.
. SO
. SO ONE
. SO ONE OF THE PERKS OF AGING IS GAINING WISDOM.
SO WHY NOT SHARE THAT WITH THE
NEXT GENERATION?
I SPOKE WITH EIGHT ALLIED AVRA
GAS FROM HOMMAGE IN SNOHOMISH
COUNTY ABOUT HOW THEY'RE
CONNECTING SENIORS WITH THE
COMMUNITY.
>> THE FOSTER GRANDPARENT
PROGRAM IS AN AMERICORPS
PROGRAM WITH AMERICORPS SENIORS
AND IT BRINGS VARIOUS RETIRED
SENIORS RETIREES TO HELP IN
THEIR COMMUNITY AS MENTORS AND
TUTORS WITH CHILDREN.
>> THERE'S MANY DIFFERENT
PROGRAMS THAT THEY CAN JOIN.
THERE ARE PUBLIC SCHOOLS ALL
THE WAY FROM ELEMENTARY TO HIGH
SCHOOL.
THERE'S CONTINUATION PROGRAMS.
THERE'S HOMELESS SHELTERS.
THERE ARE INFANT TODDLER
CENTERS.
SO IT REALLY COVERS QUITE A
GAMUT.
HOW DOES ONE BECOME A FOSTER
GRANDPARENT?
>> THEY CONTACT US.
WE SEND THEM AN APPLICATION
WHEN THEY SEND IT BACK.
WE DO AN INTERVIEW AND THEN
THEY GO THROUGH A 20 HOUR
ORIENTATION PROCESS WHICH
SOUNDS OVERWHELMING BUT IT'S
REALLY NOT THAT BAD.
AND THERE'S A FEW MODULES IN
THERE BASICALLY LIKE MANDATED
REPORTING AND A CDC AGES AND
STAGES PROGRAM THAT KIND
OF JUST AS A REFRESHER COURSE
ON DIFFERENT AGES AND WHAT KIDS
ARE LIKE IN THOSE AGES AND THEN
WE GO THROUGH A FEW OTHER
COMMUNITY RESOURCES IN THEM
BECAUSE WE WANT OUR SENIORS TO
BE GIVEN ALL THE RESOURCES THAT
THEY NEED TO TO BE ABLE TO TO
DO THIS PROGRAM AND NOT HAVE
ANY BARRIERS IN THEIR LIVES
THAT WOULD PREVENT THAT.
SO THEN WE DO A BACKGROUND
CHECK.
IT'S A FBI FEDERAL BACKGROUND
CHECK.
IT'S ITS NAME, IT'S PHOTOGRAPH,
IT'S FINGERPRINT AND IT GOES
THROUGH ALL 50 STATES SEX
OFFENDERS.
AND SO ONCE ALL OF THAT CLEARS
THEN THEY THEY JOIN WITH US AND
WE START LOOKING FOR A STATION
FOR THEM.
IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYONE IS WELL
EDUCATED AND WELL PROTECTED.
>> CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE
STUDENT MENTOR PROGRAM?
WHAT'S THAT ALL ABOUT?
SINCE WE ARE IN OUR PANDEMIC
MODE, OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE
ASSISTING VIRTUALLY SO THEY ARE
IN CONTACT WITH THE TEACHERS
THAT THEY'VE BEEN SET UP WITH.
AND EACH TEACHER DOES SOMETHING
A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
SO THERE'S SOME TEACHERS THAT
WILL HAVE THE VOLUNTEERS SIT
WITHIN THEIR CLASS AND THEY'LL
MONITOR CHAT BOX SO THE TEACHER
CAN KEEP THE FLOW OF THE CLASS
GOING AND THE VOLUNTEER CAN
ANSWER THE STUDENTS QUESTIONS.
THERE ARE SOME SMALLER SESSIONS
WHERE VOLUNTEER WILL GO INTO A
SMALL BREAKOUT ROOM WITH A FEW
STUDENTS WORKING ON A PROBLEM
OR SOMETHING.
>> THERE'S ALSO SOME INDIVIDUAL
ONE ON ONE MENTORING AVAILABLE.
AND IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT THE
TEACHER IS IN NEED OF OR THE
STATION IS IN NEED OF BECAUSE
IT MIGHT NOT JUST BE IN AN
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
WE DO HAVE A LIBRARY PROGRAMS
THAT ARE DOING READING
COMPETITIONS AND READING
COACHING AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND SO THEY'RE ALSO HELPING
WITH THOSE PROGRAMS THAT'S SO
WONDERFUL AND SO DEAR TO OUR
HEARTS BECAUSE IT'S SO
IMPORTANT THAT READING ASPECT
AND EDUCATION AND GETTING
LEARNING THE LOVE TO READ
BECAUSE AS HE SO I UNDERSTAND
THAT THIS PROGRAM IS A
PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN AMERICORPS
AND HOMMAGE.
>> CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW THAT
WORKS?
WE HAVE A SECTION WITHIN
AMERICORPS CALLED SENIOR CORPS.
SO IT'S AMERICORPS SENIORS AND
THEY HAVE A FEW DIFFERENT
PROGRAMS FOR SENIORS TO KEEP
THEM ENGAGED IN THE COMMUNITY
AND HELP UTILIZE THEM AS A
VALUABLE ASSET.
SO THIS IS AN AMERICORPS
SENIORS PROGRAM.
IT'S FUNDED THROUGH THEM AND
BASICALLY ALL OVER THE UNITED
STATES THEY HAVE DIFFERENT
GRANTS OUT AND SMALLER AGENCIES
,LOCALIZED AGENCIES WILL PICK
UP THOSE GRANTS.
SO HOMMAGE IS A SENIOR SERVICES
PROGRAM.
WE HAVE TWENTY EIGHT DIFFERENT
SENIOR SERVICES PROGRAMS
AVAILABLE AND WE PICKED THIS UP
AS ONE OF THE PROGRAMS TO HELP
KEEP OUR SENIORS ENGAGED.
WHAT'S INCREDIBLE IN SPEAKING
OF THAT CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE
FOSTER GRANDPARENT AND SENIOR
COMPANION PROGRAMS FOR THEY'RE
VERY SIMILAR IN WHAT THEY'RE
LOOKING FOR THERE.
>> THERE DOES NOT NEED TO BE AN
EDUCATION LEVEL.
WE HAVE A LOT OF PLACES FOR LOW
INCOME SENIORS BECAUSE WE ALL
KNOW THAT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH TO
BECOME A LOW INCOME SENIOR FOR
BOTH PROGRAMS.
IT'S 55 AND UP AND WE SEEK OUT
SENIORS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITIES
AND THE SENIOR COMPANION
PROGRAM PAIRS SENIORS TO GO AND
VISIT SENIOR OTHER SENIORS IN
THEIR HOME THAT ARE A LITTLE
MORE HOMEBOUND AND THOSE
SENIORS CAN THEY CAN TAKE THEM
OUT TO LUNCH AND DO THOSE KINDS
OF THINGS RIGHT NOW DURING
KOBAN TIME WE ARE MAKING PHONE
CALLS RIGHT NOW TO KEEP
EVERYONE SAFE.
BUT IT'S A GREAT PROGRAM TO
KEEP EVERYONE KIND OF ENGAGED
IN HELPING ONE ANOTHER WITHIN
OUR COMMUNITY THAT ENGAGEMENT
IS HUGE.
>> I MEAN IT IT HELPS ALL
MANNER OF THINGS FROM
LONELINESS TO EVEN FIGHTING
CERTAIN DISEASES.
CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE
IMPACT THAT YOU'VE SEEN THROUGH
THESE PROGRAMS?
>> YES, WE JUST RECENTLY HAD A
RECOGNITION EVENT THE XOOM AND
WE ASKED A FEW OF OUR
VOLUNTEERS TO SPEAK END AND SAY
WHAT THE PROGRAM IS MEANS TO
THEM AND ONE OF MY LOVELY
VOLUNTEERS SAID THIS HELPS ME
SO MUCH FIGHT ISOLATION BECAUSE
OF MY HEALTH BEING FRAGILE.
I CAN'T GET OUT BUT I CAN MAKE
A DIFFERENCE.
I CAN STILL CONNECT.
I HAVE ONE VOLUNTEER.
I LOVE HER SO MUCH SHE SAYS I'M
NOT DEAD YET.
I GOT WORK TO DO AND SHE JUST
IS AN ABSOLUTE DELIGHT AND SHE
JUST SAYS WELL I'M NOT DONE YET
.
I'VE GOT THINGS TO DO AND THIS
IS THE THING SHE'S CHOSEN TO DO
IS TO SHARE HER LIFE WITH KIDS
IN HER COMMUNITY AND HELP THE
NEXT GENERATION AND TO LEARN
MORE ABOUT SERVICES OFFERED AT
HOMMAGE, PLEASE VISIT THEIR
WEBSITE HOMMAGE DOT ORG OR
VISIT THE LINK ON NEW DAY'S WEB
SITE.
>> IT'S ALMOST TWENTY TWENTY
ONE AND THAT MEANS ANOTHER FUN
NIGHT FOR NEW YEAR'S ETHEN
NEEDLE.
UP NEXT, A SNEAK PEEK AT THIS
YEAR'S SHOW.
YES, THERE WILL BE ONE SHOW
THIS YEAR.