Cherie R. Blazer, Philosopher in Chief and Wordsmith Extraordinaire
Cherie is a late bloomer Boomer, born at the tail end of the Boomer generation. She was playing with Barbies while her older sisters marched on Washington and fought for equal rights, but watched and learned. Now she is an empty nester with a whole new future to explore and share at BoomerConnections! As “Philosopher in Chief” Cherie merely wants to change the world with this blog: to encourage those of us in the midst of our “second act” to look at life with new eyes, open to a life filled with new beginnings rather than endings, and to apply all we have learned to a way of living that is more meaningful and profound. There is SO much to live for, up until the very end.
Cherie is the youngest of 5 children who were born in the years from 1950 to 1962, of parents who embodied The Greatest Generation. Dad was a Purple Heart WWII vet and her parents raised the family on a farm in rural Pennsylvania and worked incredibly hard to achieve The American Dream. Cherie graduated from Penn State with a degree in Communications and also obtained a Masters degree from Penn State in Public Administration and spent most of her career in PR and Communications. It is this background in writing and communications that initially prompted her interest in blogging.
Cherie took a special interest in the needs of the Boomer/Senior population when she and her family struggled through a difficult caregiving situation with her aging parents. She draws on all of these experiences as she strives to tell the Great Boomer Story.
“There is a vast brain trust embodied in the Baby Boomer population, which has changed the world and continues to do so,” says Cherie. “The challenges, experiences, ideas and questions of our generation make for a very interesting forum. We see Boomer Connections as that forum.”
Our tag line here at Boomer Connections is…Connect Yourself, Share Yourself, and Enjoy Yourself. Cherie has spent her career writing and communicating and brings this ability to our blog. She focuses on enjoying life. With her series This Boomer’s Life she will recount her experiences exploring the great big world that awaits Boomers in their “second act,” which often entails the newfound freedoms of retirement and empty nesting or a second career. She believes Boomers are ready for the next adventure, not the rocking chair.
In addition to being one of the founders of Boomer Connections and its chief content provider and Editor, Cherie is Owner/Principal of Company B Communications. She offers clients services in corporate writing, copywriting, editing and PR/Communications programming. She is also a memoirist, helping individuals, especially the elderly, record their life stories. She knows everyone’s journey has been fascinating in its own way, and feels strongly about preserving the lessons and meaning of each one. She has been married for 30 years to Rob, a retired Air Force Colonel and has one daughter Alex who is attending her own alma mater, Penn State.
Cherie has always tried to stay connected to her profession and the community. She is a member of Richmond Senior Network, Richmond Public Relations Society, and Virginia Professional Communicators. Over the years she has been a member of Rotary, National Association of Women Business Owners, and James River Writers. She is a Board member of Jackson Field Behavioral Health Services based in Jarrat, VA, and the Creative Arts Center in Glen Allen, VA. She is active in her church and has volunteered in parent’s organizations, animal rescue, and as a hospital patient advocate.
