Foster grandparent program needs volunteers in Fort Bragg schools

The AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent program is now looking for volunteers in the Fort Bragg community to serve in local Elementary Schools and preschools. Now that volunteers can return to school, local students will benefit academically from this additional support.

When Humboldt County resident Susan Nessen retired from the postal service nineteen years ago, she looked forward to leading a laid-back life. “I’d always worked, and I finally had time for other things, “she said, “So I painted a couple of bedrooms and did some landscaping around the house. And then, one day, I remember standing outside and thinking: This is retirement? Ew.”

Not one to waste time, Nessen was soon on the lookout for something new to do that would be fun, engaging, and — most important — beneficial to others. “I’d always enjoyed being around children,” she said, “so I thought I’d see about volunteering at a school.”

Not before long, she was a volunteer teacher’s helper in a first-grade class at Rio Dell’s Eagle Prairie Elementary

School in Humboldt County. Seventeen years later, now 75, Nessen’s still at it and going strong. She’s had a long enough run that this year one of the earliest students she worked with has returned to the school as a kindergarten teacher.

Nessen is a member of the AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program, which sends volunteers 55 and older to serve in local school classrooms nationwide as tutors and one-on-one mentors. Fort Bragg schools are currently in need of Foster Grandparents.

Experience: In Fort

Bragg, no formal experience in tutoring or mentoring is required. North Coast Opportunity Volunteer Network provides pre-service orientation and training.

Time Commitment: Foster Grandparents serve from 5 — 40 hours per week and a minimum of 260 hours per year per volunteer.

Payment: The program provides a small tax-free stipend of $4.00 per hour as an enabler to volunteer. Volunteers also receive a token reimbursement for travel and other related benefits.

For ore information, please visit www.volunteernco.org.