#seniorcorpsworks

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Senior Corps is Good for Your Health

Americans are living longer than ever and achieving even more. As they enter their second act, they’re choosing to take on new roles after decades of hard work to ensure greater opportunities for the generations that follow. Senior Corps provides an opportunity to harness the experience and dedication of an entire generation for the greater good.

For decades, Senior Corps volunteers have made a commitment to country and community through volunteer service, using a lifetime of skills and experiences. Today, more than 245,000 volunteers age 55+ are serving through Senior Corps’ programs – Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions, and RSVP.

Senior Corps service strengthens communities, and helps its volunteers lead active, healthy lives. Today, we can start to see just how healthy. 

After their first year of service, Senior Corps volunteers report improvements in their health, physical capacity, anxiety, loneliness and social isolation, and life satisfaction.

Visit SeniorCorps.gov/HealthyVolunteers to see the specific data points and register for a webinar happening on July 26. You will also be able to learn more about the impact of Senior Corps or find a volunteer opportunity in your community.

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Two-Way Street: The Power of Giving Back Through Senior Corps

By Emily Shea, City of Boston Commissioner on Affairs of the Elderly

Giving back is a two-way street. Senior Corps programs enrich the city of Boston, adding meaning and purpose to the lives of the recipients as well as the volunteers themselves.

In my experience as Commissioner on Affairs of the Elderly for the City of Boston as well as my time as Director of Elders Services at ABCD, I have had the opportunity to work with Senior Corps volunteers, who are 55 and over, from all three programs: RSVP, Senior Companions, and Foster Grandparents. What makes these programs so special is the amazing commitment from older adult volunteers.

I have seen people volunteer for a number of reasons and at different life stages. 

We have volunteers who are retired and are looking to fill their time with consistent activities. Sometimes, they are working and want to dedicate a few hours a week to their community. Some volunteers want to use the skill sets that they have developed in their career. Other times, volunteers are eager about building new skills. 

Though the circumstances vary, volunteering with the following Senior Corps programs is always an opportunity to find purposeful activities that create meaning and connection.

RSVP

RSVP is one of the largest volunteer networks in the country for people 55+. The RSVP program is as diverse as our Boston community, making it possible for older adults to volunteer in many ways and with flexible time commitments, including:

Coaching seniors on how to navigate public transportation,

Teaching ESL, and

Assisting veterans and military families

At the City of Boston, we take a lot of care with the interview process to understand what volunteers are passionate about so we can make a match that’s good for everyone.

Senior Companions

With the Senior Companions program, volunteers work with older adults in Boston who are more frail and just need a little extra support to continue to live well at home. Some ways Senior Companions volunteer their time include:

Driving to important appointments,

Providing light cooking, and

Providing socialization and companionship

This program helps make it possible for Boston’s older residents to live independently in their communities, and it also provides some respite and comfort to families and caregivers. For the older adults they volunteer with, Senior Companions are people you can rely on -- they become friends.

Foster Grandparents

Volunteers in the Foster Grandparents program become an extra pair of eyes and ears in the classroom for children with exceptional needs. They provide individualized support and attention to students in the classroom. Sometimes this includes:

Tutoring,

Mentoring, and

Advocating

For children in this program, a Foster Grandparent is someone steady in their lives: someone who can be counted on.

Ultimately, who makes a good volunteer for these programs? 

Someone who really wants to make an impact. It is about deepening connections in the community, and creating ways for older adults in Boston to continue to share their lessons, experiences, and expertise with the city. 

Tyissha Jones-Horner, Administrative Director of Volunteer Programs at the Elderly Commission, explained that the relationships become more like family.

“Many of the volunteers begin to feel like extended family to the people they serve,” said Jones-Horner. “They are a group of diverse, inspirational folks, each bringing their own unique personality to every opportunity along with a wealth of knowledge and life experiences; they have certainly become a part of my extended family as well.”

The Commission on Affairs of the Elderly facilitates full and equal participation in all aspects of life by older adults in Boston. The commission is dedicated to improving the lives of Boston’s older adults by connecting them with resources and information, and it is focused on setting the city’s direction for successful aging in Boston. Visit www.boston.gov for more information.

Follow our Senior Corps Week 2017 stories by searching #SeniorCorpsWorks on social media.

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Celebrating Seniors who Serve

By Mei Cobb, United Way

“Seniors are a source of energy we need to plug into” says Becky Polk, RSVP Program Director of Central County United Way in Hemet, CA. In more than 28,000 locations across the U.S., the nation’s Senior Corps program does just that.

Through Senior Corps, Foster Grandparents are mentoring and tutoring students, Senior Companions are helping the frail elderly remain in their own homes, and RSVP volunteers help out with disaster relief, caring for the environment, supporting veterans and military families, and providing tax preparation services to low-income and elderly individuals.

