In my last Generations column, I wrote about a group of new Senior Companion volunteers, and how their joyful hearts inspired me. I currently have the good fortune to be working with eight future Foster Grandparent volunteers, who will be mentoring children in classrooms this fall.
Foster Grandparents are matched with children in traditional classrooms, and they get to work one-on-one with these students to assist students in developing the tools they need to succeed academically, while effecting positive changes in behavior and social skills to help them become successful adults. We have sites in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren Counties and have volunteers that serve in Preschool rooms all the way up to 3rd and 4th grade rooms.
The students who get matched with a Foster Grandparent get extra help with math, science, and other subjects, but the primary focus is to help improve their students’ literacy skills. Promoting reading skills gives them a foundation that will positively impact their academic success. The sooner students develop reading skills, the more they gain. They have improved concentration, better critical and analytical thinking skills, stronger memory skills and an expanded vocabulary.
But academics is not all these classroom Grandmas and Grandpas share. They share joy, love and pride with their students, helping their students by boosting their confidence. They also provide comfort to kids who just need a soft place to land some days.
Foster Grandparents can play an important role in their student’s lives. By listening, caring and simply being a consistent part of a child’s life, Foster Grandparents provide encouragement, support, stability and connectedness that can have a profound and lasting impact. They also serve as excellent role models and sounding boards. This is especially important for children who come from at-risk backgrounds or who face physical or emotional challenges.
If students’ academic improvement was the only positive thing to come out of this program it would certainly be labeled a success, but there are so many other benefits. The Foster Grandparents themselves benefit by volunteering. They remain active and socially connected, improving their own overall health and sense of well-being.
Studies show that volunteering helps you live longer and promotes a positive outlook on life. In annual surveys, volunteers report a decrease in anxiety, an increase in social and emotional health, an improvement in overall life satisfaction and have improved mobility and more energy.
This group is very unique, and not just as individuals are unique. Half of the new trainees in this group are former volunteers. A couple of them stepped away when Covid-19 made its arrival. The other two had retired a few years before that, and found they were bored, and missed their peers and students in the Foster Grandparent Program.
It’s nice to have the balance of the brand new and the experienced volunteers to learn from each other. I think it gives all some better perspective about the service they’re entering into. The new volunteers are less intimidated, seeing that some of their peers have done it and thrived. And the experienced volunteers are remembering how it felt to first dip their toes into these waters. They are helping each other, and finding purpose in this training time far beyond what they may have anticipated.
It is a joy to watch these new volunteers start and restart their community service. We all have something in us to give back to our community. I am proud to be part of a program that benefits so many individuals and is instrumental in shaping the future.