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CTI's Senior Volunteers Shine Bright

By NICK BROWN, Sun StaffLowell Sun

Richard Reno's days have become busy again. "I always had so much time and nothing to do with it," the 66-year-old Lowell man said. About a year ago, Reno became one of the nearly 300 Greater Lowell seniors involved with the Senior Corps Volunteer program run by Community Teamwork Inc. Fellow volunteers say his face has "glowed" ever since. "I enjoy going in," said Reno, who dedicates 20 hours each week at the North Wood Nursing Home in Lowell. "I'd rather be there than anywhere else. ... My mother was in a nursing home for four years and I figured this is my way of giving back."

The Senior Corps Volunteer Program is about 30 years old, said Jane Benfey, CTI's director of volunteer programs. Split into three subdivisions, it allows volunteers to decide how to focus their skills and interests. The Senior Companion Program and Foster Grandparent Program, which make up two-thirds of the Senior Corps, are reserved for low-income seniors over age 60. The RSVP Program is open to all seniors 55 and older. Senior Companions like Reno volunteer at least 20 hours each week in community settings, such as retirement homes or senior centers, working with fellow seniors or disabled adults. Foster Grandparents also work at least 20 hours per week in community settings, but dedicate their time to at-risk or disabled children. RSVP volunteers work with only nonprofit agencies and average about four hours per week.

The Senior Corps, said Benfey, benefit not only the clients, but the senior volunteers, too. "For seniors, there comes a point when you've been working every day for years, and then that life ends and finding a good reason to get out of the house is difficult. Knowing someone is depending on you helps."

In the courtyard outside St. Anne Church on Merrimack Street on Monday, Senior Corps members offered free lunches and reading for local children. Foster Grandparent Fran Duxbury, affectionately called "Miss Fran" by her foster grandchildren, said the relationships she forms with the children are "rewarding." "I get close to my kids," said the Dracut resident. "Giving them a chance I didn't have as a kid. ... I get a lot of hugs from them. Those are my favorite part."

"If you love children, and your own kids are grown and you're sitting in an empty house, this is the thing to do," said foster grandmother Kathy Yeshulas of Lowell.

A week of training for new members begins tomorrow. Interested seniors should call CTI's Joan Aseltine at (978) 654-5080, ext. 14 for more information. But for those who can't make next week's training session, said Benfey, "Not to worry. There will be other training sessions, and volunteers are always welcome."