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Senior Corps Contributions Highlighted in CNCS Tenth
Anniversary
Sept. 17, 2004 The Corporation for National and
Community Service, which administers the Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and
Learn and Serve America programs, kicked off a yearlong effort this
month to commemorate its 10th anniversary and says more than 1.25
million Senior Corps volunteers have contributed over 1.1 billion hours
in volunteer service to communities nationwide.
Senior Corps is a network of programs that tap the
experience, skills, and talents of more than 500,000 Americans age 55
and older to meet a wide range of community needs through three
programs: RSVP, Foster Grandparents, and Senior Companions.
RSVP
RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program), one of
the largest volunteer efforts in the nation, engages people age 55 and
older in a diverse range of volunteer activities. Volunteers organize
neighborhood watch programs, tutor children, renovate homes, teach
English to immigrants, assist victims of natural disasters, and serve
their communities in a myriad of other ways. Through RSVP, more than
480,000 volunteers serve a few hours a week to nearly full time at an
estimated 65,000 local and national nonprofit groups, places of worship,
and government agencies. Volunteers are not paid, but sponsoring
organizations may reimburse them for some costs incurred during service,
including meals and transportation.
FOSTER GRANDPARENTS
The Foster Grandparent Program provides a way for
limited-income people age 60 and older to serve as extended family
members to children and youth with
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Senior
Corps
Contributions During the Past Decade:
Senior
Corps volunteers have contributed more than 1.1 billion hours in
volunteer service to communities nationwide.
Specifically:
RSVP
volunteers have contributed more than 800 million hours.
Foster
Grandparents have contributed nearly 249 million hours.
Senior
Companions have contributed more than 125 million hours.
Senior
Corps programs has provided more than $1.6 billion in funding to
support national and community service programs.
Specifically:
More than
$432 million has been provided to support RSVP.
More than
$867 million has been provided to support the Foster Grandparent
Program.
More than
$365 million has been provided to support the Senior
Companion
Program.
More than
$4.7 million has been provided to support Senior Demonstration
Programs.
THEN
In
1994:
Senior
Corps RSVP, Foster Grandparent program, and Senior Companion
program distributed nearly $129 million in grants to 1,219
organizations across the nation.
In total,
approximately 500,000 individuals volunteered through Senior
Corps.
There were
approximately 460,000 RSVP volunteers serving in communities
nationwide.
There were
23,600 Foster Grandparents serving almost 97,000 special needs
children in communities nationwide.
There were
11,800 Senior Companions serving nearly 37,000 frail adults in
communities nationwide.
NOW
Today, in 2004:
Senior
Corps RSVP, Foster Grandparent program, and Senior Companion
program distributed $211 million in grants to 1,313
organizations across the nation.
In total,
more than 507,000 individuals are volunteering through Senior
Corps.
Approximately 460,000 RSVP volunteers are serving in communities
nationwide.
Nearly
32,000 Foster Grandparents are serving 260,000 special needs
children in communities nationwide.
More than
16,000 Senior Companions are serving 57,600 frail adults in
communities nationwide.
Recent
Accomplishments
In 2003:
RSVP
increased the number of volunteers providing mentoring,
tutoring, and constructive guidance and feedback services to
children and youth by 10 percent.
RSVP
volunteers mentored 5,125 children of prisoners; gleaned and
distributed nearly 30 million pounds of food and helped feed 1.5
million people; provided transportation services to more than
130,000 individuals to help senior citizens keep doctor
appointments and run necessary errands.
Foster
Grandparents provided supportive and school readiness services
to 188,000 children in Head Start centers and day care centers
and mentored more than 133,000 children in kindergarten through
12th grade.
Senior
Companions provided respite for more than 20,000 caregivers of
frail adults and provided services such as light housekeeping
and meal preparation to more than 25,000 frail adults in their
homes. |
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exceptional needs. Foster Grandparents serve from
15 to 40 hours a week in schools, hospitals, correctional institutions,
day-care facilities, and Head Start centers. They help children who have
been abused or neglected, mentor troubled teenagers and young mothers,
and care for premature infants and children with physical disabilities.
In return for their service, Foster Grandparents receive a stipend of
$2.65 an hour, accident and liability insurance and meals while on duty,
reimbursement for transportation, and monthly training. More than 30,000
Foster Grandparents tend to the needs of 275,000 young children and
teenagers each year.
SENIOR COMPANIONS
The Senior Companion Program provides a way for
limited-income people age 60 and older to provide assistance and
friendship to adults who have difficulty with daily living tasks, such
as grocery shopping and bill paying. Senior Companions spend from 15 to
40 hours a week helping two to four adult clients live independently in
their own homes. Senior Companions provide relief to caregivers and
alert doctors and family members to potential problems. In return for
their service, Senior Companions receive a stipend of $2.65 an hour,
accident and liability insurance and meals while on duty, reimbursement
for transportation, and monthly training. Approximately 15,000 Senior
Companions tend to the needs of more than 60,000 adults each year.
SENIOR SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
Senior Corps administers a comprehensive online
service to connect seniors with volunteer opportunities in their
communities. Accessible through the www.seniorcorps.org website,
it not only contains information about opportunities at every RSVP,
Senior Companion, and Foster Grandparent project in the country, but
also lists volunteer opportunities for seniors at a wide number of
nonprofit groups across the nation. This feature reflects the
Corporations goal of promoting service and volunteerism throughout the
lifetime of every citizen, whether through a national service program or
through other volunteer networks and organizations.
Our 10th anniversary is an opportune time to
reinforce the purpose and potential of all national and community
service programs, said David Eisner, Chief Executive Officer of the
Corporation. This year, we honor the millions of people who have served
their communities, and we rededicate ourselves to our vital mission of
service to America.
The legislation that created the Corporation was
authorized in 1993. In September 1994, the Corporation began operating
and brought together Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve
America. Since then:
The Corporation for National and Community Service
provides opportunities for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to
serve their communities and country through three programs: Senior
Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. Together with the USA
Freedom Corps, the Corporation is working to build a culture of
citizenship, service, and responsibility in America. For more
information, visit
www.nationalservice.org.
To learn more about the Corporations 10th
anniversary and view the promotion toolkit, visit
www.nationalservice.org/anniversary.
Copyright: SeniorJournal.com |
