Volunteer Spotlight: Starla Criser – A Champion for Seniors

Starla receiving the Irene Hart Award in 2025 (left) and volunteering at the Linwood Senior Center, opposite a member and Cherise Langenberg, Center Director

A Legacy Spanning Over 30 Years

For more than 30 years, Starla Criser’s dedication to Senior Services of Wichita has remained unwavering. A 1994 graduate of Wichita State University with a degree in gerontology, she began her journey with the organization as an intern, where she launched the Neighborhood Connection Program.

“I’ve always had a deep respect for senior citizens,” she says. “They are a joy to be around.” For Starla, now 75, that belief is more than words, it’s a way of life.

She volunteers her time and talents at the Downtown, Linwood, Haysville, Derby, and Mulvane Senior Centers, sharing her passion as an accomplished author of many books, anthologies, novels and novellas. For years, she has led writing classes that do more than spark creativity, they build connection.

“I like to make people think,” Criser says of her work with seniors. “I’ll give participants five unrelated words and ask them to create a story.”

What begins as a creative exercise often becomes something deeper. “Friendships are formed, and we lean on each other for support through difficult times.”

Starla’s commitment to helping older adults stay active and engaged led her to create Seniors On the Go, an expansion of the former Seniors Exploring the Cultural Arts (SECA). The group attends plays, events, and community activities together. The Active Age has recently been publishing the group’s activity list in its current issues.

“We want Seniors On the Go to be about everything. It’s a way for people, especially those who come alone, to make new friends. And our participation supports the community as a whole.”

A passionate advocate for senior centers, Stala is concerned about the lack of recognition they receive. “Everyone gets older, but it’s hard to get people to pay attention to that, to prepare for it,” she says. “If our senior centers were to close, so many people would become lonelier and more isolated.”

At the same time, she recognizes the need to evolve. “Centers may naturally go away if we can’t adapt to changing generations.” Starla regularly works with Senior Services staff, Center members, and the broader community to advocate for and expand the impact of senior centers.

In 2025, Starla was honored with the Irene Hart Award from Central Plains Area Agency on Aging, recognizing her commitment and excellence in the field. “Her membership, ideas, and encouragement have been priceless,” says Cherise Langenbert, Director of the Linwood Senior Center.

When asked why she gives so much of her time and financial support, Starla’s answer is simple: “Because I can and because I know how much people appreciate it.”

Despite her busy schedule, Starla prioritizes what matters most, time with her husband and daughter. An avid traveler, she especially enjoys European river cruises. And like any true writer, she has no plans to slow down. She is currently working on a novel about three vibrant senior women in small-town Kansas who band together to save their community; a fitting story from the woman who continues to inspire others to live life fully at every age.