Stop by the Senior Center at GEARS in Elizabethtown, and you never know what you might see.

"There's a little something different happening each day," said Jess Raush, Senior Center director.

Seniors might be playing Wii games, gardening, enjoying trivia, taking community walks or competing in bingo. Breakfast is served two days a week, and lunch is offered Monday through Friday at the center, located at 70 S. Poplar St., Elizabethtown.

The programs are funded in part by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the Lancaster County Office of Aging, and all programs and activities are designed with the center's mission in mind: to enhance the dignity, independence and community involvement of older citizens. The organization also seeks to provide good nutritional, social, educational, recreational and cultural programs for participants; to provide a support system of informational and referral services for those with specific needs; and to provide opportunities for learning new skills, personal growth and the sharing of common interests.

"We're here for fun and camaraderie," Raush said. "We offer a little bit of something for everyone!"

Programs are offered free of charge to anyone age 60 and up, although donations are received in a donation box on-site if people feel moved to give. Participants come from a large service area that includes Elizabethtown, Bainbridge, Mount Joy, Salunga, Landisville and Manheim.

The staff members of the Senior Center are always looking for new ways to entertain guests and enhance the lives of seniors, so when a community member named Karen stopped by to volunteer, Raush was thrilled.

"Karen was a nurse prior to retiring," Raush said. "She brings hats, she plays the guitar as she sings and she sings songs that the seniors would be familiar with - songs from their time growing up."

Known among Senior Center visitors as "the Singing Nurse," Karen loves giving back to her community.

"She has so much joy; after her first time joining us, the seniors were hooked and liked having her!" Raush said, encouraging other members of the community to consider volunteering. "If you have a special talent for music, crafts, gardening, health (or really almost anything), we can use you! The most important part is to have a smile."

While programs like Karen's are entertaining, they also serve another purpose: helping seniors thrive.

"We're here to put smiles on people's faces," Raush noted. "We meet so many needs including social, (nutritional) as well as helping people find social services they may need."

For more information on volunteering, call Raush at 717-367-7984 or stop by the center.