Elementary school is where children get their foundation of what they’re going to become someday. That’s why Grayling Elementary School in Crawford county has been welcoming Foster Grandparents into their classrooms year after year, partnering with the Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency to give students one-on-one mentoring.
You can find three grandmas at Grayling Elementary school working with 3rd and 4th grade students. One is Grandma Barb who volunteers 30+ hours a week. “My role is to really be a grandma. Some of the kids don’t have grandmas some of them don’t have both parents and kind of fill that gap for them,” explains Barbara Selesky.
Students like 4th grader, Grace Reed feel the unconditional support.”She’s nice and sweet and she treats you like she’s known you for your whole life,” says Grace.
For another Grayling Elementary Grandma, RaxAnn Adams sees this as a chance to give back to the youth in her community. RaxAnn says, “A lot of these kids don’t have the home life you’d hope them to have. They don’t have the support or the families that care about their education or take care of their emotional needs even.”
Sometimes these foster grandparents simply serve as a listening ear. Holden Greenberg, a 3rd grader explains, “Sometimes I’m lonely in the back and I sit next to her and I can talk to her sometimes. It’s nice having her there to like talk to!”
During lunch you can find the students and grandmas connecting on a deeper level. “We have lunch together and they have confidence to tell me things that they would tell a grandmother and not anyone else probably. It just makes me feel wonderful to feel a part of their life,” explains Barb.
The Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency (NEMCSA) offers three different programs helping the youth and elderly in 12 Michigan counties. If you are 55 years or older and are willing to contribute 20 hours of your time you can become a foster grandparent.
Other Senior Corps opportunities include their Senior Companions program where you provide peer to peer companionship for seniors at risk of social isolation and their Retired Senior Volunteer program where you get both experiences together with no hourly volunteer minimum.
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