On a bright Charleston morning, the Waring Senior Center’s fitness room is filled with the rhythmic beat of resistance bands snapping and sneakers sliding across the floors. At the front, the senior center’s fitness coordinator, Ron White, calls out instructions with the cadence of a coach and the warmth of an old friend. A woman in a supportive harness carefully walks a loop around the room, her husband gently guiding her steps with quiet encouragement. In the far corner, a man in his 80s lifts his knees higher than he has in years, some sweat on his brow and a grin on his face. Around him, classmates jog in a wide circle, and the senior center’s manager Aleshia Parrish at the edge, arms outstretched, offering high-fives with each pass.
“We try to provide a safe, encouraging space where older adults can be active at their own pace,” Parrish says. “It’s about meeting people where they are in their wellness journey and helping them stay independent and connected for as long as possible.”
It is a scene that pulses with energy — but even more, it radiates connection. And that’s exactly the kind of thing that happens at Roper St. Francis Healthcare. Here, care doesn’t end with a check-up or a prescription. Offering wellness opportunities for the whole person — mind, body and spirit — throughout the stages of life is part of the Roper St. Francis Healthcare mission of healing all people with compassion, faith and excellence. It’s also critical to addressing clinical needs of our community’s future, a key initiative in the Roper St. Francis Healthcare 2030 Strategic Plan.
A coach with a mission
“I want to boast that I work with the strongest seniors in the country,” White said. “That’s my goal.”
At Waring Senior Center on the Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital campus in West Ashley and at the Lowcountry Senior Center on James Island, it extends into fitness rooms, friendships and full-circle moments where former teachers become students again and students step up to guide the people who once shaped them. What started as a workout became a lifeline.
Systemwide, healing is rooted in community — and strengthened by it. When people say, “Of course that would happen here,” it’s because it does. Every day.
This is not your typical senior workout. For the adults who gather here — many of whom once struggled with illness, isolation or limited mobility — exercise is more than movement. It’s a declaration of independence and an act of love.
With a mix of discipline, humor and heart, White is transforming the way older adults view fitness and aging one class at a time.
But the energy in this room isn’t just about reps and routines. It’s the result of something far more personal, White shared.
His purpose was forged at an early age. After witnessing his grandmother suffer through a stroke with inadequate care, he promised himself that if he ever worked with older adults, he would make sure they never experienced the same hardship. Today, he is more than just a fitness instructor; he’s a coach with a mission.
“I treat them just like athletes,” White said. He aims to help seniors stay on their feet — because a single fall can lead to a cascade of complications, from broken bones to a loss of independence. “They have to stay on their feet to live,” he said.
In fact, White’s No. 1 rule is so widely known that it has become a mantra among his students: no falling.
Full-circle; teachers become students
Carey who taught White in 6th grade, echoed the same message that so many of his students now live by.
“He tells us all the time: ‘Don’t fall!’” she said,” “My sister fell and never fully recovered. That’s why I came to the Waring Senior Center. I want to live to be 100, and I know that staying strong is key.”
Cindy Schirmer, who taught White’s 9th-grade Spanish class, still attends his classes — impressed not only by his methodical pacing and scientific approach, but by the full-circle nature of their relationship. “He was one of my students, and now he’s teaching me how to stay strong,” she said. “It’s a beautiful role reversal. He keeps us moving, laughing and safe.”
White has been at the Waring Senior Center since the doors opened six years ago. A native Charlestonian, he sees his work as being deeply rooted in community. “Four of my former teachers are members here,” he said. “One of the biggest joys I have is getting a chance to give back to them the way they gave to me.”
That sense of purpose drives his work with every participant — like Brenda Harewood, who arrived at Waring Senior Center in search of both strength and belonging. After her husband passed away in Florida, she moved to Charleston to be closer to her sister. Retired after 35 years as a teacher and school administrator, she felt the absence of a larger community.
“I couldn’t even lift my bicycle into my car,” she said. But after just three days of White’s classes, she did it with ease.
Lois Ruggiero, also a retired educator and school administrator, turned to Waring Senior Center after illness left her weak and reliant on a cane. She started with balance classes and slowly built back strength.
“I’m 81 and I like being able to drive, go out, take care of myself,” she said.
Now, Ruggiero participates in multiple classes each week and even leads the book discussion group. She also orders balanced meals from the center’s $7 lunch program, which helps her stay nourished without the hassle of cooking for one. When a fire forced her out of her home in December, the network of friends she found at Waring Senior Center were there to offer comfort.
“Everybody was so supportive,” she said.
In a room where movement meets memory, White is doing more than leading exercise classes. He’s honoring the people who shaped his path and helping cultivate a community of strength, gratitude, and second chances. Here, aging is not faced alone — it’s met together, with open arms, shared strength and a deep sense of purpose that binds every story to the next.
Story by communications intern Sophia Raad.