“Seniors are a source of energy we need to plug into.” - Becky Polk, RSVP Program Director, Central County United Way

And in Hemet, Virginia Lopez, Thomas Covington, and other retirees interested in crime prevention are “Citizen Patrol Volunteers” through the RSVP program sponsored by United Way. The volunteers help with crowd control at parades and other events, drive a volunteer patrol car to check on schools, and at the Hemet Police Department offices, file, deliver court papers and do whatever else is needed, allowing the department’s personnel to devote time and other resources to more pressing matters. Virginia and Thomas are two of nearly 450 RSVP volunteers that served more than 12,000 hours in Hemet last year.

In Vermont, Theresa Hope has been a devoted Foster Grandparent since 2012. The 80-year old spends nearly all day every school day at the St. Albans City School. In addition to reading to and playing with the children, and helping in other ways, Theresa also works one-on-one with a few students to provide additional support as they progress with their literacy skills. United Way of Northwest Vermont sponsors the Foster Grandparents program, coordinating dozens of volunteers in three counties.

May 15-19, 2017, is Senior Corps Week, a time to recognize the extraordinary impact Virginia, Thomas, Theresa and the other 245,000 Senior Corps volunteers make in their communities, like tutoring and mentoring 267,000 children and helping more than 840,000 frail elderly receive independent living services in 2015. The seniors benefit as much as the people they help, staying active and connected to their community.

Do you know a senior with time and energy to spare? Your local United Way will be happy to channel their energy and enthusiasm in a meaningful volunteer opportunities.

This post originally appeared on the United Way blog. Follow our Senior Corps Week stories by searching #SeniorCorpsWorks on social media.

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A Senior Corps Week Tribute

By:Tess Scannell, former director of Senior Corps 

As we embark upon Senior Corps Week 2016, I am reflecting about the years I served as Director of Senior Corps, a politically-appointed position, from 2001 through 2009.

After leaving that position in 2009 and later moving with my husband to Maine, one of my first stops was the University of Maine Center on Aging (UMCOA) where the Director, Dr. Len Kaye generously  gave me the UMCOA "lay of the land.” UMCOA is a big player in education and research in aging throughout the state and sponsors several programs including the Senior Corps RSVP and Senior Companion Programs, and Encore Leaders. Before long, I found myself engaged with Senior Corps again, now serving as a board member of the RSVP Project of Hancock, Penobscot, Piscataquis and Washington Counties.  I have enjoyed participating in its ongoing transition from “legacy” volunteers at meal sites to outcome-oriented assignments, and now, their efforts to develop signature evidenced-based programs. All of my fellow board members are active leaders from different groups and businesses in the counties served by the RSVP project. We have worked together to help RSVP increase programming with veterans, early literacy and reading, and a fabulous new STEM effort. I helped start a new “Bone Builders” class in my little town (for my own selfish reasons, I confess.)  Bone Builders is not recognized as an evidenced–based program, some of us are researching ways to strengthen it with a view toward making changes that may qualify it as evidence- based in the future. I was proud to be part of the Senior Corps, when in 1995, under the leadership of Tom Endres, we launched “Programming for Impact.”  The idea behind “Programming for Impact” was to ensure that Senior Corps programs were implementing programming that resulted in evidence-based impact. Over the last 20 years, I have seen RSVP continue to evolve and remain relevant in hundreds of communities throughout the country.   RSVP volunteers continue to make a real difference in the lives of people of all ages. The key to this ongoing success and relevance of RSVP is, of course, the generosity and commitment of the volunteers but a great debt is also owed to RSVP sponsors like the UMCOA.

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#SeniorCorpsWorks: RSVP Volunteers Serve Fellow Vets in New York 

This video shows how Senior Corps RSVP Veterans Court program provides an opportunity for RSVP veterans to help fellow veterans. 

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#SeniorCorpsWorks: Serving Veterans - RSVP Veterans Coffeehouse

By CNCS Connecticut State Office

Senior Corps’ RSVP Thames Valley Council for Community Action project hosts a weekly RSVP Veterans Coffeehouse.  The RSVP Veterans Coffeehouse offers a venue for veterans to socialize while offering them information on benefits available to veterans and their families. Regular attendees include representatives of the Soldiers, Sailors and Marines Fund and the Veterans Service Office of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs.

The program has proven so popular and effective that U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal now wants to hold similar gatherings across the state. With the help of RSVP coordinator and veteran Greg Kline, TVCCA launched the initiative last April in Killingly to provide a meeting place for veterans in Connecticut’s rural northeastern corner.

Through connections made at the coffeehouse, several veterans have been able to gain access to additional services and benefits for which they were eligible. Two veterans were awarded full disability for Agent Orange complications. A 92-year-old veteran received two new hearing aids at no charge.  Eight veterans began receiving housing, energy, medical and food assistance through the Soldiers, Sailors & Marines Fund. Other veterans are gaining access to health care through the VA as a result of coffeehouse connections.    

The informal coffeehouse setting encourages communication and fosters connections to create a social support network for veterans, who can gather to share common experiences.  For Edgar Muniz, a vet who served with the Marines in the 1960s & 70s, going to the coffee house provides a chance to connect with people who have a shared experience, “Even though people are going through different situations, you can appreciate one another. A vet might feel more secure about talking (to another veteran). Some (vets) don’t want to talk with people who have never been in their shoes.”

