When Bonnie Ruchalski moved to Federal Way in 2005, the Federal Way Community Center was one of the big draws for her. Her daughter enjoys the many activities geared toward people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Now that she is retired, the Community Center has become a hub for her as well. She participates in the various activities for seniors, like a Silver Sneakers class, where she met Linda Heller.

Heller recently retired and said she is still exploring what that means for her. Getting out of the house helps, but it’s a hard transition for many who have spent their entire lives working or taking care of a family.

Ruchalski and Heller both attended the Federal Way Senior Commission’s monthly connections event on Dec. 18 for the first time, seeing it as a way to get out of the house and into the community.

Each week features a different guest speaker, and this month’s featured Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell.

Commission member Lana Bostic led the event with questions for the mayor on his background and vision for the future.

Ferrell spoke to the future in Federal Way, including infrastructure changes and the city as a hub for healthcare. This is a big part of his job, he said, explaining that “that’s a lot of what I do as the mayor … look to the future and look around the corner to what is coming.”

“In Federal Way we don’t build walls, we tear them down,” he added.

For Ferrell, this often looks like investing in and planning around a “hundred-year infrastructure,” and decisions that will “change the course of the future of this city,” like the route of the light rail through Federal Way.

When asked what gives him the most hope about the future, the mayor said “it’s groups like this, actually the Senior Commission,” adding that it began as “an idea that we were talking about years ago.”

Ferrell said that “it is so great to see the Senior Commission be as vibrant as it is. It’s so great to see it so well attended … so I would say the active participation by the community, the hope and the vision that people have for the community,” are what give him the most hope for Federal Way’s future.

He added that the success of advocating for legislation to change pursuit and drug use laws in the state have also given him hope because of the impact those changes have had on local crime rates.

The discussion continued through audience questions on crime and graffiti, which the mayor answered through his close eye on these topics. For a final question, Bostic asked the mayor: What can seniors do to give back to the community or to get involved, especially to keep them active and surrounded by people?

“Well, number one, you’re doing it right now. You’re showing up,” the mayor said.

“The Senior Commission is a great way to get involved. But I’d also say showing up to a city council meeting … providing public comment at a city council meeting really puts things up on our radar … even go to a council committee meeting. If it’s something you’re interested and you care about, you can join a commission,” he added.

Retiring is one point in life where getting involved can become a real benefit for both seniors and the greater community.

Heller moved to the area less than a year ago and told the Mirror that “I don’t feel like I know Federal Way well enough and now that I’m retired, I’m trying to figure all that out.”

For others who feel the same, senior commission member Dave Reynolds told the Mirror he’d advise people to “get involved.”

“You can’t just sit at home and wait for someone to talk to you,” he said, adding that getting out and volunteering is a great way to do that.

He is currently organizing an opportunity to do just that, inviting seniors to sign up to read to children in Federal Way Public Schools.

“I love reading to my grandkids, but they’re in California,” he said, adding that he had the chance to read to kids and had such a wonderful experience that he didn’t want to “be the only benefactor” and wanted to get more seniors involved.

When it comes to finding ways to get involved, Reynolds encouraged them to look in the newspaper and online. Using the internet can be intimidating for some who are concerned about scams, so he suggested that seniors also ask their children or others in the community to help them search if they need to.

The senior commission is also available to help. Senior Commission Connection events are 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every third Wednesday at the Federal Way Community Center.

Mayor Jim Ferrell answers questions and shares an update about his work and vision for the future of Federal Way at the Senior Commission Connection event on Dec. 18.

The Senior Commission Connection events typically pull in crowds of 50-plus guests, and the Dec. 18 event was no exception.

Betty Wong, Bonnie Ruchalski and Linda Heller attend other activities and classes at the Federal Way Community Center. This was Heller and Ruchalski’s first time at the Senior Commission Connections event and Wong’s second.