“I had surgery for cancer twice, but I don’t dwell on that, I get up everyday and look for something that gives me life. I try to go and uplift somebody else’s life because I know what it’s like to be in a nursing home or rehab center. It’s a beautiful thing they have there at CEI, they bring everybody out so they’re not just watching TV all day long and getting depressed. I have a good friend there and we play dominoes; he beats me up some days and I beat him up others.”

– Mrs. Peppers, Age 89

Twice a week Mrs. Helen Peppers goes to the Josie Barrows Center for entertainment, socializing, and meals. The center is part of the Center for Elders’ Independence (CEI) PACE program and is located on the lower level of the Eastmont Mall complex in East Oakland, and provides senior care needs for residents of Hayward, East Oakland, San Leandro, Castro Valley, San Lorenzo and neighboring communities.