An Indian Country Model 

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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