Ami Parker joined the Federal Way Senior Commission about a year ago, adding to the list of volunteer senior-related endeavors she has undertaken since discovering that she enjoys helping seniors.

Parker, 60, was born in Richland, Washington, but then lived in Seattle and Bellevue until she was 13 years old, when her family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. Parker said she then went through high school and college in Utah, but eventually, after college, she moved back to Washington.

In 1987, she and her husband at the time bought a house in West Kent, but in 1989, they moved to Federal Way, and she has never moved out of the city since. Parker said Federal Way was a good location because she worked in Seattle and her husband worked in Kent, so it was a good in-between.

Parker said when they bought the house, Federal Way was growing, but the houses were still affordable, so it was a good time to buy a house here. She liked the racial diversity in schools and said it was good for her kids to be in racially diverse schools.

She spent a lot of time at home with her kids, but she also volunteered a lot. Parker said she would volunteer for her kids’ sports teams, arts endeavors and her church.

After her kids grew up, she got divorced from her first husband, so then she had to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. Parker said that it was in 2020 that she first got into real estate.

Parker said real estate work was service-oriented, and that was what she was used to. She said friends told her to become a teacher or a social worker, but she thought real estate would require less training.

After her first few transactions, she realized that all of her clients were seniors, and she knew how to help them. Parker said that in about 2021, interest rates increased, so she decided, while the market cooled, to pursue certifications in senior real estate.

From there, she started getting involved with more senior-related endeavors, which led her to start volunteering at the Federal Way Senior Center. Parker said volunteering with seniors became mutually beneficial. She got to make connections with seniors and serve them, but if they needed help with something related to real estate, then they knew someone they could trust to assist them.

She began offering free sewing services to seniors at the Federal Way Senior Center. She said if any seniors need anything besides a zipper sewn, they can find her on Thursdays around noon at the senior center.

“So I just go and they bring me their projects and I don’t charge them anything. If they feel like they want to pay for it somehow, I tell them just donate to the Senior Center programs, and you know, it’ll work out,” Parker said. “This week I hemmed four pairs of pants for a little short gal, and another one had a wallet she loves that was falling apart, and so I hand-stitched that back together so she could keep using it.”

Parker said her volunteer endeavors include helping at FUSION’s boutique, sewing for the South King Tool Library, being a substitute driver for Meals on Wheels, chairing for the local chapter of the National Aging in Place Council and being a member of the Federal Way Senior Commission.

In May 2024, she joined the commission because she was searching for resources for seniors in Federal Way, and she saw that the senior commission was looking for members. Parker said she applied, was interviewed and then got brought on two days later.

She joined because she wanted to help seniors take advantage of the opportunities available to them. Park said seniors often don’t utilize what’s out there for free.

Parker said because of her connections to the senior industry, she was also able to get more providers at this year’s Senior Health and Resources Fair in Federal Way. She also helped with the Senior Resource Guide.

“I just love to see the relief that they feel, that somebody is helping them. I like to see a need and fill it. It’s gratifying,” Parker said. “I heard a little kid say, ‘It makes you feel warm inside.’ Then the trick is you want to do it again because it made you feel good.”

Parker said some of her favorite things about Federal Way are that the water is nearby, the history of the city despite it being new, and Centerstage Theatre. She said her favorite restaurant is Burger Express.