Grandfriend |
Grandfriends provides an opportunity for young people in the community to get to know members of an older generation.
Grandfriends is the creation of Iris Wallis, who arranged a group of seniors in her local area to visit local primary schools, to help teachers in their classrooms.
For schools, the program represents an opportunity to respond to the needs of parents and children, and to be involved more closely with people of the older generations who make up an important part of the community. Grandfriends helps to bridge the generation gap.
Through the Grandfriends program, members of the younger and older generations can learn from one another and begin to understand and respect one another.
In 2001, the International Year of the Volunteer, Iris received a Commonwealth Recognition Award for Senior Australians, for her tireless efforts. A decade later, her idea has brought joy into the lives of countless children, volunteers and schools.
The Sydney Community Foundation (SCF) has provided a grant to COTA(NSW) to extend the Grandfriends program into the Campbelltown Area.
Grandfriends volunteers wanted! Are you a retired senior who is interested in being a friend for primary school children in the classroom? Can you spare a few hours a week, a month or even a few days a term?
If you answered yes to these questions and are interested in becoming a Grandfriend, we would love to hear from you.
To register your interest in the Grandfriends program, please contact COTA (NSW) on (02) 9286 3860 or Iris Wallis on (02) 9602 2775.
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