| Interages Annual Report 06-07 |
A letter from the President of the Board of Directors:
I have just completed my first year as President of Interages’ Board of Directors, following in the very formidable footsteps of Elaine Lessenco who had held the position since September 2000. With the help of Elaine and a very capable Board, that transition has been a relatively smooth one.
The more significant change that Interages has experienced in the past year has been the retirement of Barbara Newland as Executive Director. The organization and its programs prospered and developed tremendously under her leadership--leadership greatly appreciated by both the Board and staff of Interages. After a rigorous search process, the Board located and hired Carol Croll, a very energetic, experienced, personable and extremely competent Executive Director. We are excited about what Carol brings to the organization. We are convinced that she will continue to build upon the base established by Barbara and, moreover, to bring fresh ideas and strategies to the table. The organization is in good hands with Carol at the helm.
Interages recently received two honors: We were one of three non-profits that received national recognition with an Award of Excellence in Older Volunteer Program Management by The MetLife Foundation and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a). Interages has set the standard for excellent practices in recruitment, orientation, training, retention and recognition of older volunteers. Also, we were named as one of the "best small charities" in the Washington, DC region for 2007-2008 by the Catalogue for Philanthropy. Charities were selected for excellence, innovation, and cost-effectiveness.
As you read this annual report, you will see that Interages’ financial position remains strong. However, as always with a small charitable organization, funding challenges remain. We continue to reach out to our individual, corporate and foundation supporters while always looking for innovative ideas to increase non-county funding.
The Board of Directors experienced a few departures during the year and has gained several new additions, each bringing unique talents to our governing body. We continue to seek committed board members with the experience and skills to contribute to the on-going success of the organization. Interages continues to be blessed with a dedicated and extremely competent staff. I have been privileged to meet with them on many occasions and am always more than impressed. Our programs could not have better leadership.
I would like to thank our entire community of volunteers and contributors for your help and support throughout the years. I look forward to another year of prosperity for Interages and the constituencies it serves so well.
R. Michael Sorrells
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Interages Program Overview
DIALOGUES ACROSS THE AGES- As its name implies, Dialogues Across the Ages brings together adult volunteers and high school students in structured discussion groups, and allows both generations to share ideas, listen and learn from one another. This long-running program has been active in Montgomery County Public Schools for almost twenty years. Throughout these years, the adults have opened many doors to countless students and shared their memories of being young, struggling to meet obligations, and pursuing distant dreams. When students realize that they share the same concerns, they form a bond and the two generations begin their journey of weekly dialogues.
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Being at Kennedy High School for over a dozen years validates the success of Dialogues. Further, the fact that senior high school students actually enjoy meeting with older adults on a regular basis deserves recognition. The LTI students hold an annual "International Night" event to raise money for non-profit community groups. This year the students selected Interages as a recipient from this event. Their generous donation of almost $900 will help fund our programs.
GRANDREADERS: is an intergenerational literacy program for second grade children. Classroom teachers, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) staff, and/or Reading Specialists at each school site select children who, based on overall reading scores, need extra support to develop reading and English language skills and to bring their comprehension skills up to grade level. Senior adult tutors meet weekly with the same child throughout the year to enhance their reading experience through a variety of reading and language arts activities. Expected outcomes include: improved language skills; the ability to read more fluently with better comprehension; development of a caring intergenerational community of older adults interacting regularly with children; and reinforcing positive self-esteem in both the children and volunteers.
Interages offers two versions of our Grandreaders program. At three schools we utilize our own "in-house" program with curricula we select from two web-based reading programs (Reading A-Z.com and ReadingTutors.com) and supplement with materials from our own resources. Our Program Coordinator manages the weekly sessions at these sites, providing materials and on-site supervision. At seven schools, the Grandreaders program overlaps with a similar, Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) system-wide reading program called the Ruth Rales Comcast Kids Reading Network (RRCKRN). At these sites, tutors implement the "Reading Together" curriculum provided by MCPS, and a school staff member (a teacher or reading specialist) serves the lead role in running each site’s weekly sessions. Interages staff assists with volunteer recruitment, training, and management, and visits regularly to provide opportunities for ongoing feedback and program improvement.
Feedback from an ESOL teacher at one of our sites illustrates the need for and success of the program. "The students need the one on one attention. It really promotes their love of reading." And about one of her students -- "Her confidence increased exponentially. This has been a great program for her. She is very shy about reading in front of her classmates. Reading with a supportive adult really helps."
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS: We opened a new site for the in-house Grandreader program at Greencastle Elementary School in the fall of 2006. Our main contact is the reading specialist and a new partnership has evolved with expectations to expand the program in the 2007-2008 year. We utilized funds from a spring 2006 grant from First Book to continue to purchase and give brand new books to the children at our sites. To date, we’ve distributed 206 books. Having age appropriate books in their homes to share with their families is a tremendous benefit and motivation to read for the students.
Across all 10 Grandreaders sites, school staff members are impressed with the commitment and reliability of the Grandreaders and appreciate their efforts. We have received high marks on evaluations from our school partners, who value the role our tutor volunteers play in the schools.
At two sites, we tested a more flexible tutoring model where individual tutors could meet with students at a mutually agreeable time each week, as opposed to meeting as part of a larger group session. This system worked very well for those tutors who were reliable self-starters, comfortable contacting the schools directly to check attendance and entering classrooms independently to pick up their student. Similarly, this worked best at schools where the teaching staff was knowledgeable and comfortable with the program. We hope to expand this option at other sites in the future. |
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