Volunteers foster love for students

By By Georgia E. Frye / staff writer
Jan. 8, 2004
Leslie Logan, a prekindergarten student at Oakland Heights Elementary School, said she loves her foster grandmother because she is nice and helps her with projects.
Logan's foster grandmother, Billie Jean Dubose, 69, is part of the Lauderdale County Foster Grandparent program. The program, which puts people over the age of 60 into classrooms, is designed to benefit both the students and the senior citizens.
Bob Glazar, director of the foster grandparent program, said all of Meridian's elementary schools have foster grandparents in their kindergarten through third-grade classrooms.
Glazer said the program also includes Southeast and Northeast elementary schools in Lauderdale County, as well as schools in Clarke and Jasper counties.
Foster grandparents is a federal program paid for by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a part of the Senior Corps. The program is sponsored locally by the Multi-County Community Service Agency, which sponsors Meals on Wheels and other volunteer services for seniors.
The foster grandparents are paid a tax-free stipend that doesn't interfere with other senior citizen benefits. Glazar said volunteers also are paid for their travel expenses, and they receive a yearly physical and a daily meal.
Teachers say they also appreciate having foster grandparents in the classroom.
Dubose said in addition to spending time with the children, which she loves, she also has made friends with the other foster grandparents.
Another prekindergarten student, Shaterrica Hamilton, said she loves her foster grandmother because "she is a nice lady and she helps us learn how to write."