Wisconsin
Receives $1.4 Million in Funding for Senior Volunteer Programs
Grants support
children and young people with special needs across the state
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The
Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that
administers AmeriCorps, today announced more than $1.4 million in funding for
new Senior Corps programs in Wisconsin. This funding, awarded to 10 local
organizations, will support more than 350 Foster Grandparent volunteers.
The
50-year old Foster Grandparent program connects volunteers age 55 and over with
opportunities to provide one-on-one mentoring, nurturing, and support to
children and young people with special or exceptional needs, or who are at an
academic, social, or financial disadvantage. Last year, more than 25,000 Foster
Grandparents served more than 200,000 young people across the country.
“For
decades, older Americans have been making a powerful impact in their communities,
and this service is more important now than ever,” said Erin McGrath, acting
director of Senior Corps at the Corporation for National and Community Service.
“The Foster Grandparent program is a win-win for communities because it benefits
children and adults alike – young people receive emotional and intellectual
support, while providing Senior Corps volunteers with an opportunity to stay
engaged in their communities, a proven strategy for healthy aging. I am
delighted that more Wisconsinites will have the same opportunity through the
new grants announced today.”
A
geographic-specific grant competition was held to replace service areas left
vacant when the State of Wisconsin Department of Human Services relinquished
their Foster Grandparent Program grant in 2016. Grants to these 10 new
organizations will allow more than 350 older adults to serve the children of
Wisconsin in schools, daycare centers, juvenile centers, and other child care
settings.
The
following organizations were awarded funding:
- RSVP
of Dane County (City of Madison and Dane County)
- Southwestern
Wisconsin Community Action Programs, Inc. (Vernon and Sauk Counties)
- ADVOCAP
(Fond du Lac, Green Lake and Winnebago Counties)
- Cooperative
Education Service Agency 10 (Chippewa, Clark, Eau Claire, Monroe, Rusk, Taylor
and Trempealeau Counties)
- Wisconsin
Department of Corrections (Lincoln County juvenile facilities)
- Encompass
Early Childhood Education and Care, Inc. (Green Bay and De Pere Counties)
- Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin (Racine
and Kenosha Counties)
- Workforce
Connections (City of LaCrosse and LaCrosse, Pepin, Buffalo, Jackson and Juneau
Counties)
- Community
Relations, Social Development Commission (Milwaukee County)
- Aging
and Disability Resource Center of Portage (Portage County)
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