Orientation
Earlier this month, we welcomed new Foster Grandparent volunteers in Central Florida and East Central Florida.
Before Foster Grandparent volunteers begin their assignments, they must complete 40 hours of mandatory training, divided up into two 20 hour sessions.
Welcome!
Volusia County:
Volusia County Foster Grandparents at Orientation
Susan Ashmead
Thomas Heimall
Helen King
Betty Pato
Janet Williams
Central Florida:
Edwin Alicea
Veldora Cain
Patricia Claridy
Nanva Conception
Angel Fernandez
Gladys Harris
Cynthia Hicks
Bennie Holmes
Claudette Hutchinson
Merrea Jones
Hilda Jorge
Vincent Lennard
Daniel McDellah
Angela Myers
Zenobia Ann Robinson
Leroy Rodgers
Precious Rouse
Carol Simpson
Mary Taylor
Carmen Vega
Delores Walters
Jacqueline Williams
Congratulations to returning Foster Grandparents who have completed their 40 hours of training!
Volusia County:
Maria Caraballo
Lorraine Curry
Florence Davis
Carlotta Irvin
Alicia Piquet
Gail White
Central Florida:
Sallie Adams
Jeanette Baker
Vera Burgess
Lauretha Burton
Lerida Carrasco
Gloria Frett
Wanda Harmon
Alice Jackson
Beverly Pinkney
Luciana Rios
Miguel Rivera
Rose Rucker
Geraldine Thompkins
Shirley Wright
Carol Young
Esther Zayas
Senior moment – or just mulling a response?
The Today Show has wonderful resources and articles available on healthy aging. One in particular, research conducted on seniors and their thoughts, has some interesting results!
Keep Up with Us
Foster Grandparents are back to school!
School started back the first week of January here in Central Florida so that means our Foster Grandparent volunteers are hard at work!
Have you voted today?
The Foster Grandparent Program is entered again to win gas! CITGO’s Fueling Good contest provides a $5,000 gas gift card to select nonprofit organizations– and we need your help to win! Visit the link below to vote once per email address per day beginning January 12. Please also help spread the word! This would provide valuable assistance allowing our volunteers to get to and from their sites.
Shopping Gives Back
Don’t forget there are other easy ways to give back to the Foster Grandparent Program.
Recognizing Outstanding Achievements
Last Thursday we held our annual Volusia and Flagler counties Foster Grandparent Volunteer Recognition. The event went off without a hitch and was a lot of fun! Foster Grandparents, friends, supporters, and family came out to celebrate their achievements throughout the year with area special needs children. Volusia and Flagler county Foster Grandparents serve in Elementary Schools, Head Starts, Day Care centers, Boys and Girls Clubs, centers for special needs children, and many more sites.
Foster Grandparent friends enjoy Volusia Recognition
Recognition was held at the picturesque Hidden Lakes Golf Club in New Smyrna Beach. Entertainment was provided by DJ Blaxx who did an excellent job keeping us in the holiday spirit and keeping our Grandparents dancing! Staff and board members spoke and showed their appreciation.
Foster Grandparent Program Staff
And to our Grandparents, our continued thanks you for all that you do!
Want to see more? Visit our Facebook page or our YouTube page!
Get involved with Good Search
Looking for an easy way to give back this holiday season? Use the internet often for work, searches, or shopping? Good Search makes it easy.
Good Search works just like your favorite search engine– but donates donate about a penny to your favorite cause every time you do a search!
Like to shop online? They’ve also got GoodShop.com, where you can shop at more than 2,400 top online retailers and a percentage of your purchases will go to the charity of your choice. You pay the same price as you normally would (or sometimes less with thousands of online coupons available) but a donation goes to your cause!
Visit their website and select the Foster Grandparent Program (Orlando, FL) as your charity of choice, and we will benefit, by you just doing what you would do anyway! It’s just that easy!
