 
Senior Corps taps the experience, skills, and talents of volunteers over 55 to meet a wide range of community challenges.
Additionally, through a network of the following four programs and through its partnering organizations, more than half a million Americans assist local nonprofits, public agencies, and faith-based organizations in carrying out their missions.
Senior Corps, part of the USA Freedom Corps, is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency that also oversees AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America. Together these programs engage Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service to their communities and country.
RSVP (the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program), one of the largest volunteer efforts in the nation, engages people 55 and over in a diverse range of volunteer activities. Volunteers organize neighborhood watch programs, tutor children, renovate homes, teach English to immigrants, assist victims of natural disasters, and serve their communities in myriad other ways. In one year approximately 480,000 volunteers served an average of four hours a week at an estimated 65,000 local organizations through 766 RSVP projects. Volunteers may receive reimbursement for meals and transportation.
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The Foster Grandparent Program provides a way for those 60 and over whose incomes are limited to serve as extended family members to children and youth with exceptional needs. Foster Grandparents serve 20 hours a week in schools, hospitals, correctional institutions, daycare facilities, and Head Start centers. They help children who have been abused or neglected, mentor troubled teenagers and young mothers, and care for premature infants or children with physical disabilities. In one year more than 30,000 Foster Grandparents tended to the needs of 275,000 young children and teenagers. Foster Grandparents receive $2.65 an hour for their service.
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The Senior Companion Program provides a way for people 60 and over, whose incomes are limited, to provide assistance and friendship to adults who have difficulty with daily living tasks, such as grocery shopping and bill paying. Senior Companions spend 20 hours a week helping an average of two to four adult clients live independently in their own homes. Senior Companions receive monthly training, provide relief to caregivers, and alert doctors and family members to potential problems. In one year some 15,500 Senior Companions tended to the needs of more than 61,000 adults. Senior Companions receive $2.65 an hour for their service.
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A total of 17 Special Volunteer Programs in Homeland Security were funded in 2002, and are actively seeking committed volunteers. Volunteers engage in activities to help make their communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to any kind of natural disaster, natural or manmade. The emphasis is on recruiting and placing volunteers age 55 and older. Homeland Security Special Volunteers are trained by and serve with first responder organizations, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Red Cross, and local law enforcement and fire departments to help prevent, prepare for, respond to, or recover from disasters and emergencies. Volunteers work with community associations to develop disaster plans, map evacuation routes, conduct community outreach and education, coordinate emergency shelters, help to develop Citizen Corps Councils, and recruit other community volunteers to participate.
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