The coffeehouse has also proven popular with elected officials. Several local mayors and first selectmen attended the coffeehouse ribbon cutting in September. In early November, 60 veterans were joined by Congressman Joe Courtney and 100 other individuals at a Veteran Corps pinning ceremony at an auditorium in the same building where the coffeehouse is held. Congressman Courtney was joined at the pinning ceremony by two state senators. Later in November, Senator Richard Blumenthal presented a 99-year-old World War II veteran with medals at the RSVP Veterans Coffeehouse.

In March, Congressman Joe Courtney returned to the coffeehouse to present more than a dozen Korean War veterans with long overdue medals. Also in March, Senator Blumenthal hosted a Veterans Coffeehouse in Torrington, Connecticut in hopes of partnering with other RSVP projects to launch veterans’ coffeehouses statewide. In April, several local elected officials helped celebrate the first anniversary of the Killingly coffeehouse. U.S. Senator Chris Murphy sent a letter of congratulations. Veterans’ coffeehouses are currently in the works for Meriden and Pawcatuck.

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#SeniorCorpsWorks: Senior Companion Vet Helps World War II Vet

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l403IKfCQ2M)

Steve Vradenburg, a Senior Companion volunteer with Senior Services of Snohomish County, has been paired with his client, Art in Seattle, Washington.  Art is 94 years old and a World War II veteran who lost his sight and a limb during the Battle of Normandy in 1944.  Yet, he still lives independently with the help of his Senior Companion volunteer Steve.  Steve was a combat medic during the Vietnam War and received two Purple Hearts for his service. He helps Art continue to remain independent by grocery shopping, golfing, gardening, and participating in other activities together. Watch this video to see how this pair of veterans still learn things from each other and cherish the time they spend together. 

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#SeniorCorpsWorks: A Senior Corps Foster Grandparent in the Classroom

By Olivia Gentile, via Reblog from The Grandparent Effect

What if every classroom had a grandparent?

Kids need love. Grandparents are good at giving it.

That’s why an army of them is being recruited by the superintendent of schools in Syracuse, N.Y., where too many students have been getting suspended and too few have been graduating.

Soon, a “foster grandparent” will be stationed in every first- and second-grade classroom in all 18 elementary schools in the city. Superintendent Sharon Contreras is hoping the volunteers will enable more kids to build “a positive connection with an adult in the school building,” which will in turn improve their attendance, behavior, and grades.

The national foster grandparent program, which is overseen and funded by the federal government, matches volunteers ages 55 and over with children who need a mentor, a tutor, or both. There have been foster grandparents in the Syracuse elementary schools for decades, but, until recently, their ranks were thin, as in most school systems.

So far, about 115 out of 131 first- and second-grade classrooms have been staffed, according to Beth O’Hara, the director of senior services for Peace Inc., which operates the foster grandparent program in Syracuse and is working with Contreras to expand its presence in the city’s schools.

Volunteers—who needn’t actually be grandparents, but who are usually called Grandma or Grandpa by the kids they’re working with—commit to spending at least 15 hours a week in the classroom to which they’re assigned, and they’re asked to serve for at least a year.

Though they receive a small stipend, “they’re not doing it for $53 a week,” O’Hara says. “They’re doing it because they want to make a difference.”

Steve Walker, 63, a retired pastor, is volunteering at Dr. King Elementary School under second-grade teacher Caitlin Melvin, and he helps out however she needs him to, he says. Often, that means keeping the kids in order so she can stay focused on instructing them.

“I say, ‘We’re called Team Melvin.’ [And] I’ve convinced them that when they mess up, they affect the whole team. So … if two or three of them mess up I say, ‘Guess what? Y’all messed it up for the whole team. So you guys don’t get recess.’”

But he always gives them a chance to earn it back, he says, and his first priority is to “show them love.”

“Because I know at home, a lot of them aren’t getting any love; they’re not receiving love. Some of them come to school so mad, so frustrated, and so angry. So when I see them I say ‘Good morning’ to them. I’ve taught them [that] when they walk in the classroom, as soon as they open the door, they are obligated to say ‘Good morning.’ So if they don’t, I make them go back out the door and come back in and say ‘Good morning.’”

Ann Calderone, 65, a retired library clerk who assists in a first-grade classroom at LeMoyne Elementary School, spent much of the fall providing one-on-one support to a recent immigrant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The little girl couldn’t speak English well enough to work independently, and the teacher had 24 other kids to worry about, so “Granny Annie” sat with her for weeks and helped her along.

About 20,000 students attend the Syracuse public schools, about 80 percent of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. Roughly 20 percent receive special education services, and about 10 percent are refugees. The high school graduation rate is only about 60 percent.

O’Hara and her staff at Peace Inc. are in charge of recruiting, screening, training, and placing the volunteers, who then report directly to teachers.

The federal government is providing $400,000 annually for the expanded program, and the Syracuse Board of Education is kicking in $350,000 per year.

Most of that money goes toward compensating the volunteers, O’Hara says.