‘Miss Vonnie’ steps down from directing senior exercise program

While senior exercise classes will continue at the Douglas County Community & Senior Center after the evacuees go home, one of the founders has retired from her role as director and organizer.

Gardnerville resident Vonnie Orgill started the free classes more than a dozen years ago, according to Minden resident Fred McNorton.

The classes began at the old Senior Citizen Center around 2009.

“She started in the old senior lunch building to help elderly become and stay active and in her first class she had 12 people,” McNorton said. “When the new Community Center opened, she was instrumental in establishing this program and has been in full service.”

Classes meet 10:30 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with around 25 in two and 55 in the third.

“The ages of the participants range from 60ish to our eldest of 98 years,” McNorton said. “In our current program there is a WWII Veteran, Veterans from Korea and Vietnam and one gentleman who is a veteran and was as a child in the Japanese internment camp.”

The classes last 45 minutes with an additional 15 minutes of floor time for those who want to participate.

“The program has kept us young at heart and active,” McNorton said, calling Orgill “a stable force to get and keep this program going, which has helped to keep hundreds of us young and moving.”

Beth Hojnacke has taken the classes’ reins as director.