Russellville Mayor David Grissom poses with members of the Foster Grandparent Program in the city school system.

For the second year in a row, Russellville Mayor David Grissom took part in a special event aimed at recognizing groups of people who freely give of their time in service to others.

Last Wednesday, Russellville Mayor David Grissom honored a group of volunteers who play an important role in the city’s school system – the Foster Grandparent Program.

The recognition was part of the Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service where more than 1,248 mayors across the country recognized important service groups in their communities for the help they provide in key areas.

The initiative is sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service, Cities of Service, the National League of Cities and other organizations.

The Foster Grandparents Program, which is an arm of the Corporation for National and Community Service, has been sponsored by the city of Russellville since 1974.

The city school system and their standard of excellence has always been a source of pride for the city of Russellville, and Grissom said the Foster Grandparent Program plays an important part in the education of the city’s students.

“I can remember having foster grandparents when I was in school and I was able to become reacquainted with the program though my daughter, Kate, who had a foster grandmother in her classroom when she was in first grade.

“Kate still talks about her and the good memories she shared with her, and I can see what an impact it made in her life, and I know these foster grandparents have impacted many children.

“The time, attention, advice, love and lessons these volunteers bestow on the students in our city school system is priceless because they are helping these children learn not only how to be better students but how to be better and more productive citizens as well.

“I am more than glad to show my support of this outstanding program, and I appreciate the work these volunteers do to make an impact on the lives of our young people.”

While honoring the Foster Grandparent Program on Wednesday, Grissom took a tour of the S.P.A.N. Program and the Russellville Head Start program and saw some of the active foster grandparents in action in their classrooms.

“I was able to see first-hand these foster grandparents working with students from the pre-k level up through high school,” Grissom said.

“You can see how dedicated they are to what they do and how much the students appreciate them and benefit from this one-on-one attention.”

After the tour, Grissom invited all 11 foster grandparents in the city school system to city hall where he presented each volunteer with a proclamation honoring their service, which, all combined, totaled 11,883 hours of mentoring and tutoring special and exceptional needs children within the city of Russellville in 2013.

“We appreciate Mayor Grissom and his support of this program,” said Jessica Latham, director of the Foster Grandparent Program that serves Franklin, Colbert, Lauderdale, Marion and Winston counties.

“The Foster Grandparent Program is celebrating our 40^th year this year, and this day of recognition is a way to make the public more aware of our program and what we do to help in the community.”

Latham said the Foster Grandparent Program has a three-fold benefit that has been proven vital over the years.

“Of course our program benefits the special needs students who work directly with our volunteers,” she said.

“They are able to get specialized, one-on-one learning time that helps them improve their skills and they also are able to develop a bond with our volunteers and receive the love and support they need to help them be successful.

“The program is also a benefit to the teachers whose classrooms they serve in. They are an extra set of eyes, ears and hands and are able to help children when the teacher has his or her hands full or assist with other classroom projects that need to be done. All of our teachers are very complimentary of our volunteers.

“And last, our program is a great benefit to the senior citizens who are a part of it.

“Our program is open to anyone over the age of 55 who has a limited income. By being part of the program, each volunteer is able to get out of his or her home and do something productive with their time. They make friends and feel a sense of accomplishment through the work they do. And they receive a tax-free stipend for their service that isn’t a lot, but it’s enough to help with groceries or doctor’s visits.”

Latham said the local Foster Grandparent Program currently has 89 volunteers who serve in 35 work stations in the five-county area.

Those volunteers in the Russellville City School System are: Bernice Bolton, Hattie Freeman, Sandra Hillman, Jenett Hood, Dorothy Logan, Antha McCollum, Sylvia Robinson, Margaret Sharpley, Rosemary Soule, Gladys Warhurst and Annie West.

“This is a great program and we are glad the volunteers are being recognized for their excellent service,” Latham said.

Fore more information about the Foster Grandparent Program, call 256-332-6800.