Media Release

Alachua County’s Foster Grandparent Program will recognize its volunteers at a luncheon beginning at 10:30 a.m. Friday, December 9 at the Best Western Gateway Grand in Gainesville. Storm Roberts of WKTK will be the Master of Ceremonies.

Winners in the essay contest sponsored by the Foster Grandparent Advisory Council will read their essays on “Foster Grandparent, Creating a Legacy of Love.”

Entertainment will be provided by singers from the Fraternal Order of the Moose, and by Patricia Borzych and Taylor Roberts, a local duo.

The luncheon is by invitation only, but the media is invited to cover it.

The Foster Grandparent Program was established in Alachua County in 1973. It is part of the Corporation for National Service and is sponsored locally by the Board of County Commissioners.

Volunteers serve throughout the county in day care centers, elementary schools, the Boys and Girls Clubs, special education centers and other sites. In exchange for their service, the volunteers receive a tax-free stipend of $2.65 per hour, meals, assistance with transportation, and supplemental insurance.

The program is accepting applications for new volunteers, especially to serve in local foster homes, a new project for the program. Applicants must be Alachua County residents 60 or over. They must be in relatively good health, enjoy working with children and meet federal income guidelines.

For more information and an application, contact Norma Berger, Coordinator of the Foster Grandparent Program at (352) 264-6757 or visit the County Senior Services Website.