By: Kyle J Smith, Marketing Intern
“The first time I knew without a doubt that the Foster Grandparents loved and trusted me was at an in-service training about 6 months into my role as the Program Manager,” said Summer Griffith, Foster Grandparents Program Manager. These trainings often included a potluck where the Foster Grandparents showed off their cooking skills with homemade favorites like lasagna, greens, ham and beans, and meatballs.
Summer (left) with her teammate Olivette Hamilton (right)
As everyone got in line to get their food that day, Summer was running around answering questions and taking care of one-on-one issues. By the time she got to line, the food was gone. She felt bummed for a moment, until one of the Foster Grandmas got her attention and explained, “We already put your food in the microwave, honey!”
The Foster Grandparents had dished Summer up a heaping plate, and even saved her a serving of the much-coveted peach cobbler. “That meant a lot to me because I have to make difficult decisions in this position and it’s important that they trust me,” she said.
The Foster Grandparents Program is a federal program administered by the Corporation for National Community Service which connects older adults with limited incomes to mentorship and volunteer opportunities with at-risk youth in our community. Since 2010, RS has been running the Program, which places 85+ volunteers at 27 locations across Jackson, Clay, and Platte Counties.
“Foster Grandparents volunteers are a huge asset in school settings that are underfunded and under-resourced when it comes to providing additional emotional and academic support to kids with exceptional needs,” she said. “They often act as an encourager and tutor, taking extra time with students who are struggling with learning or may need more help emotionally or developmentally than their peers.”
Foster Grandparents enjoying a holiday potluck.
Kids who worked with their Foster Grandparent for six months or more saw a 97% improvement in their academic engagement and social and emotional gains throughout the year, according to a program survey for the 2018-19 school year.
This month Summer celebrated three years as manager of the Program, and next week she is handing that baton off to her successor as she prepares to move with her husband and two kids to Illinois to be closer to family. “Working with the Foster Grandparents has been the most meaningful experience during my time with RS,” she said.
Summer started volunteering at RS in 2012 as a member of St. Mary of Egypt Church, the Orthodox Christian community from which RS was born. “It was the people that attracted me to RS when I first started,” she said. “I loved Mother Johanna (Nicole) (a nun who was in charge of client services at RS at the time). I loved learning from her. I loved meeting people at our Friday night meals. I loved the volunteers. I loved the regulars. I loved the staff. I just loved it all.”
“I learned so much from the example Mother Johanna set in the community of loving one’s neighbor,” Summer said. “She taught me how to care for people wherever they were in life, and how to always see the best in others (even if the best was small).”
When Summer accepted the position of Program Manager for Foster Grandparents in 2017 she was excited because it built on her professional experience working in Government, with supported educational programs, and in volunteer management. “Leading FGP combined a lot of things I was good at in a unique way,” she said. “What I didn’t have was experience working in the aging community.”
So she started to read and research about the issues facing older adults and she turned to other Senior Corps Directors around the country to learn from their expertise and insight. She also reached out to the UMKC Consortium on Aging to learn all she could about the unique challenges and opportunities both in terms of societal and physiological in working with older adults. She began to understand right away that the kids weren’t the only one benefiting from this Program.
Nearly 20% of seniors live alone and 40% experience persistent loneliness, according to a Health Psychology study. The same study indicated that seniors who are isolated are at higher risks for illness, cognitive decline, stroke, and obesity. Getting older adults into the community and more engaged was actually vital to them thriving, she learned.
Older adults with more positive self-perceptions of aging live 7.5 years longer than those with less positive self-perceptions of aging, according to recent Yale University research. Just thinking more positively about growing older can help a person live longer. Being active and involved in volunteering, having a sense of purpose and value in the lives of others, and learning and developing new skills can all contribute to a more positive self-perception of aging.
“Two of the best things an older adult can do to live a longer, healthier life is to keep their brain and body active,” said Summer. “Though there can be resistance, learning and thinking about new things continues to build new neural pathways and helps keep brains strong.”
That’s why she said she prioritized learning during their inservices, including discussing topics like trauma-informed care, the effects of violence on young children, brain development, the science of learning in young children, among other topics. “Plus, I bring in Ms. Shannon, a chair yoga instructor,” added Summer.
Summer said that so many of the Foster Grandparents have led extraordinary lives with history and experience that is so important to share with this next generation. “Most of our Foster Grandparents are older Black women. Some were born into Jim Crow and actively participated during the Civil Rights Movement. A number of them were amongst the first Black students to lead desegregation in an all-White school.”
“What is true of all of our Foster Grandparents is that they care very deeply about the kids they serve and their communities. 80% of them live in the same zip code they serve in. They experience the same joys and the same trauma,” Summer said. “I’ve had the honor of celebrating many good days with them, but I’ve also mourned alongside them when they lost someone they love.”
Summer said that as she says goodbye, she looks back on all of her hard work fondly, with a grateful spirit, “Building relationships with the Foster Grandparents has been extraordinarily rewarding. They have so much good to give. Now I know first hand just how blessed our students are by having the Foster Grandparents in their lives.”
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