February 3, 2025 By Carol Britton Meyer
Welcome to “Five Minutes With” — Anchor’s new feature to help us get to know our neighbors. Everyone has a unique story to tell, so let’s get to know each other a bit more! Have someone you’d love to spend five minutes getting to know? Email us at info@hinghamanchor.com.
Carol Britton Meyer recently connected with Hingham Center for Active Living (HCAL) Director Jennifer Young. You can learn more about Jennifer and the services the Center offers as well as her goals and what she most enjoys doing in her spare time.
Role in community: I am the proud director of the Hingham Center for Active Living, where I have been for almost six years.
What your work involves: We offer programs and services for older adults. We have everything from health insurance information to volunteer opportunities, fitness classes, educational and wellness programs, transportation, and so much more.
Favorite part of your job: My favorite part of the job is seeing the impact the HCAL has on our members over time. We get to watch new friendships blossom and strengthen. We help people find purpose again after retirement by volunteering or taking classes. We get to see the artwork created by people who never thought they could draw, improved balance and strength by those in our fitness classes, and members bonding over coffee and conversations.
We also do a lot of difficult work with some very frail and vulnerable people. We help them file for public assistance benefits, find shelters, and also find home care and palliative care services. We have some very hard conversations, but we also get to witness a lot of amazing things.
I work with amazing people who put everything into the work they do. Our staff really cares about our members and do their best to make every experience for them an enjoyable one.
A lot of our members would say the HCAL is like a second home, where they can hang out with their friends and laugh and feel like they are a part of something wonderful.
What you hope to/have accomplished so far: It is no secret that I want our members to have the big beautiful new HCAL building they deserve, giving them and other residents the opportunities to have truly enriching lives. We rebranded from the Senior Center to the Center for Active Living last April to better describe our members and hopefully, break down the stigma that is associated with the words “senior” and “aging.” We also are breaking down the self-imposed barrier that many people have, that they aren’t old enough to come to the HCAL.
What makes the Hingham community unique? Hingham residents have a huge sense of civic responsibility. The Town of Hingham has hundreds of volunteers on a variety of town boards and committees. At the HCAL, we have more than 60 volunteers, of all ages, who help us run our programs and services. We benefit from a consistent outpouring of support from elementary students, Girl Scout troops, faith-based and grass roots organizations, local businesses, and so many more groups throughout the year.
What do you enjoy most doing in your spare time? I love spending my time with my family. I have two daughters, 7 and 11 years old. We spend our time at the beach and camping. I am hoping to spend a lot of time this summer riding our bicycles, as my 7-year-old just got off her training wheels.
Favorite Hingham local spot: Wompatuck State Park. Before having kids, I would spend hours mountain biking through Wompatuck, exploring the old structures and wooded trails. Now my goal is to get my girls steady enough to learn to mountain bike with us as a family.
Favorite vacation destination: I have never been, but I have always wanted to go to Hawaii.
Interesting fact about yourself that others may not know about: I volunteer as an assistant coach for both of my daughters’ soccer teams, as well as in the school library on my days off.