A Drake University music major is living rent-free at a senior living community in exchange for twice monthly performances. Haley Jenkins, 21, will spend this semester among active seniors at Deerfield, a Lifespace-sponsored continuing care retirement community in Urbandale, Iowa, just a 20-minute drive from Drake’s campus in Des Moines.
Haley’s time at Deerfield is a partnership between the senior living community and Drake’s music department. Deerfield emphasizes intergenerational relationships as a part of successful aging, and Drake’s music department wants its students to gain valuable performance experience — making Haley’s time at the community beneficial to both her and her new neighbors.
See video of Haley performing using the player below.