By Kelley Kepler
Catholic Herald

Foster Grandparent Program in full swing

SUPERIOR --As children begin a new year at St. Louis Head Start Center in Superior, their foster grandparents say they are busy learning new names and faces and teaching basic safety rules to a new group of 3 to 5-year-olds.

The Foster Grandparent Program, a non-profit and federally funded program through the Catholic Charities Bureau, is starting its 26th year in Douglas County and is also active in five counties in Minnesota.

Margaret Hogg has been director of the program for the past 18 years. She said there are currently 140 foster grandparents, age 60 and older, who volunteer their time with children, either one-on-one or in small groups. The majority are placed in schools and in Head Start programs. Some also work at day care centers and at teen parenting volunteer stations.

There are at least 2000 kids involved, anywhere from birth to 21 years old. "The grandparents are great for kids who don't have an older role model in their lives," Hogg said.

Hogg said foster grandparents "make a big commitment" when they begin volunteering for the program. They must be willing to volunteer 15-20 hours each week. They are also required to go through 40 hours of orientation before they start as well as four hours of monthly training. In addition, the grandparents need to have a physical before they start, and then another each year they participate.

Since they are volunteers, the grandparents are not paid. However, some who fall under a certain income do receive a small nondeclarable stipend for their work. Grandparents are also reimbursed for their mileage and receive a free meal each time they volunteer. They also receive ongoing training and recognition for the work they do.

Hogg said the grandparents help out children "who need an extra hand." She added, "Foster grandparents act as a tutor, mentor, friend, role-model and listener. They give hugs and provide comfort, and they are there to interact with children and supplement the staff. But they aren't an aide and are not counted as part of the teaching staff. They can't be in charge or discipline children."

Betty Stensby, Mae Orrey and Inez Petersen are three foster grandmothers at St. Louis Head Start Center. They each volunteer 20 hours a week and say they love being foster grandparents.

Stensby, 75, has been a foster grandmother for 10 years. She said, "I wanted to be busy volunteering in something when I retired. And this is fun." She said her favorite part of the job is "the look on the kids' faces. They're always happy to see you, play with you, talk with you. They're happy to see their grandmothers."

She said the grandmothers help teach the children things they need to be able to do on their own -- things like brushing their teeth and

washing their hands in the bathroom, serving themselves food and putting on winter clothing before they go outside to play.

Daily activities also include playing with the children, reading to them, working at the computer and making art projects. Stensby said she especially enjoys helping children make special holiday artwork and gifts for their parents.

At 86, Orrey has enjoyed being a foster grandmother for the past 19 years. "It's a wonderful job for people who love children and can spare the time to come in and spend time with three to five-year-olds," she said. "They're just darling. I love to watch them play and hear them talk, and no two children are alike."

Her biggest challenge, Orrey said is "making the kids understand why we're here -- to improve their minds and skills. We do a lot of educational things, especially working with reading, colors and shapes."

93-year-old Petersen said that after her husband passed away, she saw an ad for foster grandparents in a newspaper and decided to apply. Now she is in her 24th year as a foster grandmother. "Everyone is so nice to work with, and I love working with the kids," said Petersen. Yet, she admits, "you need patience in order to work here."

Last year, Petersen was nominated for the Catholic Charities USA 2002 National Volunteer of the Year Award. She was named as one of ten finalists from many volunteers across the country. As stated in a Catholic Charities press release, "The extraordinary work of these finalists illustrate the breadth and depth of services performed by Catholic Charities volunteers" and "exemplify the spirit and mission of Catholic Charities."

Petersen described one stand-out moment as a foster grandmother that occurred last year while helping a girl wash her hands in the bathroom. The girl asked for help tying her shoes, and she was impressed when Petersen actually bent over to tie them for her. "She said her own grandmother couldn't do that, and she seemed shocked that I could," Petersen said with a smile.

Just by watching these three foster grandmothers interact with the Head Start children, it is evident that they love what they do. And it is evident that the children also love spending time with their grandmothers. As Hogg put it, "The grandparents get back as much as they put in, and then some."

Orrey added, "It makes me feel good when I am walking in a store and hear one of the kids yell 'Grandma Mae!''' It happens all the time, she said, and "they really yell it out too."

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2002