PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A program connecting older adults with youth for mentoring and tutoring is looking for volunteers in Aroostook County.
The Foster Grandparent Program is a good opportunity for any adult 55 or older looking to help younger generations and share their passions and areas of expertise, said Maria Staples, the program’s project coordinator with Penquis, the Bangor-based community development agency
“Right now we don’t have anybody in Aroostook County,” Staples said while staffing a booth at the Aging Well Living Well Expo at Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle May 15.
“I know there’s people out here in the community that would be a great fit for this,” she said.
The Foster Grandparent Program is federally funded through the Corporation for National and Community Service that dates back to the 1960s. It’s administered in central and northern Maine by Penquis, which has offered the program for more than 20 years, Staples said.
Volunteers serve at least 15 hours per week, working with youth up to age 21 in schools, Head Start programs, correctional facilities or Job Corps Centers.
“They’re assigned to children with what we call special or exceptional needs, but we feel that’s every child. The child could have a literacy need, or a social or emotional need,” Staples said.
“The volunteers could be listening to kids read, reading to them, working with them to check math problems,” she said.
Volunteers interact with children one-on-one, or with the entire classroom, Staples said, and they serve during regular school hours, as well as during summer vacations.
“Our volunteers act as a caring presence that every child could use,” she said.
While the program has been offered in Aroostook County through various elementary schools and preschool programs, there haven’t been any available volunteers in a while.
“We used to have a great population of volunteers, but right now we don’t have any. Volunteers age out or move away,” Staples said. “I also find that seniors are working longer and caring for their own parents or their own grandchildren and great grandchildren. I’m having a harder time recruiting them.”
The volunteer application includes a background check and interviews with Staples. Once brought into the program, volunteers typically serve for three or four mornings per week, totalling at least 15 hours.
Volunteers receive a stipend and mileage reimbursement, which don’t impact existing benefits seniors may have such as Social Security, Staples said. The program also includes compensation for holiday time, sick days, and liability insurance if someone gets hurt while serving, she added.
Staples said the program is a good opportunity for seniors looking to stay active and connect with younger generations.
“When people retire, it sounds great. But after a few months, the days can be long,” Staples said. “It’s a great opportunity to keep busy. What we find is the majority of our volunteers who do this say they get more out of it than what they give.”
