After a month of working as program director for Catholic Charities’ St. Martin de Porres Senior Center in Alexandria, Juanita Balenger said she enjoys serving seniors.
Her work is a “calling from the Lord to support the independence and well-being of the seniors,” she said.
“The seniors enjoy coming to the senior center every day, where they can engage in conversation and activities, exercise to stay fit, learn from others and enjoy lunch together,” Balenger said. “The staff and volunteers are wonderful, and they are very dedicated to the mission.”
Balenger joined the staff in March. As program director, Balenger oversees operations at the center and coordinates senior services throughout the Arlington diocese.
Born in Washington, Balenger grew up in Northern Virginia. She graduated from Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington and Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg. She is a parishioner of St. Michael Church in Annandale.
With more than 25 years of federal, state, and local government experience, Balenger specialized in developing relationships with clients and various groups through community events, conferences, and training events. Recently, she served as adviser to the Assistant Secretary for Aging in the Administration for Community Living in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
During her time at HHS, Balenger supported the immediate COVID-19 response in 2020 to assist older adults, including serving on the Elder Justice Coordinating Council, the Financial Literacy and Education Committee, and the Multi-Agency Task Force on Increasing the Employment of People with Disabilities.
Balenger served as a community outreach coordinator at the office of the Virginia Attorney General and as director of Triad, a crime prevention program helping older adults protect themselves from abuse. Through Triad, Balenger facilitated education on the financial exploitation of seniors to local law enforcement and provided several hundred presentations on identity theft, avoiding scams and frauds, and consumer protection matters for thousands of seniors across Virginia. She has handled hundreds of constituent inquiries on various consumer issues.
Balenger served on the governor’s Advisory Board on Service and Volunteerism (2010–14), where she served for two years as board chairman . She served on the Fairfax County Consumer Protection Commission to protect the consumers of Fairfax County, including older adults.
“I look forward to hearing from the seniors on their ideas to make the senior center enjoyable; partnering with the City of Alexandria; and continuing to let seniors who are 60-plus and residents of the City of Alexandria know that our doors are open, and they are welcome to come by,” Balenger said.
