Faith in Action and AARP Oregon, Working Together
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2006-09-15 12:40:00-04:00
AARP Oregon cemented its first collaboration with one of three Faith in Action programs (Newberg, OR) in the state in a coalition member meeting Aug. 16.
The event was attended by a dozen of Faith in Action members and community partners as well as national and state AARP staff and volunteers, including Brenda Davis, National AARP Outreach and Service Coordinator.
The Oregon partnership focuses on recruiting AARP members to become Faith in Action volunteers, assisting neighbors who need a little support to remain independent. The volunteers will provide help that ranges from shopping for groceries and rides to medical appointments, to picking up and dropping off library books or just friendly visiting in the communities of Newberg, Dundee and St. Paul outside of Portland.
In just the first couple of weeks following the AARP Oregon state office mailing to its members in the area, dozens have already responded expressing interest in learning more.
"Not surprising and always very heartening," said Jerry Cohen, AARP Oregon State Director. "We know that our 50+ Oregonians, like boomers and seniors across the country as surveys consistently show, are interested in meaningful volunteer opportunities that really can make a difference in peoples lives."
One of the first joint projects the group has planned is a "Grab Bar Day," added Bandana Shrestha, Associate State Director for Community Outreach, and coordinator of the effort for AARP Oregon.
Slated for early November in recognition of National Caregiving Month, Faith in Action and AARP are planning to install as many of these safety bars as possible in homes of elderly residents. The need for the effort, said Shrestha, is based on local statistics in the Newberg area alone showing one to three paramedic calls per day for falls—a top cause of injury and even sometimes death for elderly residents.
As Chad Cheriel, Senior Research Associate at Portland State University's Institute on Aging and AARP Oregon Executive Council Member, said: "community collaboration and civic engagement are key to the fabric of our society and our quality of life—together we really do have 'The power to make it better.'"
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