DAYTON — “Better late than never,” is what WHIO’s James Brown said about finally being able to show how high school senior Jeffrey Wall is “Making a Difference.”
It took more than a year for the stars, the moon, and a little luck for their schedules to align to see how Wall is making a difference. He’s busy, along with a packed school schedule at Chaminade-Julienne, football, track, and martial arts. Wall started Golden Age Karate a few years ago.
“I noticed my grandmother felt lonely when I wasn’t around, so I thought others might feel the same way,” Wall said.
He was correct. About three years ago, he reached out to some retirement communities and volunteered to get their residents moving. He wanted to strengthen them physically and mentally.
“These seniors, they’ve got a lot left in them. We should treat them as such,” Wall said. At Omega Senior Lofts in Dayton, Wall has about a dozen women whom he trains every month. They call themselves the Ninja Nannies.
Martha Winston is 87 years old. “It’s a way to get us out and give us something to do besides sitting around looking at the walls,” Winston said.
Dressed in her karate uniform called a GI, Winston, and other ladies threw punches in the air and kicked the legs to warm up and get the blood flowing. Standing in from the Ninja Nannies, Wall said, “Now, it’s time for everybody’s favorite part, you get to fight me.”
The ladies took turns punching Wall in the stomach. He teaches them self-defense moves. " I want them to know they can walk out of the house and not feel scared, that OH maybe somebody will come to try and rob me,” Wall said.
“There’s not too many of them running around. He’s phenomenal. I’m so proud of him,” said Joan Evans-Nesby. She smiled and laughed as she talked about how grateful they are to have Wall in their lives.
Brown said to Wall, “I’m looking at a senior, teaching seniors – it’s only separated by about 50-60 years.” Wall laughed. “We teach each other a lot of things. I teach them how to be a millennial and they teach me what it means to live,” Wall said.