Rose Duarte

Foster Grandparent Program Mutually Beneficial

by Abrah J. Salk

After years of dedicated work for the City of New Bedford, Rose Duarte had a lot of free time on her hands when she retired. Not one to be idle for long, she wanted to volunteer and make a difference in the community. Her friend Katie Montrond kept urging her to join the Foster Grandparents Program sponsored by Coastline Elderly Services, Inc. For no specific reason, Ms. Duarte kept putting off signing up. But eventually in 1984, she went down and joined and hasn't looked back since.

For the past twenty years she has volunteered about twenty hours a week at the NorthStar Learning Center on Ash St. in New Bedford (formally known as the United Front Child Development Program). She reads to the children and assists with their learning and playtime. Rose loves playing with the Playdough just as much as the kids do! She also helps with lunchtime making sure that the children eat and get the nutrition that they need.

"Volunteering gives me a chance to get out of the house. I couldn't just sit around…I just couldn't do it", Ms. Duarte says.

Rose Duarte isn't the only one who benefits from this program. The children at NorthStar adore her and get very excited when she walks in the door. The attention that she showers on them helps them to thrive and feel better about themselves.

In addition to helping out the children, Ms. Duarte also attends a monthly in-service at Coastline with all the other Foster Grandparents. It's a meeting that provides the "Grandparents" with ongoing training, as well as important information about seniors' issues.

Rose Duarte can't say enough good things about this program. "I hope the Foster Grandparent Program is around for a long time. That's a necessity".

The Foster Grandparent Program is just one of many programs that Coastline Elderly Services, Inc. offers. For more information about this program, please contact Christine Voss or Ken Souza at 1-508-999-6400.