Foster grandparents honored for service to school children

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - Bilberry Park Community Center was packed Thursday, May 5 with volunteers who are changing the lives of young students every day.

They’re called Foster Grandparents and their mission is to provide guidance and support to disadvantaged children and help to enrich their lives.

“The Foster Grandparent program provides the kind of comfort and love that sets a child on a path to a successful future,” said Neva Jones, AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent director.

Dozens of foster grandparents were honored at a luncheon Thursday afternoon. Several principals from many of the schools they service were there to thank them and shower them with gifts from the school.

“The nationwide program officers seniors, who are 55-years-old or older, the opportunity to serve as mentors, tutors, and caregivers to economically disadvantaged students by working one-on-one with them to improve behavioral and educational outcomes from students with special and exceptional needs, helping children who suffer from abuse or neglect, and provide support to children of veterans or who have a deployed family member,” state the program’s mission.

AmeriCorps Seniors and SUSLA sponsor the program that services Caddo, Bossier, and DeSoto parishes.

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