Project Joy Celebrates 25 Years Of Making Music Marian Herzer Started The Program For Seniors In 1972; Today It Boasts 300 Volunteer Members

Marian Herzer always knew her idea of senior volunteers entertaining other seniors was a good one.

She founded Project Joy in 1972.

Twenty-five years later, the organization is planning a birthday celebration in Comstock Park on Wednesday.

“I had a tremendous expectation it would last a long time,” said Herzer, who lives on the North Side.

Today, nearly 300 volunteers, with an average age of 73, are performing in more than 30 artistic groups.

They will make some 500 appearances this year, singing, playing and dancing at retirement centers, nursing homes, hospitals and other gathering places.

“It was an idea that worked 25 years ago that works today,” Herzer said.

At the time, Herzer was co-director of the Sinto Senior Center. She started a women’s chorus and was amazed at how much enthusiasm the group generated.

The chorus started performing locally and, eventually, the idea evolved into the citywide Project Joy.

Spokane’s Parks and Recreation Department and the state office on aging embraced the concept, and within a year, grant money and donations came rolling in.

Project Joy became incorporated as a nonprofit organization and operated on its own for a number of years. Now, it operates out of the South Hill Senior Center at 2727 S. Mount Vernon, with support from the parks department.

At one point, Project Joy fielded a 70-voice chorus and 20-piece orchestra for performances at Expo ‘74.

Herzer’s achievement is recognized in the annual Marian Herzer Award given to the outstanding Project Joy volunteer each year.

One of the longest-standing performers in Project Joy is Charles Havens, 84, a North Side resident.

He plays flute in the current 30-piece Project Joy Orchestra, which performs two to three times a month. Havens started playing flute when he was in his mid-40s.

“It’s meant a lot to me,” Havens said. “I’ve enjoyed giving entertainment to the older seniors.”

The camaraderie of being involved socially, and the joy of helping someone else are cornerstones of the program, its leaders say.

Studies show that seniors who stay active and in touch with others have healthier, happier lives, Herzer said.

“It’s the most exhilarating experience,” said Peggy Rudolph, who plays string bass for the orchestra.

“Not only is the music fun, but it’s also the spirit that’s ever present with the group,” said Rudolph, a retired educator and Spokane Valley resident.

She said she’s played bass since she was 7 years old.

“It’s all for pure enjoyment. It’s music at its highest form. Music is a special thing in people’s lives,” Rudolph said.

Project Joy is widely acknowledged as a prototype for programs like it, and was one of the first of its kind in the country.

In the 1970s, Project Joy was cited as one of the reasons Spokane was named an “All-American City.”

In 1975, the National Council on Aging selected Project Joy as one of the top outstanding seniors programs in the country.

The anniversary celebration will run from 1:30 to 3 p.m. near the orchestrashell at Comstock Park, which is going to be left up after the symphony performance on Labor Day.

The public is invited to attend the event, which will feature a birthday cake and performances by several of the entertainment groups, including the senior orchestra, a men’s quartet, cloggers and a brass quintet.

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MEMO: Anyone interested in joining the volunteer group should call the Project Joy office at 535-0584.