Charles City Foster Grandparents Program celebrates 50 years with ‘50s party

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Fifty years. That’s a lot of Foster Grandmas – and a few Foster Grandpas – working in area schools, preschools and child care centers, giving thousands and thousands of kids caring attention.

That includes reading to the kids. Playing games. Providing hugs and support and acting as mentors, role models and friends.

The Charles City Foster Grandparents Program, the oldest and possibly still the largest in the state, celebrated its 50th anniversary on Tuesday as part of the program’s annual appreciation party.

The current group of Foster Grandmas, city staff, site representatives, advisory board members and program staff gathered at the Elks Lodge for a full late morning and afternoon of prizes, awards, food and fun.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary with a 1950s theme, the party even featured a performance by Elvis! – Elvis Presley impersonator “Nearly Elvis” Ron Semler from Washington, Iowa.

Foster Grandparents started nationally in 1965 when President Johnson signed a bill approving an anti-poverty program to pay low-income elderly a stipend for them to help care for neglected and disadvantaged children and sick and disabled persons.

According to information shared during the program Tuesday, in 1972, Comprehensive Systems Inc. in Charles City received a $40,000 federal grant to establish a Foster Grandparents Program in Charles City, for seniors to work with the program’s clients.

In 1987, Northern Trails Area Education Agency took over sponsorship of the program when Comprehensive Systems children were mainstreamed into the school system and Foster Grandparents became available to all students.

In 1990, with the AEA pulling back, the city of Charles City took over sponsorship “after many discussions and long meetings,” to prevent the program from being discontinued in the area.

In 1998, Mary Litterer took over as director, and she would run the Charles City Foster Grandparents program for 20 years, growing it to include more than 100 Foster Grandmas and Foster Grandpas at its height, serving children at almost two dozen sites in Floyd, Chickasaw, Cerro Gordo and Mitchell counties.

With Litterer’s retirement in 2018, Sarah Merrifield became the director.

“Merrifield was the one who had to explain to the Grandparents that they would not be going back to school because of a virus and all schools across the state closed,” according to information at the party Tuesday. “No one knew they were going to stay closed for the rest of the year.”

In 2020, current Director Jennifer Lance took over the program at a time when the number of people interested in being Foster Grandparents had fallen, both because of uncertainty on the part of many seniors about going into the schools, and on the part of the sites over letting people into their buildings.

Last school year, as some sites started allowing Foster Grandparents back into their buildings, the number of seniors in the Charles City program had fallen to 31.

This current school year, as the Charles City program learned all Foster Grandparents would be welcomed back at their sites, the program has grown to 37 Foster Grandparents serving 17 sites.

A new recruiter, Janet Smallwood, from Nora Springs, was hired recently to look for new or returning Foster Grandparents.

Smallwood said she has already held one informational meeting in Nora Springs, and has meetings set up from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Mason City Library on Thursday, April 28, and beginning at 10 a.m. at the New Hampton Library on Tuesday, May 10.

She had already found a couple of people who were interested in joining the program, she told the Press Tuesday.

In addition to lunch, entertainment and goodie bags – filled with items donated by the Foster Grandparents’ sites as well as by 60 event sponsors from the four counties – the appreciation party is about recognition. Even more so on the program’s 50th anniversary.

Director Lantz said she had received an email a few days ago that the program was going to be receiving a Governor’s Volunteer Award through the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service that she and staff would be accepting this summer.

The program also received a proclamation from the Executive Department of the Governor’s Office in honor of the 50th anniversary.

Atalaya Sergi, national director of AmeriCorps Seniors, sent a video message congratulating the program, as did U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, who said the Foster Grandparents Program provides “a vital opportunity for both volunteers and the kids that they serve.”

“By bringing Foster Grandparents into schools to tutor and mentor kids, this program helps bridge a generational divide. It creates a sense of community and relationships that can last far beyond graduation,” Grassley said.

“When kids are struggling at home or with school, just having someone to listen to them and care about them can be so, so, meaningful,” he said. “I salute all the volunteers and those who work tirelessly to make the program a success.”

City Administrator Steve Diers acted as emcee to announce several awards, including Grandparent of the Year from each county.

Bernice Voelker is the Floyd County Grandparent of the Year, Wilma Lensing is Chickasaw County’s winner, Mavis Beenan is the Cerro Gordo County Grandparent of the Year and Sheralea Tumilson is the Mitchell County GOTY.

Voelker was also named the overall Grandparent of the Year, selected by a vote of all the program members at a previous inservice meeting.

Service awards with a certificate and pin were given to each Foster Grandparent, recognizing the number of years of service they have been with the program. That list was:

• Under 1 year of service: Sally Buehler from Charles City Lincoln Elementary, Susan Clark from TLC: The Learning Center, Janet Johnson from Clear Creek Elementary, Yung-Feng Liu from TLC: The Learning Center, Ginger Meyer from Charles City, Jeanette Reinhardt from Charles City and Carnette Starr from TLC: The Learning Center.

• 1 year: Donna Hulion from TLC: The Learning Center (coming back to the program).

• 2 years: Carmen Ramsay from Washington Charlie Brown, Annie Stallworth from Charles City Lincoln Elementary, Connie Walker from North Iowa Christian School and Renae Weipert from Osage Lincoln Elementary and Osage Community Daycare.

• 3 years: Mary Church from Mason City and Jayne Hansen from Charles City Washington Elementary.

• 4 years: Donna Feistner from Clear Creek Elementary, Jody Jacobson from Charles City and Carol Pollard from Osage Lincoln Elementary.

• 6 years: Cindy Kinney from St. John Christian Preschool, Kathy Rane from Central Preschool and Diane Winter from Charles City Middle School.

• 7 years: Patty Martin from West Town Charlie Brown, La Donna Norris from West Town Charlie Brown, Aletha Berding-Powell from TLC: The Learning Center and Charlotte Reams from I.C. School.

• 8 years: Martha Hoevet from Osage Community Daycare and Rose Leichtman from Fun in the Son Preschool and Daycare/

• 9 years: Colleen Huebsch from Osage Lincoln Elementary, Vicki Inman from RRMR and Wanda Ward from Charles City Lincoln Elementary.

• 11 years: Jackie Ferch from West Town Charlie Brown.

• 12 years: Wilma Lensing from St. Joseph Community School and Toni Pieper from Charles City Washington Elementary.

• 13 years: Barbara Brown from RRMR and Alice Embretson from Charles City Washington Elementary.

• 14 years: Mavis Beenen from West Town Charlie Brown.

• 16 years: Sheralea Tumilson from Osage Lincoln Elementary.

• 20 years: Grandma Bernice Voelker from Charles City Lincoln Elementary.

Members of the program advisory board were also recognized. They are President Jeremy Wilson, a teacher at Washington Elementary; Vice President Toni Pieper, who is a Foster Grandparent at Washington Elementary; Secretary Colleen Ortmeyer, who was a Foster Grandparent and then became field coordinator for the Foster Grandparents Program; City Council representative Phillip Knighten; Board of Supervisors representative Roy Schwickerath; retired school teacher Micki Bartell; Jean Boley, Foster Grandparent Program office coordinator;  Lincoln Elementary school teacher Sandy Pleggenkuhle; and Foster Grandma Wanda Ward, who was also a past Foster Grandparent of the Year.