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Senior Corps, AmeriCorps volunteers sought

Posted 5/28/20

While some volunteers have been able to modify their interactions with people during the COVID-19 pandemic and with social-distancing rules, others have had to stop because of closures, such as at …

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Senior Corps, AmeriCorps volunteers sought

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While some volunteers have been able to modify their interactions with people during the COVID-19 pandemic and with social-distancing rules, others have had to stop because of closures, such as at public schools.

Apache Junction resident Carla S. Miller, a senior companion in the Senior Corps program, had been volunteering at the Aster Senior Center in downtown Mesa.

“Now that we are unable to be with our friends due to the COVID-19, I enjoy calling them daily and chatting and still having that feeling as if I’m there having a great time with my new friends,” she said.

Marjorie Rhoads is a Senior Corps volunteer in the foster grandparent program and had been working with students at Webster Elementary School.

“As of right now, I am not volunteering because of school being closed. I am looking forward to starting again in the fall,” the Mesa resident said.

Apache Junction High School graduate Rosemary Liversedge served in AmeriCorps and now is the project director for the program.

COVID-19 has not slowed AmeriCorps volunteers because they have embraced technology.

“Yes, we are finding that with social distancing the majority of our AmeriCorps/VISTA members are able to continue service through the use of technology and extra support for those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.

“For example, our college and career members have been able to meet with students to complete FAFSAs and other key college-going steps using platforms such as zoom, webex, or phone calls to check-in,” Ms. Liversedge said of Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

“We have also been working to identify additional opportunities for those who may have become food-insecure or in need of additional social support to engage AmeriCorps members in the larger community need at this time,” she said.

Volunteers are needed in the Senior Corps and AmeriCorps programs, both handled by Northern Arizona University’s Civic Service Institute.

Senior Corps program

While the Senior Corps volunteer program looks a little different due to the social-distancing guidelines in place, it’s the perfect time to take a dive into national service and begin the process of becoming a volunteer, Diane Dudley, Maricopa County Senior Companion Program coordinator, said.

“The program is on a temporary pause right now. Schools are closed so foster grandparents can’t be in the schools helping students and are staying home,” she said.

“It feels hard for senior companions to stay home because many clients depend on them for essential services. We had to be firm telling them not to leave their homes during the social-distancing recommendations. Senior companions are very dedicated to their clients,” Ms. Dudley said.

Senior companions have been calling their clients weekly to make sure they are OK and have everything they need, she said.

“The agency still needs more volunteers and those seniors interested are encouraged to apply even during the COVID-19 situation,” she said.

Senior Corps eligibility requirements include:

  • Be age 55 or older.
  • Meet income guidelines of being within 200% of the poverty level. In 2020 that is $2,126 monthly for a single senior.
  • Serve a minimum of 10 hours weekly.
  • Clear a fingerprint background check.

To start the process of becoming a foster grandparent or senior companion, contact Maricopa County Senior Program Recruiter Laurie Barash at 480-339-9339 or at laurie.barash@nau.edu. The website is in.nau.edu/civic-service-institute/senior-corps.

“The application process and background check take six weeks to complete, plus an additional 20 hours of initial training. Then, volunteers are assigned to a non-profit partner agency in the area and can begin seeing clients,” Ms. Dudley said.

Non-profit senior-serving agencies in the area looking to have senior companions as part of the resources they offer can also call Ms. Barash at 480-339-9339.

The foster grandparent and senior companion programs offer modest stipends to volunteers to help offset the costs of volunteering.

“The stipend is not considered a wage and is therefore not considered taxable income or income that would be counted against any other assistance programs such as SNAP or subsidized housing,” Ms. Dudley said of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. “Senior Corps volunteers receive an hourly stipend of $3 per hour along with mileage reimbursement for any transportation that they provide.”

Benefits to volunteering

Many studies show positive effects on health and well-being in Senior Corps volunteers, as well as for caregivers of senior-companion clients, according to Ms. Dudley.

“Those who volunteer report improvements in health, physical capacity, anxiety and depression, loneliness and social isolation, and in life satisfaction,” she said.

“When asked this question recently, one of our senior companions said, ‘I am so glad I became a senior companion. After I retired, I used to wake up and wonder how I was going to fill my day. Now I wake up and three days a week I have a satisfying schedule where I provide transportation and companionship to my clients who have also become my friends.’”

A discussion on what to do when she retired was what prompted Ms. Miller of Apache Junction to look into the Senior Corps program.

“I got interested in the program after a dear friend and I was talking about when I retire what I was planning on doing with myself. She told me more about how rewarding it made her feel when she started as a senior companion,” she said. “I knew that I needed to do something with my time and my life. I talked to a few people and I felt that this would give myself a chance to help someone and meet people.”

Ms. Miller recalled attending required training, being fingerprinted for security reasons, and being assigned to a supervisor.

