A successful grandparent mentorship program that serves hundreds of Syracuse-area first and second graders is on the budget chopping block if the U.S. Senate can’t save it. Senator Chuck Schumer stopped at Van Duyn elementary in Syracuse today, one of at least 30 schools and family support locations served by the Senior corps program. Schumer says the grandparents are a critical addition to schools and families…
"They're not paid...they're volunteers. 15 hours a week to focus on a kid's individual needs. Sometimes they'll help the kids with arithmetic. But sometimes they'll help the kids with practical things, like how to organize their school books, and how to make sure they put things away so they don't forget them."
But Schumer says a bill awaiting debate in the house would slash funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service. The agency operates thousands of community building programs nationwide, from Americorps to Senior Corps. The Foster Grandparent program is allotted $743,000 from an overall $1.17 million for the Senior Corps program.
"While the grandparents don't get paid for their time, you have to organize it, you have to administer it. You have to make sure the grandparents are assigned to the kids, that they get to the schools at the right time, etcetera. So, it does cost some money. Unfortunately, the House of Representatives slashed this program by 42%."
Even worse, New York State CNCS Director Jessica Vasquez says the house budget cuts the organization’s administrative budget by 75%.
"Both bills propose drastic cuts in the AmeriCorps program and the elimination of the social innovation fund, as well as to our administration, which will have a devastating impact on our ability to administer the Senior Corps program in and of itself."
The program is run in conjunction with PEACE, Inc. Director of the organization's Foster Grandparent Program Beth O'Hara says it benefits not only the children, but the seniors.
"It gets them out of the house, it gets them active, it gets them involved in their communities, they've got some place to go, something to do, they have an investment in their community because they have an investment in these children."
There are more than 6,000 Americorps members in New York State working in schools, tribal and faith based groups, communities hit by disaster, and with veterans…all programs that would be jeopardized under the proposed budget bill. Senator Schumer vowed to spend the summer fighting for the funding before the October 1sr budget deadline.
