Linda Monroe thought she was going to a Valentine’s Day party at Brookdale Canyon Lakes in Kennewick, where she’s worked for more than a decade as a fitness instructor.

But when she walked into the room, ready for the festivities, she got the shock of a lifetime. Her friends and family members – including loved ones who live out of town – were on hand to watch her receive a prestigious national honor.

She was announced as the winner of the Cornerstone Award for Trust, picked from among the more than 30,000 employees at Brookdale sites around the country.

“It was a total surprise,” said Monroe, 67, of Kennewick.

And it meant a lot.  

“I was very honored – that (Brookdale Canyon Lakes leaders) nominated me, and that the residents here have trusted me to work with them and entertain them and help them and just be a part of their lives,” Monroe told the Senior Times.

Joe Green, the retirement community’s executive director, said Monroe is beloved there – a cheerleader for residents, families and staff. She’s won numerous awards within Brookdale Canyon Lakes, Green noted in his nomination for the national honor.

He also included this testimonial from a resident:

“Linda is always cheerful and takes care of everyone! Sometimes she is doing two jobs at once ... She needs to know how much we appreciate her,” the resident wrote.

“My husband went from using a walker and wheelchair when he moved in five years ago to now being able to walk without any assistive device. More importantly, he does not have the long-term back pain that he had for several decades before we moved in. Linda is truly a miracle worker and an expert in senior fitness,” the resident wrote. “We love her.”

Monroe, a certified athletic trainer, grew up in Kimberly, Idaho, near Twin Falls.

She loved sports from the time she was a little girl, and she decided to make her passion for athletics into a career while in college. “I went to the University of Idaho with intent of going into pre-med. And then I found out that there was a job that mixed my love of sports and my love of medicine together,” Monroe said.

She moved to the Tri-Cities in the early 1990s to take a job in the physical therapy department at Kennewick General Hospital, now Trios.

Then 11 years ago, she heard about a job opening at Brookdale Canyon Lakes and it seemed like a fun change of pace. At Brookdale, she teaches five to seven fitness classes for residents a day, from water aerobics to balance and yoga.

Monroe said she loves interacting with the residents and watching their lives improve as they gain fitness and mobility. Many of them credit Monroe for making their lives better.

One resident, for example, “claims it’s all because of her exercise that she has lived as long as she has, and she’s 102 years old,” Monroe said.

“They’re trusting me to help them, and I feel really honored to work with them to regain that freedom,” said Monroe, who also helps with Brookdale's choir and monthly comedy night.

Monroe is an avid Seahawks and Mariners fan. She’s also long played softball and tennis, although she’s largely been playing pickleball lately.

At age 67, she still loves coming into work every day, sometimes even bringing her Jack Russell terrier Luna to delight residents and coworkers.

“It’s not work to me. It's fun. I wouldn't mind if classes started a little bit later that 7:30 a.m., but other than that,” she said with a laugh. “I don't even think about retirement.”