Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay

Foster grandparent program: helps at-risk children succeed in school with intensive, in-class tutoring and mentoring provided by highly-trained, culturally relevant volunteers. Each year we help preschoolers develop school readiness skills and students in kindergarten through 3rd grade improve literacy and social/emotional skills. We serve in title i schools where children face poverty and other life challenges that jeopardize their academic success. Teachers assess each child's challenge areas and create child care plans to guide volunteers in one-on-one tutoring. During the most recently completed school year (2021-2022) our volunteers provided daily mentoring to 2,718 pre-k through 3rd graders and one-on-one tutoring to 1,090 students selected by their teacher as most challenged. We engaged 202 foster grandparent volunteers who served 83,100 volunteer hours. At least 91% of children showed improvement in their specific challenge areas - as evaluated by the classroom teachers, not by Seniors in Service!

Retired and senior volunteer program (rsvp): matches people aged 55+ to the volunteer opportunity of their dreams. We partner with hundreds of organizations, strategically matching each volunteer to use skills they've gained over the years or to develop new ones. Our motto is: "got an hour? Give an hour!" Focus areas include: 1) elder services - e.g. Senior living community recreation activities and health education; 2) hunger relief services - e.g. Food distribution/delivery; 3) education services - e.g. Tutoring; 4) non-profit capacity building. in 2022 we engaged 747 volunteers aged 55+ who served 79,801 hours to help our community.

Senior companion program: provides ongoing support for homebound elders, adults with disabilities, veterans, and family caregivers to promote independent living. Clients are low-income and lack support from family/friends. They receive in-home companionship, homemaker services, respite and a watchful eye in case they need extra care - all at no cost to them. Program staff identify client needs based on ability to complete activities of daily living (adl's). Clients and volunteers are matched based on needs, culture, skills. Volunteers help with errands/chores, share health/safety information, engage in mentally stimulating conversation/games, communicate with families/case managers, & engage other agencies as needed. With this support, clients are less likely to need costly institutionalization. Both clients and volunteers benefit from increased social connection. in 2022 we helped 205 clients with 59 senior companion volunteers who served over 34,493 volunteer hours.

Operation veteran connect (ovc): engages americorps members and community volunteers to help veterans navigate and access va benefits and healthcare services at james a. haley and Bay pines va facilities as well as other essential community resources like food, snap, affordable housing, emergency utilities, employment, and more. in 2022 we engaged 71 volunteers who served 22,007 hours to help local veterans.health buddies: helps older adults with chronic conditions improve mental and physical wellbeing by matching them with a health buddy, who empowers them to self-manage their health through comforting, informative phone calls. Clients are isolated Seniors referred by community partners they trust. Health buddies are college students preparing for health careers who offer "companionship as medicine", removing the stigma of seeking help while building the next generation of health professionals. in 2022 we helped 86 clients. 85% reported perceived improved ability to self-manage their chronic condition; 94% did not have a preventable hospital readmission for the same condition; 100% did not utilize emergency room services for a non-emergency need.