Senior Walks to School to Volunteer With Kids
Seniors Provide Local Community Service by Volunteering at Schools
Nov 10, 2009
There are many things seniors and boomers can do with their spare time. One senior is volunteering with kids. She claims older adults can be physically and mentally active well into their nineties.
Meet Senior Citizen Catherine Merriam
This 90-year old lady was born in Buffalo, New York, and spent seventeen years working in scouting there. She spent several years as a study hall monitor in the same high school her own children attended, along with almost a decade doing similar work at a middle school.
She has lived in New York, Florida, and retired to Texas to be near her son. She walks, volunteers with elementary students, has supper with her son each week, and even finds time to play bridge weekly.
Older Adults Volunteer With School Students
This ex-octogenarian spends time a couple of times a week with school children from kindergarten through fourth grade. She has made a difference in the lives of a number of students over the years. There are other older people who also work with students as part of the volunteer program.
She tells it like it is, expecting progress from each one. She provides caring structure and consistent positive expectations from the students about their learning. She is clear with each student that she won't put up with any nonsense, and will tell the teacher, parent, or whomever is needed. However, she hardly ever has to do that.
She says the school where she volunteers, Sally K. Ride Elementary, is a wonderful school with a remarkable principal. She has noticed "the staff is great all the way down the line".
90-year Old Volunteer Gets Award for Reading With Children
Superintendent Don Stockton of Conroe Independent School District presented Catherine Merriam with the official PIE Award (Patrons Influencing Education). The presentation was made at a meeting of the Conroe ISD School Board. She received a plaque, a standing ovation, and a hot apple pie in recognition of the selfless efforts she has put forth for the children in the community.
The students at Ride Elementary in Conroe Independent School System will tell anyone she's always there, rain or shine. She walks twice a week to volunteer with kindergarten through fourth grade children by reading to and with them. She has even tutored a child free in the summer to keep his skills going.
Mrs. Merriam says her son recommended the idea at first, but as soon as she started, she knew she'd keep it up. She reads to the students and encourages them to develop needed skills in reading.
Merriam Hopes Other Senior Citizens Volunteer Locally
This fine elderly volunteer says the best thing to do is to volunteer. She thinks all seniors should find a way to become a senior volunteer and share their talents with the community.
A number of schools have retired and senior volunteer programs to help with a variety of tasks from helping with a science project on a one-time basis to reading to students regularly in the library or a classroom setting. Older adults can fill the gap for the students they serve, and affect them in a positive way which can last a lifetime.
Since both of these groups – older and younger – have more time on their hands, volunteer seniors serve a vital need in both public and private schools.
Catherine Merriam, an award-winning volunteer, walks to school regularly to read with students. This volunteering service to the children strengthens both the school and the students she reads to. She claims elderly people can continue to live full lives and continue to be active seniors by both walking or other types of moving. She also suggests that older adults should look for volunteer programs to enrich their lives. Maybe this is a good day to call a local school and offer to volunteer!
Source: Interview with Catherine Merriam at The Forum close to CISD's Ride Elementary on 28 October 2009.
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