GIVE - In Home Support Program: GIVE In Home Support Program, began with a start-up grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and has been a part of Senior Services since 1998. GIVE is one of 20 programs that make up the Faith In Action Network Collaborative of Michigan. Faith In Action is founded on the ideal of “neighbor helping neighbor” and recruits volunteers from different faiths to help individuals who need assistance with daily living activities.
GIVE offers volunteers 18 and older, the opportunity to provide free assistance to seniors and the disabled, to help them remain independent and in their own home.
Services Offered
 Visiting
Transportation
Shopping
Telephone Reassurance
Light Housekeeping
Light Meal Preparation
Light Yard Work
2010 marked the 12th anniversary of GIVE, a volunteer program for people 18 and older in Kalamazoo County, which provides basic In Home Support service to seniors and the disabled who live in their own home. Volunteers choose what they would like to do and how much time they have to give. In Kalamazoo County, GIVE volunteers provide rides to medical appointments, grocery stores, and nursing homes (to visit a spouse or friend). They clean houses, take seniors and the disabled to physical therapy and water aerobics and are 'phone buddies' for the homebound. They sort mail and pay bills for seniors who are legally blind, clean yards and even invite recipients living alone, to join their family for a holiday meal. In all 17 volunteers donated more than 600 hours of service to people in Kalamazoo County. Due in part to the assistance provided by GIVE volunteers, seniors and the disabled are often able to stay in the comfort of their own home. For more information about GIVE, a member of the Faith In Action Network Collaborative of Michigan, visit us on the web at www.faithinactionmi.org
Want to join? Call Kathleen Kelleher, GIVE Director at (269) 382-0515 Extension 127 or, email Kathleen at kkelleher@seniorservices1.0rg
A little of your time can make a big difference!
Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder. Help someone’s soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd. Rumi
Volunteer Spotlight
Ann Seaman - She'll light up your lifeI remember the first time I heard about Ann. She was referred to GIVE, a volunteer program of Senior Services, by her friend Carol who said that Ann could use some services, but also wanted to volunteer. “She’s really quite a remarkable person”, Carol said, “She’d be wonderful making telephone reassurance calls to homebound seniors. “ It was a great suggestion. Ann joined the volunteer ranks in 1999 and soon became known as the bubbly, cheerful voice on the other end of the phone. Her sparkling personality and great sense of humor were wonderful assets and she couldn’t help but to brighten your day. As someone once said, “Ann makes me think of the old song, ‘You light up my life!’” Ann was matched with one person in particular who made a lasting impression. Marianne and Ann spoke on the phone for 3 years, until Marianne died suddenly this year. “I really miss her,” Ann says. “I just loved her and she was so good to me. When I first starting calling her, I’d say ‘Have a good day’ and that was about it, but before long we really hit it off and we’d be on the phone for hours. She was so thoughtful and nice. Once I happened to mention that I wanted to learn the difference bird sounds, and the next thing I knew I had a card that played 8 different bird songs. I can actually play it at the window, and real birds respond. Now that she’s gone, I like to sit by the window, listen to the sounds and think of her. “ Asked why she wanted to volunteer, Ann was quick to reply. “I’ve had many challenges in my life, but I’m lucky to have a family that supports me, but others are not so fortunate. Although I am blind and wheelchair bound with Multiple Sclerosis, I can still talk your ear off on the phone. It’s a phone call. You don’t have to take notes; all you have to do it talk and listen. I have a big heart and share what I can with others. This is my way of giving back; everyone can do something.”
 Review the latest GIVE Impact Summary
Click HERE to review the 2011 Summary
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