That
comes to something like $2.25 an hour for the four hours they spend
in the schools every morning, which is still a good deal more than
the $60 a month, or 75 cents an hour, foster grandparents got when
the program started.
But as
Blanche puts it, they don’t really do it for the money. "I’d
do it for nothing. There are things more important than money, like
the hugs of those kids."
The
Logan County program is one of 10 in Illinois, one of the oldest and
biggest. Funding comes from the National Corporation for Senior
Services and some from the Illinois Department on Aging. Also, the
program has to have 10 percent in local funding, which can be either
cash or in kind, such as providing meals for the grandparents.
Most
of those who become foster grandparents stay with it, and they are
the ones most likely to bring new people into the program.
"Out
of all the advertising I’ve done, foster grandparents telling
other people is the best advertising I’ve ever had," Paula
says.
One
grandma has been with the program for 25 years, and another, from
Atlanta, will hit the 25-year mark next year. Another was a grandma
until she was 94.
"The
only reason she’s no longer with us is because she died,"
Paula says.
At the
beginning of the school year, the foster grandparents ask the
teachers what they can do for the children. At the end of the school
year, Paula asks the teachers what the program actually did
accomplish.
"Most
of the time, the teachers say the children have improved," she
reports.
Since
its inception, Paula has had about 450 foster grandparents. Right
now she has three foster grandpas and would like to have more.
"Getting
grandpas is a problem," says Jane Poertner, executive director
of CIEDC. Men of that generation didn’t think taking care of
children was men’s work."
Jane
gives Paula high marks for her work in the program, and so do
others. "I’ve just had reviews from one of our funding
sources, and they gave Paula glowing compliments," she says.
Not
only is the program good for the children, it quickly becomes an
important part of the lives of the grandmas, too.
"My
husband died in 1986. I came to Lincoln to be near my son,
Jerry," Glenva Dellinger says.
"The
children you’ve worked with don’t forget you. When I walk down
the hall in the school, I hear, ‘Grandma! Grandma!’ Kids all
over town love me, run up and hug me, saying ‘Grandma! Grandma!’
Even the brothers and sisters of the children I’ve helped call me
‘Grandma!’ I’ll stay as long as they’ll keep me."
Blanche
lost her youngest daughter to cancer eight years ago. "Being a
foster grandma has helped me so much," she says.
"It
gives you something to get up in the morning for. It gives you a
focus. It’s something to live your life for, a wonderful thing to
do," Rita says.
While
in the schools or day-care centers, the foster grandmas wear red
T-shirts or smocks with the logo of the national organization on
them. But they are also recognized without their trademark red tops,
and often find themselves being hailed as "Grandma" in
local stores and other public places.
Rita
remembers just such an incident that happened not long ago in a
local store. She was with one of her own granddaughters, age 14.
"A
little one came up to me and said, ‘Grandma! Grandma!’ My
granddaughter didn’t like it much. She said, ‘She’s not your
grandma. She’s mine!’"
Those interested in
volunteering can call Paula Poe at 732-9391. Requirements are
simple, but the most important one is to love kids.
