Jennifer Walker wins Legacy Award from statewide aging network

Heritage AAA employee Jennifer Walker has been a leading local expert for seniors and their caregivers for more than a decade. Recently her excellence was recognized on a statewide level.

The Iowa Association of Area Agencies on Aging (I4A) this week announced Walker as the winner of the Donna K. Harvey Legacy Award. The award is given annually to one staff member of Iowa’s Area Agencies on Aging “whose work has left a legacy through dedication to excellence, community collaboration and leadership.”

“I really am honored to receive this award from I4A” Walker said. “It can be challenging to help guide people through tough times, but every day it’s rewarding to give back to this community and help our older adults live better lives. Thank you to I4A and Donna Harvey for this recognition, and to my coworkers at Heritage for their support.”

Walker has over 10 years of service at Heritage AAA as an Information, Referral and Assistance Specialist. The role requires a balance of thorough expertise and warm approachability: one must know Heritage programs like the back of their hand and stay current on hundreds of local services for seniors while calmly putting at ease consumers who are worried and new to aging issues.

Her supervisor, Kellie Elliott-Kapparos, noted that Walker is skillful at building relationships with her consumers, which is not always easy when most prefer phone calls instead of face-to-face interaction. She checks in with consumers regularly to offer empathy and maintains relationships with some for years, all while managing a busy caseload that had more than 300 interactions with consumers last month.

Within Heritage walls it’s no secret that Walker is key to the agency’s success. Just as she is a tremendous resource for staff and consumers, peers in the aging network also take notice.

“Jenn is one of the kindest and most knowledgeable individuals in the aging field,” said Jeff Kellbach, Aging Specialist at Johnson County Social Services. “She is a wonderful colleague that I rely on often to discuss options for challenging client situations. Jenn is great at working with new referrals with her calm, cheerful and positive attitude.”

Walker is the first Heritage employee to win the award since its inception in 2021. The award is named for Donna K. Harvey, one of the aging network’s greatest advocates and leaders in Iowa.