A Stroke of Community
One woman’s brush honors the South Park Senior Center’s 40th Anniversary
Once a construction laborer wielding tools to shape buildings, Susan Kaiser recently picked up a paintbrush to breathe new life into a different kind of brick and mortar: the South Park Senior Center. Susan and a crew of like-minded helpers transformed a plain storage building behind the center into a vibrant mural that captures the heart of the center and the people it has served for the last 40 years.
“The doors to this storage shed were pretty beat up, and had been covered with scratches and graffiti,” Susan recalls. “We decided to paint something on it and make it look a little nicer.” But she didn’t just paint something.
Through a mural design contest organized by Brenda Eichele, a staff member at the center, Susan’s artwork was chosen as the one that best represented the activities and spirit of the Center.
“We asked the seniors in our painting class to submit designs, which were then voted on by the board and general membership,” Brenda says. “Susan was the overwhelming winner. She captured the whole picture. It was exactly what we wanted.”
Tucked away on a shady street on the South Side of town, the South Park Senior Center is typically buzzing with activity, from lively BINGO nights to warm communal lunches and spirited card games. The center fosters connection through nutritious, affordable meals and social activities like quilting and painting classes, bridge, pinochle, and a book club.
Susan and her husband, Tom, got involved a few years ago, and she was quickly drawn to the painting class. “Coming here gives me something to do besides sit and drink coffee and watch the news,” she says. Tom originally came along as what Susan jokingly calls her “security guard” during early morning mural painting sessions.
But it wasn’t long before he found his place there too, Brenda says.
“He came to start sitting with Susan and relaxing while she painted, but he got antsy pretty quickly and wanted to do something,” she recalls. “He brought his weed eater and pressure washer and helped us get the back cleaned up. He gave me 10 bucks and said, ‘I like this place and I’m joining.’”
And now Susan’s winning mural design—a joyful celebration of the center’s vibrant community—has turned the once-plain shed into a beacon of color and connection. Throughout the summer, early mornings found her sketching outlines on the metal doors before the heat set in, gradually adding color as the mural came to life.
“At first I worried I forgot to include the quilting class,” she admits. “But when you look at the mural as a whole, it kind of makes one big quilt. I thought that was just right,” Susan says.
Established in 1985, the South Park Senior Center will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year. Susan says the inspiration for the mural came from the sheer scope of what the center provides.
“It struck me how much they do here for the seniors,” she says. In addition to meals and classes, a free library and small thrift store enhances accessibility to members, and the center strives to provide a safe and welcoming space for older adults to engage, socialize, and thrive.
The mural has quickly become a source of pride. Visitors and regulars alike pause to admire it—snapping photos, pointing out hidden gems like a tiny BINGO chip tucked into a corner or the ace of hearts peeking from a card pile. More than just decoration, the mural stands as a lasting symbol of community—proof that with a little paint and a lot of heart, even a storage shed can become something truly special.
