Consider new life as a guardian ad litem

Imagine three hungry children and their mother living in a bus stop with no place to go. Imagine these children crossing a busy intersection to get to a bathroom at a gas station to wash up every day. Situations like this are happening all over America. I know this because as a volunteer guardian ad litem, I see it day in and day out. Volunteering for this program will open your eyes and your heart to helping these children. There are thousands of children in the foster care system who need our help. If you love children and want to help children, this is a tremendous opportunity for you to be productive when you retire.

Your initial reaction might be, “I don’t have any experience in social work.” I thought the same thing. I was in business for over 40 years and didn’t know the first thing about this program. After taking a six-day training, it occurred to me that if you have a beating heart and you love to help children, this is all you need. While volunteering for the Guardian ad Litem program, you come to learn that you are the only consistent adult in these children’s lives. Some children are in and out of foster care several times until they reach the magical age of 18.

As a retiree, I wanted to give back to society and volunteer for something worthwhile. Helping down and out children is an incredible experience of which everyone should be apart. There is just so much golf you can play, so much reading you can do and so much TV you can watch. I promise you, if you get involved in this program, it will not only change a child’s life — it will change yours as well. David Zelniker, Hollywood