“I started in a training program a few weeks later, finding that there are so many people out there that have no one to talk to or just sit and watch TV or go shopping with. They’re lonely for a friend. I felt it was the program for me --- we can all use another friend,” she said.

Ms. Miller is paid a stipend.

“You’re a volunteer, but you get paid for using your vehicle --- mileage --- so really the only thing you’re giving is your time. But you’re rewarded every day with a feeling of getting paid. It really is a rewarding feeling,” she said. “Whether you feel you need to help people or just sit and talk to people, maybe you should volunteer? It’s a fantastic feeling.”

It is exciting to see students learn at Webster Elementary School, foster grandparent volunteer Ms. Rhoads said.

“I volunteer in two first-grade classes and really enjoy helping the children learn their words with flash cards and to see their satisfaction when they learn them. Also help with other things in the classrooms according to the needs of the teacher, like helping them on the computers and math as well as craft projects,” she said.

“I enjoy most to see them get excited when they learn new things,” Ms. Rhoads said. “My enjoyment in helping the children is also very satisfying to me and makes me feel very worthwhile.”

The stipend helps pay some bills.

“We are also paid a stipend which helps pay some bills or just have some extra spending money,” Ms. Rhoads said.

She has used the time away from the students to complete additional training.

“I have stayed connected to the program by completing some training assignments while at home and communicating with my coordinator and also getting newsletters and information from NAU,” she said.

She encourages others to volunteer.

“We are in need of more volunteers in the foster-grandparent program, especially in the Mesa area,” she said.

AmeriCorps

In addition to Senior Corps, there are AmeriCorps service opportunities throughout the state and in the East Valley.

“I personally served in the AmeriCorps after graduating from Apache Junction High School, Mesa Community College and Arizona State University,” AmeriCorps Project Director Liversedge said. “Serving in the AmeriCorps provided personal insight and assisted me in my personal career to complete an M.Ed. in school counseling and land my current role as the NAU CSI AmeriCorps project director.”

Through three Northern Arizona University AmeriCorps programs, members serve with community organizations in college and career readiness, STEM education and alternative pain management/substance-abuse prevention, she said.

“We operate our programs throughout Arizona with CSI staff around the state. Myself and another AmeriCorps staff member are based here in the Valley and work out of a partner organization in Phoenix,” Ms. Liversedge said.

“We also have AmeriCorps staff in Flagstaff. We have partner sites in various areas throughout the state including Pinal and Maricopa counties,” she said.

To apply, members must be 17 or older, have a willingness to take and pass a federal/state background check and have the time to dedicate to service. Contact Northern Arizona University’s Civic Service Institute at naucsi@nau.edu or call 928-523-3560 or 1-866-856-3017. The website is in.nau.edu/civic-service-institute/americorps.

For AmeriCorps state, national and AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, applicants must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national or legal permanent resident alien of the U.S. to serve. For AmeriCorps VISTA, applicants can also have the following legal residency classifications: refugee, asylum or asylee, temporary protected status or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status.

“We are currently recruiting for summer and fall positions as well as full-year positions. The application process varies but can be fairly quick and may be as little as two weeks,” Ms. Liversedge said.

Northern Arizona University’s Civic Service Institute’s AmeriCorps members receive a modest bi-weekly living stipend as well as loan forbearance for qualified loans and the Eli Segal Education Award upon successful completion of their service term. Members can use the education award to pay federally backed student loans, education expenses or if 55 and older can gift the award to a child or grandchild.

The program also offers professional development, an alumni network and a health/childcare benefit eligibility for full-time --- 1,700 hour --- members, Ms. Liversedge said.

She told of Iyannah Carranza, positive youth development specialist for the Casa Grande Alliance, who after starting a college and career position with AmeriCorps recognized all of the experience she would be getting out of it.

Former Northern Arizona University’s Civic Service Institute AmeriCorps member Ivan Quintana served two terms in the Arizona Ready for College and Career program, Ms. Liversedge said.

“The AC service opportunity supported him in his own college journey and leadership development. Through service he recognized a desire to pursue a degree in law and as a result of his leadership and engagement he received the national 2019 Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship providing up to $40,000 annually,” she said.

There are many benefits to volunteering with AmeriCorps.

“Benefits of volunteering in a formal service opportunity include being part of positive social change as well as personal and professional growth,” Ms. Liversedge said. “AC members are taking part in a unique position that allows organizations to expand service for the community while allowing the individual to develop new skills or explore potential career interests and gain experiences they will remember for years to come.”

While individuals come to service for many different reasons --- to give back to the community, professional development, re-career and more --- the biggest takeaway is the positive impact AmeriCorps members are making on their immediate service community, Ms. Liversedge said.

“All members are addressing critical community needs. Having local citizens participate will help with identifying and implementing solutions since local community members know their community culture and how to bring people together,” she said. “It is also a great opportunity too for people of all ages to gain new skills and experiences with local organizations.”