116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Bridge to Opportunities group keeps seniors connected, active
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This story first appeared in Prestige - May 2025, a biannual special section distributed in The Gazette dedicated to Iowans 55+.
A community of proactive Cedar Rapids seniors is making sure older adults are not alone.
Bridge to Opportunities for Older Adults, also known at Cedar Rapids 55-Plus on Facebook, has brought together hundreds of adults throughout the community to engage in fun activities and education.
The group was created by seniors, for seniors, according to volunteer Pat Meier. It was launched in 2022 when the Life Enrichment Center received grant funding through the American Rescue Plan. The city’s senior task force had already disbanded, but a group of dedicated people pressed on to make the group a reality.
The isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic heightened the focus on creating connections in the community.
“It was just seniors saying, ‘We need this,’” Meier said. “We decided to stick it out together and apply for the ARPA grant. We all knew people that needed it.”
The group meets at the Four Oaks, The Bridge building on Mondays from 1-3:30 p.m. and Thursdays from 1-3 p.m. What a meeting looks like varies with different activities on site and, occasionally, activities outside of the usual meeting place.
Some of the most popular activities Bridge to Opportunities hosts are game days, BINGO, line dancing and movie days. It has hosted historians, music acts and authors.
Meredith Crawford, community engagement librarian at the Cedar Rapids Public Library, leads informative tech support-centric meetings. These are also popular with the crowd, keeping seniors on their toes and on the cutting edge with using devices and platforms that help them stay connected.
When it is time to get out, the group goes on nature walks, holds meetings in the bird room at the Indian Creek Nature Center, visits the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art or takes a tour through the Veterans Memorial Building with Cedar Rapids community service coordinator Stephanie Schrader.
Line dancing day is a favorite of Patrice Lewernz.
“Since then, I’ve actually become a regular at a different line dancing group that meets more often so I can do it more,” Lewernz said.
Lewernz has lived in Cedar Rapids for about a year and a half. She moved to Cedar Rapids from Denver to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren. She started attending meetings shortly after moving to Cedar Rapids, hoping to make some new friends.
Some outings take seniors outside of the Cedar Rapids community, like this riverboat tour in Dubuque. (Submitted photo)
Bridge to Opportunities for Older Adults holds monthly game days in The Bridge building at Four Oaks. (Submitted photo)
In addition to line dancing, BINGO, movie days and more, Bridge to Opportunities for Older Adults holds community outings, like this picnic at Noelridge. (Submitted photo)
“I knew my way around, but I didn’t have built-in friends,” she said. “I knew some of my daughter’s friends, but I didn’t have any of my own.”
Who shows up at a meeting varies, Meier said. Different activities draw different people. In all, more than 500 different people have signed in at meetings. There are likely many more unique faces who have come through the doors, as not everyone signs in.
It is referred to as a “55-plus” group, but there is no concrete minimum age requirement. The age range of attendees ranges from people in their early to mid-50s to about 80 years old. Some younger adults attend with a senior. There have also been two 100-year-olds who have attended.
Two people have attended 60 or more meetings, including Cyndi Scott. She is one of the newest members of the board.
Bridge to Opportunities is meeting the goals set out by founders Meier and Sandy Bruns. They aimed to bring older adults together who, for various reasons, needed friendship and camaraderie. This includes people who are new to the community — like Lewernz — widows and widowers, and adults who simply desire to try and learn new things, meet new people and get out into the community.
Meier can relate to those who are new to Cedar Rapids. She moved away from the area in the 1990s and returned in 2014.
“When we first were starting to do it, I’d hear people talk about how lonely they were,” Meier said. “And how scared they were to come to group alone.”
Most people do attend alone, at least for their first few meetings.
“Now that we’ve been around and enough people know us, quite a few are getting referred by friends,” Meier said. “I don’t hear the, ‘I’m so lonely,’ that I heard at the beginning. So I know we’ve made a big difference in that way.”
The group thrives on input from everyone that participates, according to Meier.
“The secret sauce to our group’s success is the seniors feel seen, listened to and valued, because we let them give input,” she said. “I’ve probably done five programs I call ‘The Wisdom of the Crowd.’ I always get a good turnout with those. We find out what they want us to do and are giving input about other options. They give me all the program ideas.”
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