National Senior Corps Week salutes programs

Central Oregon Council on Aging (COCOA), the region’s sponsor of the Foster Grandparent Program, announces this year’s Senior Corps Week May 19-23, 2014.

For more than four decades, Senior Corps and its three programs – Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), the Senior Companion Program, and Foster Grandparents Program – have proven to be a highly effective way to engage Americans ages 55 and over in meeting national and community needs.

Each year, Senior Corps provides opportunities for nearly 330,000 older Americans across the nation.

This past year, in Central Oregon, Foster Grandparent Program volunteers who serve schools in Bend, Redmond, Prineville, and La Pine, as well as the Headstart program in Wasco County, have helped nearly 300 at-risk students achieve and succeed academically.

The program will soon be expanding into the Madras area as well. The Foster Grandparent Program helps senior volunteers keep active, healthy, and engaged while helping at-risk students achieve academic success.

Last year, almost 7,000 Oregon Senior Corps volunteers provided more than 1.5 million hours of service, providing about $35 million of service value, helping to improve the lives of our most vulnerable citizens, strengthen our educational system, protect our environment, provide independent living services, and contribute to our public safety.

The volunteers build capacity of organizations and communities by serving through more than 65,000 nonprofit, community, educational, and faith-based community groups nationwide.

With ever-growing social needs, there is an unprecedented opportunity to harness the talents of 55-plus volunteers to address community challenges.

COCOA is proud to be Central Oregon’s office sponsor of the Senior Corps’ Foster Grandparent Program. For more information about Senior Corp or the Foster Grandparent Program, call the Central Oregon Council on Aging at 541-678-5483 and ask for the Foster Grandparent Program Director.