Finding One's Self in Serving Others

     “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”  This quote of Gandhi is a favorite of Gloria Monahan, director of “Foster Grandparents” in Springfield.  It speaks to her of what she sees happen for seniors who get involved in her program.   I recently interviewed Monahan at her office in Springfield, along with Jack Sunderlik, one of the program’s volunteers. 

     The Foster Grandparent Program (FGP) is made up of eleven chapters in Illinois which provide 1,188 Foster Grandparent Volunteers serving as one-on-one tutors and mentors to over 4,900 children and teens in over 35 counties in the state.  This program, funded under federal and state grants, provides limited-income seniors, ages 55 and up, the opportunity to remain active and involved in their communities.  In Springfield, it is under the auspices of One Hope United.

     “The goal of the program is to pair volunteers to children with the most outstanding needs.  We are performance-based – looking at the outcomes of our work, which is very structured in reading aloud, practicing sounds and math skills,” Monahan stated in our interview. 

     “It is also beneficial for our seniors which receive a tax-free stipend of $2.65 an hour along with mileage reimbursement.  They can use this income to stretch their current budgets, helping to pay for housing and food.  Seniors come to us for various reasons.  Maybe they are retired or have recently lost a spouse, or just want to give back to their community.  This gives them a new purpose.  They feel needed and wanted.  Volunteering is a great way to overcome social isolation.”

     Sunderlik – now in his fourth year with FGP - agrees.  Jack taught in high schools for forty years in Decatur and California.  He loves the FGP.  “I’m giving back to the community, he stated, “I’ve always felt that the purpose of life is a life of purpose.  This is just right for me.  I want to teach as Jesus taught.”

     When asked why he volunteers, he responds, “Volunteerism made this country great.”  He remembered John Kennedy’s famous remark from his inaugural address, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

     The children in the program call the volunteers “grandpa” and “grandma”.  Sunderlik shares what is becoming a more common experience for him. “I’ll be at the grocery store and hear ‘Hey Grandpa!  Then a child, who doesn’t look at all like me, comes up and gives me a hug!”  One African-American child also told him, “You’re the first white person I really like.”  And a grandmother came up to him one day and said, “You’ve saved my grandchild.”

     After experiences and comments like this, Jack says, “Not only can you make a difference in a child’s life, I’m getting more out of this than the kids.  This work benefits me mentally and physically.  These children make me feel young!” 

     Volunteers go through rigorous checks and training, including background checks by the FBI, State of Illinois and Illinois Department of Children and Family Services; physical and TB tests; phone screening; and face-to-face interviews.  Orientation includes a program manual, and group work to help understand how they are to treat the children they work with.   “We want this to be a mutually beneficial service” says Monahan.

     “We are reaching children in a prevention capacity.  That is true for our seniors also.  They are given a bi-annual mood assessment and over 90% of our volunteers have an improved sense of wellbeing through their volunteering.”

     “Our volunteers become family, Monahan continues.  “I have worked with seniors for over eleven years.  I learn from them every day.  Our foster grandparents have a wonderful impact on the children and on us, the staff.  All they ask is to be treated with respect and dignity, which they find in this program.”

     Researchers are beginning to find health connections between seniors and volunteering.  In a study headed by UCLA geriatrician Catherine Sarkisian, M.D., M.S.P.H., Dr. Sarkisian’s group found that among high-functioning seniors, those who participate in volunteer work are significantly less likely to become frail than those who don’t.
     “Our study doesn’t prove that volunteering prevents frailty, but we do know that seniors who volunteer are less likely to become frail,” Catherine Sarkisian, M.D., M.S.P.H., says. “For reasons that we’re just beginning to understand, there does seem to be a physical benefit to getting outside yourself and helping others.” (http://www.sharecare.com/question-what-health-benefits-volunteer-seniors)

     The Foster Grandparent’s Program offers seniors a way to make a difference in the lives of children, while the children make a difference in the lives of the seniors.  This program, and its benefits, reminds me of a quote from Mary Baker Eddy. As a woman who did the bulk of her giving to society from between the age of 60 and 89 she summarized: “The rich in spirit help the poor in one grand brotherhood, all having the same Principle, or Father; and blessed is that man who seeth his brother’s need and supplieth it, seeking his own in another’s good.”

     As Sunderlik stated, “I now have 463 grandchildren, and my son’s not even married!”

     To get in touch with One Hope United's Foster Grandparent Program in Sangamon, Morgan and Christian Counties, contact Gloria Monahan at 217-789-7637. For Jefferson, Franklin, Wayne and Williamson Counties, contact Jennifer Witzel at 618-731-4278. Both ladies are also glad to help refer you to a program in your specific area. The Corporation for National and Community Service, which funds the grant , is also a great resource to learn more about the program.  Visit their website at:  www.nationalservice.gov/. 

Thomas (Tim) Mitchinson is a self-syndicated health columnist and the media representative for Christian Science in Illinois