by George Joe, Special to the Observer
Navajo-Hopi
Observer
03 June 2004
FLAGSTAFF— Navajo
Foster Grandparents came from every corner of the Diné Nation to be recognized
for volunteering with children on May 26 at Little America Hotel.
“Thank you for
volunteering. You really deserve this respect and we are all very proud of you,”
said Anslem Roanhorse Jr., executive director of the Navajo Division of Health.
Roanhorse addressed the 195 elders present who volunteered more than 150,000
hours this past year. The recognition ceremony is an annual event.
”You truly are the
fabric of our nation,” added U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz. District 1) a guest
speaker.
The Navajo Foster
Grandparents program, a program under the Navajo Area Agency on Aging office, is
one of only four programs within the state of Arizona, but has a volunteer rate
that is three to four times higher than other Arizona projects.
The program falls under
the senior companion program of Corporation for National Service, a federally
funded program. Elders who are part of the program work 20 hours a week and are
paid a small stipend for travel. The Navajo Nation became a part of the program
in 1971, but the program began in the mid 1960s under a different name.
“The Navajo Nation
Foster Grandparents program is a model program in Indian country,” said Lenny
Teh, a program official with the Save the Children foundation. Carole Mandino,
who has spent 20 years working with senior volunteers throughout northern
Arizona, believes the high volunteer rate on Navajo is due to the culture.
“It is entrenched in
Navajo culture,” said Mandino, senior program coordinator for Northern Arizona
University’s Gerontology Institute. “There have been so many generations of
volunteers on Navajo, that it is like what everyone does now.”
The Navajo Division of
Health estimates there are 20,000 tribal members age 60 years and over across
the reservation.
Elders said they enjoy
volunteering because it makes them feel good.
“When I go into a
cafeteria, they are all shouting, ‘Grandma! Grandma!’” said Laura Desh,
64, a foster grandparent from Tuba City. “It is a good feeling…Everybody
then turns around and looks. They’re like baby lambs crying out.”
Irene Eldridge,
director of the Foster Grandparent program, sponsored under the Navajo Division
of Health, said her staff works with local schools and Head Starts to place
grandparents in the community. At their site, they teach the kids, one-on-one
the Navajo language and culture and help with reading, and even adjusting to
school life.
“Last year, a state
official recognized that some children even had improved their reading skills,”
she said.
A common concern among
foster grandparents is the loss of the Navajo language and culture.
“Today’s kids are
losing their culture and language,” added Irene Franklin, another foster
grandparent from Leupp. “When we first meet them (kids), we tell them who they
are and where they come from. Some are slow and some don’t want to listen.
They are all different.”
Eldrige said the foster
grandparents make a big difference by mentoring and teaching Navajo culture to
the kids.
Many volunteers have
been with the program from 15-30 years, said Victoria Bahe, program staff with
the Fort Defiance office. Officials said recruiting has become harder, because
the stipend is not enough in these days of rising gas prices but hopes that the
program can get additional funding. Presently, the project receives $558,489
from the Corporation for National Service, $200,000 from the Navajo Nation and
$99,392 from the State of New Mexico. Arizona provides no financial support.
To become a foster
grandparent, an applicant must be 60 years of age, meet certain income
eligibility requirements, love children and be willing to volunteer 20 hours a
week, said Bahe.
Participants earn a
small, tax-free stipend to cover the cost of serving. They also receive
reimbursements for transportation, meals while on duty, an annual physical
examination and supplemental accident and liability coverage while serving.
For more information, call the central
office at 928-871- 6868
(George Joe is Senior Public
Information Officer for the Navajo Division of Health.)
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