‘GRANDPARENTS’ GIVING BACK
Foster Grandparent Program seek volunteers and donated holiday gifts
TROY, N.Y. >> The Foster Grandparent Program through Commission on Economic Opportunity has been serving the community for over 40 years and they are always looking for more volunteers to give back to the communities they serve.
The program is federally funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service and it has been a national program since 1965 and has been a program offered through CEO since 1976.
The program allows anyone 55 or older, with an income of $24,000 for a single person and $32,000 for a couple, to commit at least 15 hours a week, helping children to learn and grow through fun and educational activities.
The program serves hundreds of children in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady counties. Volunteers of the program will be able to volunteer with children at various schools, Head Start and Early Head Start program, after- school program, along with teen and preteen programs within the county that they live
in. Officials said the program serves children from 6 weeks old to 24-years-old.
“I believe this program helps promote health, specifically in seniors,” said Foster Grandparent Program Outreach& Recruitment Specialist Kayla Jones. “They’re getting out, they’re socializing, they’re just doing more and it also gives them a purpose, they are becoming the grandparent of the classroom. “They’re also very well known throughout the community.”
Jones also said that the teachers in the classrooms enjoy having the “grandparent” volunteer in their classrooms.
“It’s wonderful because all of the teachers love to have the extra hand,” said Jones. “I believe what [the volunteers] receive out of it is having a purpose each day, to get up, to come into work and to give back to the very community that they’ve worked in or lived in their whole life and it gives them something to look forward to each day.”
Jones said that the volunteers will receive a monetary tax-free stipend and that they also receive partial mileage reimburse- ment. Jones also noted that the program currently has over 85 volunteers and that they are looking to have roughly 100 volunteers total.
“We are really looking to recruit [volunteers] in Schenectady and Saratoga [counties],” said Jones.
On Wednesday, the officials with the program will host a holiday party at The Century House for all of the volunteers within the program and each volunteer will receive various gifts donated by community members this year as well.
“We want to give back to our volunteers that have given us so much in their volunteer work and all that they have done for us,” said Jones. “We want to recognize them and we thought by doing a gift drive and getting people from the community, donating gifts to them that it would be very meaningful.”
Jones said that people can still drop off gifts to the CEO in Troy up until Wednesday morning. She said that any gently used items, any board games, and adult coloring books along with any winter clothing would be helpful.
If people are interested in volunteering with the program they can reach out the staff at (518) 2726012 ext. 315.