative work, Lauritzen said. She has offered free, seated chair yoga classes at the Betty Ehart Senior Center to encourage wellbeing for seniors and has worked with staff to create a DVD for those who wish to stay at home.

Gruninger hopes to continue building a team with staff so that they like to come to work, Lauritzen. This has been a difficult time for the senior centers during the last three years of the pandemic. She is the perfect person to assist LARSO with navigating the new normal. Her gentle spirit, hard work ethic and strict determination will help her forge the new paths ahead.

Lauritzen said Gruninger also hopes to offer seniors that same listening ear, adding that her yoga students and clients are 55+ as she is herself. While a numerical age isn’t always a consideration in dealing with seniors, the ability to meet them where they are is key. She knows there can be a big difference in a spectrum of community elders that runs from 50-101. She has worked with 80-year-olds who feel like they are 60 and 60-year-olds who feel like they are 80. She understands that each senior is different in many ways.

Gruninger’s background isn’t just yoga, it has covered every aspect of senior care, many of which are mirrored right inside the walls of the senior center and continue with the work of LARSO’s community partners.

“I appreciate the community in Los Alamos and look forward to continuing to collaborate and support this important piece of the community,” Gruninger said.

After June 1 Gruninger may be contacted at 505.662.8920 and Director@losalamosseniorcenter.com. Updates on the senior centers may be found at www.LARSO.org.