Foster grandparents honored

Several foster grandparents were honored for their volunteer efforts with national awards, music and a hearty lunch last Thursday.

More than 45 volunteers of The Foster Grandparent Program in Eastern Montana attended the organization’s Annual Recognition Luncheon at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Polson. About 41 volunteers were presented with presidential service awards for their hours of community service.

Local musicians from the Fiddlesticks School of Music performed celtic, bluegrass and western variations for the honorees. Papa Don’s Grill donated their resources to the occasion by providing the volunteers with a catered lunch.

“We’re here to recognize people who are sharing their lives with others,” said program director Ophie Keene. “They’re very special people to us because they just keep giving, over and over and over again, everyday.”

The seniors who volunteer with the program tutor youth during and after school, focusing mainly on reading — yet there are several foster grandfathers who help with math.

The local program began in 1999 after their sponsor, Western Montana Area VI Agency on Aging, received a federal grant from The Corporation for National Community Service. Volunteers are required to be older than 60 and spend no less than 15 hours tutoring.

Keene said volunteers’ education ranges from a fourth-grade level to a master’s degree, and volunteers are placed where they feel most comfortable and can be most effective.

Keene said many of the volunteers tell her the program has given them “a reason to get up in the morning.” Most of the 48 program volunteers got up - as they always do - with a smile on their face, and came to the event from the counties of: Lake, Flathead, Lincoln, Sanders, Revalli and Mineral.

Birdie Raze was at the event, and has more than 9,800 hours of volunteer service with the program. Earlier this year she was named Citizen of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce, and awarded the Lifetime Presidential Award during the luncheon.

Another extraordinary program volunteer is foster grandfather Johnny Craw, who was awarded the Presidential Gold Award at the luncheon. He has not only mentored troubled youth in Thompson Falls, but given them the tools to mentor one another.

As foster grandparents help mold our state’s youth through one-on-one tutoring, the program they volunteer under does its best to show them the same tenderness.

Every volunteer gets work-related health insurance, a free annual physical, transportation reimbursements and a daily lunch stipend. Some of the volunteers’ income does not exceed 125% of the poverty level, and these fixed-income volunteers receive a tax-free $2.65 per hour stipend for their volunteer hours.

The non-profit organization has a budget of $217,000 this year - $4,000 less than last year - and must raise 20 percent of their yearly budget. This money comes from the goodwill of local businesses and individual citizens.

Keene said The Good Shepherd Lutheran Church has been generous with their building, not only offering it for the luncheon but also for the program’s monthly meetings. Super 1 Grocery Store has supported the program since it’s birth in 1999.

Sponsors of the luncheon were: Lake County Bank, First Security Bank, First Interstate Bank, Glacier Bank and Whitefish Credit Union.

For more information on The Foster Grandparent Program contact Ophie Keene at 883-7284.