Your Brain’s New Favorite Activity
Lifestyle choices, like movement, nutritious food, social connection, and mental challenge, can help protect thinking and memory. The Alzheimer’s Association’s U.S. POINTER study, a large U.S. clinical trial, recently reported that two structured “multi-domain” lifestyle programs (physical activity, improved nutrition, cognitive and social challenge, and regular health monitoring) improved cognition in older adults at risk of cognitive decline over nearly two years. The more structured version did even better. That’s big news and it matches exactly what CHEER Academy is built to deliver: a friendly, real-life routine of moving, learning, laughing, and staying connected.
What you’ll find at CHEER Academy
Our curriculum blends body, mind, and community, because healthy aging isn’t one-dimensional. You can expect: •Physical fitness (e.g., Yoga Basics, Chair Aerobics, Tai Chi, Strength Training, Zumba for Beginners) to build balance, endurance, and confidence.
• Nutrition & cooking (Healthy Cooking, Healthy Heart Workshop, Diabetes Management) to make smart eating delicious and doable.
• Mental wellness & “brain fitness” (Mindfulness & Meditation, Brain Games) to reduce stress and sharpen thinking.
• Technology safety (Computer basics with a strong fraud-prevention focus) to help you stay connected, safely.
• Social engagement & creative outlets (Art for Wellbeing, Gardening for Health) because friendship and purpose are powerful medicine.
Classes run in rotating semesters across all seven CHEER centers, with two courses per site each semester and a blend of daytime, evening, and weekend sessions to fit your life. Some sessions may also be offered live online so you can participate from home and still feel part of the class.
Health benefits you can feel
• Move better. Gentle movement improves strength, balance, and mobility; hello, stairs and grocery bags.
• Feel connected. Built-in fellowship fights isolation; we hope that many participants will form friendships that outlast the class itself (that’s our favorite “graduation requirement”).
• Think sharper. Trying new things, practicing skills, and learning in a group can bolster brain function and help counter age-related decline, exactly the kinds of activities reinforced by U.S. POINTER.
Cost? Easy: It’s Free, CHEER membership included
CHEER Academy is FREE to participants and your CHEER membership is included while you’re enrolled. That means you’ll enjoy Academy classes plus the benefits of being part of a welcoming center community. (Snacks may mysteriously improve class attendance too, we have a theory.)
A quick peek at the experience
Imagine starting your week with Chair Aerobics, swapping healthy-recipe tips in Healthy Cooking, getting a calm reset in Mindfulness & Meditation, then learning how to spot online scams in Technology Safety. Cap your semester with a mini-graduation, photos, high-fives, and that “I did it!” glow.
CHEER Academy is ramping up right now across Sussex County
To be among the first to hear when new courses open near you (and to help us plan the classes folks want most), add your name at: www.cheerde.com/cheer-academy. Consider that your “front-row seat” to updates and early registration.
Have a passion? Come teach it
Do you love watercolor, line dancing, birding, Spanish, genealogy, competitive sock pairing, or budgeting on a fixed income? We’re recruiting instructors and course organizers who are excited to share what they know with neighbors 50+. Call Jacquie Reilley at 302-515-0001 x1167 or email jreilley@cheerde.com. Friendly class assistants and blended-learning tech support help keep teaching simple and fun. We are also recruiting classroom assistants.
Bottom line
CHEER Academy is fun, free, educational, and, yes, fun again, because learning with friends is one of the healthiest habits we can practice as we age. It’s Sussex County’s brain and-body gym with a welcoming front porch. Join us, bring a friend, and let’s keep learning, together.
Fall Semester Class Registration Closes September 9, 2026
CHEER Academy Class Graduations
Proud graduates of Texercise, Line Dancing, Tai Chi, and Cardio Drumming classes show off their certificates.
Have a passion? Come teach it.
Do you love watercolor, line dancing, birding, Spanish, genealogy, competitive sock pairing, or budgeting on a fixed income? We’re recruiting instructors and course organizers who are excited to share what they know with neighbors 50+. Call Jacquie Reilley at 302-515-0001 x1167 or email jreilley@cheerde.com.