Make a Difference this Holiday Season
Dear Friend,
We are looking forward to the Holiday Season and want to make the season a little brighter for our foster grandparent volunteers. This year we are collecting a $25.00 gift card for each of our foster grandparents - gift cards that they can use to purchase additional groceries or holiday treats that most of us take for granted. Our foster grandparent volunteers are low-income seniors who give so freely and unselfishly of themselves to improve the lives of our children with special or exceptional needs.
In recognition of their service, we are requesting that you make a $25.00 donation or purchase a gift card from Wal-Mart, Target, Publix, Winn-Dixie, or Albertsons for a foster grandparent.
This year the foster grandparents gave more than 318,000 hours to almost 4,000 children with special or exceptional needs. The success of the program is dependent upon community support such as yours.
We want to thank you for being a Foster Grandparent Friend and for your support of the Foster Grandparent Program, our 380 foster grandparents, and the thousands of children they serve.
Please send your donation and/or gift card to:
Foster Grandparent Program of Central Florida
3545 Lake Breeze Drive
Orlando, Florida 32808
We also are now accepting donations via PayPal. You can simply click on the Donate icon on the right site of this page, or visit www.fostergrandparentprogram.org to make your donation online.
You can also help by passing this on to your friends, family, and colleagues. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at 407-298-4180.
Go the Extra Mile!
Did you know today is Extra Mile day? Points of Light Institute and City’s and their Mayor’s across the country today are celebrating Extra Mile Day, instituted by the Extra Mile Foundation.
According to their website,
Going the extra mile is doing more than the normal…more than expected. Going the extra mile is extending ourselves in our efforts and our communication. Going the extra mile is getting back up after we’ve been knocked down, despite whatever has happened, and saying, “I still choose the very best for myself!“
The Extra Mile America Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that encourages positive attitude and action by empowering individuals, organizations, and cities to “go the extra mile.” Through public campaigns, speaking engagements, and partnerships with nonprofits, we empower people to apply the extra-mile principle, reach their goals, and live a more self-directed life.”
Learn more from Points of Light about the Extra Mile Day! Want more? Read Shawn Anderson’s take on the day, founder of Extra Mile America. These articles are filled with little known tidbits about going above and beyond to make this day a national initiative!
We think it’s a great idea. What are you doing to go the extra mile?
One last push
Today is the last day to vote in the CITGO Fueling Good Contest! Just as a reminder, CITGO is giving away $5,000 gas gift cards to nonprofits who make a difference in their communities. Nonprofits who receive the highest number of votes in their contest win!
Voting is easy! Simply click the Vote for us Today button below!
Help us spread the word to your friends and family, and thank you for your support!
Make a Difference
Tomorrow is Make a Difference Day! According to HandsOn’s Facebook page:
For 20 years, USA WEEKEND and HandsOn Network, a business unit of Points of Light, have joined together to sponsor Make A Difference Day, the largest national day of community service. Held annually on the fourth Saturday in October, Make A Difference Day is a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors.
Millions of Americans unite in a common mission to improve the lives of others on Make A Difference Day.”
Get out and make a difference in your community! Need ideas? The Corporation for National and Community Service blog has plenty of places for you to turn.
Serve.gov | National Service Blog: 7 Ways to Make a Difference and Make Your Mark.
A Good News day
Do you ever turn on the TV and find there is all bad news on? Recently, reading stories online I came across an interesting feature: Good News!
The Today Show’s website has an entire section dedicated to nothing but Good News! Some of our favorites?
After 80 rejections, inventor, 84, comes up with a winner
Work on something that’s meaningful to you,” Weiss, inventor at age 84 advised. “If you do that, you’re more likely to find success.”
Man who quit college in 1932 graduates — at 99
On 100th birthday, he married the woman of his dreams
On getting married at 100, Forrest Lunsway tells the Dana Point Times that he doesn’t feel 100 at all. “I haven’t hit 65 yet!”
These stories demonstrate that you are never too old, and you can do anything!
Have you defied the odds and done something great?
