Senior adults interested in doing volunteer work have many options.
Good places to start are your local school, church or senior center; many volunteer opportunities can be found in such places.
But there also are volunteer programs specifically for senior adults living in Chicago. The programs are possible, in part, because senior adults are willing to share their time, talents, life experiences and expertise.
Two are the Foster Grandparent Program and the Senior Companion Program, both part of the Chicago Department on Aging. “These programs break down a lot of stereotypes about what seniors are capable of doing. Our seniors are dedicated and devoted to their work–no matter what they’re doing,” said Darlene Ferman, director of senior employment programs for the department.
Another program is the Grandma, Please! reassurance call line, which is staffed by homebound seniors and run by the Jane Addams Hull House Association in Chicago.
Foster Grandparent Program
Each weekend, Ernest Freeman can’t wait for Monday to come around so he can be with the children who attend the Carole Robertson Center for Learning.
“I love them,” said Freeman, who volunteers there weekdays through the Foster Grandparent Program of the Department on Aging.
“Those kids are so much fun. When they see me they say, `Hi, Grandpa,’ and give me a hug. They’re so happy to see me.”
Freeman, 73, is one of three foster grandparents (all males) assigned to the center, which provides educational and recreational opportunities for children and young adults ages 3 to 18.
He has been there for about seven months and works primarily with 3- to 5-year-olds.
“I help with whatever needs to be done,” he said. This includes helping serve breakfast, playing educational games, working puzzles and reading books.
“This is an extremely important program,” said Freeman, who lives on the West Side and was a volunteer at the Illinois Center for Rehabilitation and Education for five years before he became a foster grandparent.
“It serves so many children. A lot of them don’t have a father or a grandfather. It gives them a sense of security to see me every day.”
“Mr. Freeman is very good with the kids,” said Crystal Reynolds, 21, a teacher’s assistant who works with Freeman.
“He’s so gentle and kind, and he takes time with them. He helps them do puzzles, tie their shoes, put on their aprons–he’s very patient.”
And it appears the children know they can count on “Grandpa.”
“If they’re crying, or if they need some special assistance or reassurance–they go to him,” Reynolds said.
This type of intergenerational program is important because the children and the seniors benefit, said Curtis Peace Jr., site director and youth development coordinator at the center, 2020 W. Roosevelt Rd.
“The kids have a caring male role model who shows them attention and teaches them about life from his own experiences,” Peace said. “Ernest takes the time to gain their trust and to build a relationship.
Freeman, who underwent program training, is one of about 135 foster grandparents who assist at various sites, including day-care centers, schools, hospitals, churches and facilities for children with disabilities and special needs.
In return for 20 hours of service a week, participants are paid a small stipend, in addition to lunch and transportation expenses. Other benefits are an annual physical examination and accident insurance.
The national program, founded in 1965, is open to low-income Chicago residents ages 60 and older who have no other employment. After he retired as a manager and coordinator for transportation with Chicago Public Schools in 1994, Freeman said, his health deteriorated.
His doctor recommended he do some volunteer work to keep him busy.
“From that point on my life turned around,” Freeman said.
— For more information about the Foster Grandparent Program and other senior volunteer opportunities, call Darlene Ferman, Chicago Department on Aging, at 312-744-3221.
Senior Companion Program
Aida Figueroa thought she wouldn’t be able to do much of anything after retiring in 1998.
“I used to think, `I’m sick. I can’t do anything,'” said Figueroa, who was a cashier at Roosevelt University in Chicago.
“But my sister was a volunteer in the Senior Companion Program, and she kept bothering me to be a volunteer. I finally decided to do it just to keep her quiet,” she said with a chuckle.
Today the North Sider is a participant and on the go at least four hours a day, five days a week, making the rounds visiting three women and a man. The amount of help her clients require depends on their conditions; they range in age from 67 to 78.
Figueroa, 67, assists the seniors with tasks such as preparing meals and dressing. If needed, she will buy groceries, accompany them to doctor appointments and translate information for Spanish-speaking clients.
But the most valuable thing she can do for her clients is keep them company, she said.
“Sometimes we talk,” said Figueroa, who was born in Puerto Rico and moved to the mainland U.S. in 1955. “I learn about their families and their lives. Sometimes we just sit and watch TV. The important thing is being with them.”
The Chicago Department on Aging works with 13 agencies to match companions to homebound seniors who need them. Figueroa is assigned to a program at Association House, an agency that provides educational, recreational and social services to West Town-area residents.
“Aida is a warm and caring person,” said Mirta Ortiz, program coordinator at Association House. “She’s compassionate and understanding, and she really cares about her clients. That’s important in this kind of program.”
Figueroa’s clients look forward to seeing her, Ortiz said, adding, “They trust her. They know she’s going to be there.”
Companionship is “what this program is all about,” she said.
The program has about 85 participants, and all must undergo training,Ferman said. The volunteers receive a small stipend, lunch and transportation expenses, along with an annual physical examination and accident insurance.
— For more information about the Senior Companion Program and other senior volunteer opportunities, call Darlene Ferman, Chicago Department on Aging, at 312-744-3221.
Grandma, Please!
The Jane Addams Hull House Association in Chicago runs the Grandma, Please! volunteer program open to homebound seniors.
The program, begun in 1985, is a reassurance line that links senior volunteers with children who are home alone after school, as well as those who call just to hear a friendly voice, said Kathy Slover, programs coordinator for the association.
“Kids call to make a connection with someone who cares about them,” Slover said. “They call for help with homework, to talk about their day or a problem they’re having. They want undivided attention.
“When you think about how rushed a child’s day can be, you see that what they want is structure and support.”
Sue Duffy, 68, has been a Grandma, Please! volunteer for 14 years. The North Sider is homebound because of a chronic condition, but it hasn’t stopped her from helping others.
“During my professional life I worked for the Girl Scouts, and I enjoyed that,” Duffy said. “I’ve always been interested in the lives of children. This is a way for me to continue to interact with them.”
She added: “This is something I can do from my home, given my physical limitations. The [children] come home from school and call their parents, but [parents] can’t talk long. I’m here. I have more time to listen.”
Duffy volunteers an hour a day, once a week. During that time she fields four or five calls that range from “homework help, sharing something that happened that day, advice on a girlfriend-boyfriend problem, or solving a problem with a classmate.
“They also write poems and sing to me. They add so much joy to my life,” she said.
“Sue is incredibly good at what she does,” Slover said. “She’s a very caring person–very bright and excellent with the kids.”
Grandma, Please! has about 30 volunteers and handles about 600 calls a month from Chicago-area youngsters. The line operates from 3 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday when schools are in session; it is geared toward children in 2nd through 8th grades. All calls are confidential and handled through the association’s phone system, Slover said.
— For more information about the Grandma, Please! program, call Kathy Slover at 773-525-0395.
