A Job Well Done For Kara LaFreeda, Masonic Village at Lafayette Hill is like her second home, and the residents are like family. She has spent 23 years as wellness program manager, impacting countless lives while benefiting her own. “I feel very fortunate that Masonic Village has allowed me the opportunity to work part-time while I raise my family and continue to maintain my career,” Kara said. “My goal in our Wellness Center is to help residents exercise, get stronger, enjoy themselves, have fun, leave happy and come back again.” As part of her responsibilities, Kara supervises and prescribes individualized exercise programs for residents. She communicates with residents’ doctors or physical therapists when needed. She helps plan and maintain exercise classes alongside Jeanine Hendrie, a part-time staff member who started in October. 12
Winter 2022 Issue
“I enjoy being able to have such a positive impact on the residents’ lives in many different ways,” Kara said. “They come into the gym to exercise, but they also may need someone to talk or vent to. I may help them with exercises and suggestions on their diet, but I also help with directions, finding something on Amazon, even helping them with their iPhones. We’ve become such an important part of their day, and they don’t realize it, but they become like our extended family. There are some residents here today who I have known for over 15 to 20 years.” Kara arrived at Masonic Village right out of Penn State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology (exercise and sports science). She’s also a certified American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) exercise physiologist.
