CONTINUANCE - Southern Illinois University

Southwestern Illinois CollegeIt is important to connect the networks and learn howeach network could assist in meeting community needs.Stories and Ideas for Increasing Graduation Rates and WellnessDecember 2 - BellevilleValerie Thaxton, Vice President,Student, Campus & CommunityServicesSuccess Story: A Volunteer WhoMakes a DifferenceMrs. G., age 75 and a FosterGrandparent volunteers at theSIUE Bluffview Head Start Center inCaseyville, IL. The Center prepareschildren for school through reading,writing, language development, andteaching social and emotional skills.Many of the children come from migrantfamilies. Volunteering for fouryears, Mrs. G. has a gift for assistingchildren identified as having socialand emotional difficulties.When asked how volunteeringtouches her life, Mrs. G replied,“Each morning. I wake up knowingthat I am making a difference in thelives of so many young people. Beinga Foster Grandparent volunteerhas helped me remain physicallyactive and has given me an outlet tocontinue focusing on others.”The Local Discussion was invigoratingand informative as evidenced bythe fact that many of the participantshave expressed a desire to reconveneto further discuss partnershipopportunities that have a win-winpotential with partners focusing ona common goal. The participantsstressed the importance of relationshipswith service providers – “youcan’t refer people to opportunitiesyou don’t know about.”There was consensus that it is importantto connect networks and tolearn how each network could assistin meeting community needs.We must get better at establishingbaseline information and at effectivelyevaluating program/service impactin order to garner more resourcesby writing competitive grants.Good grants require good data.Participants agreed that relationshipsare key to addressing dropoutissues, older adult service issues andnetworking/referrals among agencies.Tutoring, truancy initiatives,4H clubs, Big Brothers/Big Sisters,scouting programs, RSVP, FosterGrandparents and AmeriCorps andmany other entities have programswhere engaged volunteers havebeen successful at establishing relationshipswith students (and theirfamilies) and providing support.Many of these programs are intergenerationaland depend on adultsand retirees to serve as volunteers.Participants agreed that the “relationship”was just as important tothe volunteer and that such volunteeropportunities enhanced thequality of volunteers’ lives.The Regional Offices of Educationhave programs which address dropoutsand the schools have supportprograms. SWIC has a High SchoolAcademy summer remediation programand the YMCA provides tutoringto help kids stay in school.President Georgia Costello“We all need someone in our liveswho expects a lot of us, holds usaccountable, teaches the moralvalues, and instills integrity andcourage to carry on. Older adultsand students give each other thissupport.”Ideas and Action:Current connections between aging,education and service are good, butcould be strengthened by determiningbarriers to service and by morecollaborative efforts.1) There was consensus that barriersto volunteering need to bereviewed; many volunteers whomight significantly impact the livesof others are deterred by barriers.2) Participants agreed that wemust continue to collaborate and tofocus on aspects of programs thatfoster relationships with peopleand entities. As a region, we mustdetermine our collective needs inthese targeted areas and bring thepartners together who can addressthese needs.3) The legislature creates an opportunityto communicate its needs atthe local level by making targetedfunds available; targeted fundswould be welcomed.4) Without adding another layer ofbureaucracy, there is a benefit to establishinga mechanism to connectthe various service networks in theregion.http://www.iii.siuc.edu/ 23