Agency seeking volunteers for Foster Grandparent Program
Agency seeking volunteers for Foster Grandparent Program
During the second full week of March, our country designates the week as AmeriCorps Week to recognize and give thanks to the volunteers who serve and have served as AmeriCorps volunteers. AmeriCorps engages over 200,000 Americans each year in sustained, results-driven service through AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors programs. Volunteers help communities ensure students stay on track to graduate, combat hunger and homelessness, respond to natural disasters, fight the opioid epidemic, help seniors live independently, support veterans and military families, and much more. This year the theme for AmeriCorps Week is: United We Serve.
One of the AmeriCorps Seniors programs that has volunteers here in the Greenwood area is the Foster Grandparent Program which is sponsored by Piedmont Agency on Aging. The Foster Grandparent Program was established in 1965 by the Federal Government that enables men and women over the age of 55 to be able to provide encouragement to children, be a mentor, tutor, and story teller to children.
Greenwood City Council and Greenwood County Council have both issued proclamations designating the week as AmeriCorps Week.
Foster Grandparent volunteers go into schools, Head Start Centers & non-profit centers to assist teachers and help children in various ways such as help young children learn colors and shapes. For older students, Foster Grandparent volunteers help students who may be struggling with math or help them with reading. The Foster Grandparent can help reinforce lessons taught by the teacher and also encourage and praise a student which will help to improve their self-esteem.
The Foster Grandparent Program is geared towards lower income individuals 55 years old and older that meet the income eligibility guidelines set by the Corporation for National & Community Service. For volunteers in the Foster Grandparent Program who meet certain criteria, they may be able to receive an hourly tax-free stipend and assistance with the cost of transportation. It was recently announced that the federal government is increasing its stipend to $4 an hour beginning April 1st. This is a tax-free stipend that is not considered as income.
The Domestic Volunteer Service act of 1973, Section 418 and 404 (f), provides that payments received by Foster Grandparents shall not be subject to taxation or be treated as wages or compensation for certain purposes, including retirements benefits. The Social Security Administration has issued an instruction that stipends are excluded as income in determining how much a volunteer will receive in his or her retirement fund check. The law provides that payments a volunteer receives are not counted in figuring his or her eligibility for Supplemental Security Income, food stamps, low income housing, or any other federal program that bases the eligibility on income.
Piedmont Agency on Aging is seeking volunteers for the Foster Grandparent Program where, for over 50 years, thousands of volunteers across America have participated in the program helping students in various ways.
Every candidate for the Foster Grandparent Program must submit an application with references and go through an interview process. Each one has to pass a background check. Each applicant will be fingerprinted and have a background check with SLED, the FBI and the National Sex Offender Registry before they can be a part of the program.
Don Goforth is the agency’s director of the Foster Grandparent Program for Abbeville, Greenwood and Saluda Counties. “The Foster Grandparent Program is a wonderful way for people to get involved in the community,” said Goforth. “Some volunteers who have served with the Foster Grandparent Program say that volunteering in the program helps to make them feel younger and allows them an opportunity to stay connected with youth.”
“The volunteers in the Foster Grandparent Program feel that they are making a difference in the lives of the children they assist,” said Goforth. “Also, they can make a difference in the lives of other children at the school or location where they serve, just by giving a child a simple smile or a warm hello. A nice smile can go a long way, especially when it comes from someone who reminds you of your own grandmother or grandfather.”
The Foster Grandparent Director said, “Some students may see the Foster Grandparent as a tutor; someone who is there to help them with math or reading but others may see the volunteer as someone who is just like a grandparent.”
Goforth pointed out that the success of the Foster Grandparent Program is the volunteers who spend their time helping children. He said Piedmont Agency on Aging is delighted to sponsor this program where an older generation of volunteers can assist children – who will be the hope for the future.
Persons interested in the program and who would like to get an application, can pick one up at the Piedmont Agency on Aging office located at 808 S. Emerald Road in Greenwood.
For more information about the Foster Grandparent Program, contact Don Goforth, the Director of the Foster Grandparent Program at 864-223-0164 or by email at: dgoforth@piedmontaoa.com
