UW Whitewater Women’s Soccer grows bond with Fairhaven Senior Center residents

WHITEWATER, Wis. (WMTV) - In her hometown of Whitewater, 93-year-old Fairhaven Senior Center Resident Marion Burrows has been at Fairhaven for around twenty years. Some of her favorite parts of Fairhaven are the events and opportunities that allow her to be independent and meet new people.

One 8-year partnership with UW Whitewater Women’s Soccer Team creates intergenerational connections and bonds between Fairhaven residents and the college students. This Friday, the soccer team and residents played bingo together. Burrows always enjoys time spent with them.

“They do a lot for us. I mean, they make us feel young and I love talking with students. It’s always a delight,” Burrows said.

Burrows also has previous connections with the university. Her husband was a professor at UW Whitewater, and after she was a secretary, Burrows decided to become a student there. She got her Bachelor’s and Master’s from the college.

With her mother previously staying at Fairhaven too, this partnership connects both her love of UW Whitewater and the Fairhaven community.

“You play because you want to be with folks,” Burrows said.

UW Whitewater students feel fulfilled just the same. UW Senior Soccer Player Emily Thill said it brings her so much joy and she learns a lot.

“It’s just so interesting to hear their stories and just everything about them and what they’ve lived through and then get to share my experiences with them too,” Thill said. “It’s a really great bond that we built with the university and Fairhaven.”

The soccer team does a Play for a Cause game annually. Last fall, they picked Alzheimer’s as their cause.

After raising around $5,000 dollars for their Hearthstone Memory Care Unit, Fairhaven is ecstatic.

“We were just floored. Everyone was. It was so great to reach out to staff members here, the department managers and others to get them an update, and their jaw would drop,” Director of Marketing Brian Robinson said.

Aside from bingo games and other events with the soccer team, residents also get to watch the girls play soccer.

“My granddaughters were also soccer players, and I just love to see them on the field,” Burrows reiterated.

Aside from the events, the money from the team’s Play for a Cause fundraiser will go to fund a garden revamp at Hearthstone Memory Care. With laughs and love, their partnership continues to grow.

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