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Fostering each other By JOHN DARLING A leftover from Lyndon Johnson�s War on Poverty is still giving meaning and pocket money to Rogue Valley seniors and putting smiles on the faces of young people in need of help at school. Program needs 20 volunteers The Foster Grandparent Program needs 20 new volunteers. The next annual training is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 18-22 in Medford. Those interested may call George Gilman at 779-5257. To qualify, volunteers must earn no more than $870 a month for one-person households or $1,172 for two-person households. During training, volunteers take a personality test and learn about the different styles of learning and communication. Rules require that they�re never alone with a child and hug only if hugged first. It�s called the Foster Grandparent Program, and it trains people 60 and older to tutor and befriend children who may not have strong parental figures and who�ve gotten off the scholastic track. Created in 1965, the program seeks to pass on a lifetime of professional skills and personal wisdom which often go to waste as low-income retired people become isolated by the deaths of loved ones and friends, said its Southern Oregon director, former state representative George Gilman. "Teachers identify the kids who aren�t getting one-on-one attention at home. They come from homes where a single parent may be struggling to make enough money and just doesn�t have the energy," Gilman said. The toughest cases, he said, are the ones who belong to troubled families and who come to school tired and without breakfast. Foster grandparents help by sharing school breakfasts and lunches with the kids. Some 125 Jackson County seniors volunteer at least 20 hours a week at local schools, OnTrack, juvenile hall and Head Start, and with the Boy and Girl Scouts. Rogue Valley Manor operates the $400,000, mostly federally funded program here and in Josephine and Klamath counties, where another 30 seniors volunteer. Volunteers help children, mostly of elementary age, with basic math, reading and other subjects, but it goes "way beyond that," said Gilman. "A lot of these kids experience adults floating in and out of their lives, but the foster grandparent will be someone who stays there. They motivate kids to do well in school and teach them respect for others. They listen. They have conversations with the kids and that�s where our culture�s wisdom about life gets passed on." The program is a two-way street, helping seniors who may be "getting disconnected," watching television instead of socializing and ending up depressed and unhealthy, he said. "As foster grandparents, they get up in the morning and know what their mission is. It enables them to socialize. Most even go out to recess and play ball with the kids. I have no proof of it, but I think it makes seniors stay healthier." Frankie Sheppard, a retired grocer, started foster grandparenting fifth-graders a dozen years ago, she said, when the death of her husband left her without direction. "I really look forward to it. I help them with lessons, painting, getting materials ready. You can tell the ones with troubled or broken homes. They�re shy and there�s a sadness about them. I kind of pat them on the back and tell them things will get better. If I can help a child have a better life, well, it really makes my day." Sheppard knows she�s making an impact by connecting young people with the generation that�s one generation ahead of their teacher, thus bringing a three-generation continuity to her classroom at Orchard Hill Elementary. Most children don�t have grandparents in the area, so she helps fill that gap, too. "When I was sick they all sent me cards and when I came back, they were all lined up to give me hugs." John Darling is a free-lance writer living in Ashland. If you have ideas for stories on this page, please e-mail him at [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.