LEBANON — The Grafton County Senior Citizens Council has received a federal grant to support programs for older adults in Grafton and Sullivan counties.
The $110,000 AmeriCorps Seniors grant will go toward supporting volunteers who lead exercise classes, a home assistance chore program and a morning phone call program, where people check in on older adults, according to a news release from the Lebanon-based nonprofit organization.
Those programs have been in place in Grafton County since 1971, Teresa M. Volta, program director for the organization’s AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP Volunteer Center, wrote in an email.
In 2003, Grafton County Senior Citizens Council received a grant to expand the program to cover all of Grafton County and Sullivan County.
“The more RSVP Bone Builders, Chore Corps and Good Morning volunteers we have, the more we can provide services at no cost to older adults,” Volta wrote in an email.
The program has continued to grow over the years, with hundreds of people attending 21 Bone Builders classes throughout the region. There are more than 90 volunteers age 55 and older who volunteer through the AmeriCorp RSVP program.
“We recruit, screen, train, and support volunteers; and do outreach and support older adult participants,” Volta said in the release.
The organization is always looking for more volunteers; those who are interested can email rsvp@gcscc.org or call 1-877-711-7787 for more information.
