Seniors go back to class to help pupils

     By Chris Jones
     View staff writer
      The chief executive officer of the Corporation for National Service recently visited a group of senior volunteers at Thomas Elementary School to praise their efforts to better the lives of children.
      Harris Wofford, a former U.S. Senator who heads the Washington D.C.-based organization, said he was impressed with what has taken place at the school.
      "This school is a dramatic example of students who need help because of its high number of hearing-impaired students," Wofford said during his visit on June 8. "(The volunteers) are giving the extra help that just can't be given in a large classroom. If deaf children can get this assistance, these kids will be able to move on their own in the mainstream."
      Thomas Elementary is one of a handful of schools in the Clark County School District currently benefitting from the senior volunteer program. The school was selected for assistance by the Corporation for National Service and its volunteers because of low reading scores and a large population of hearing-impaired and non-English speaking pupils.
      Since January, pupils have benefitted from the help of 11 senior volunteers from the Corporation's subsidiary groups such as Foster Grandparents, Retired & Senior Volunteer Programs and Americorps Volunteers in Service to America. The seniors provide a variety of services for both hearing-impaired and traditional pupils, including assisting with reading skills and providing interaction with positive adult role models.
      "Their main emphasis is providing someone to read with the children," said Kari Scarlett, assistant principal at the school. "We have a lot of parents who can't come in to help because of their work schedules, but the more we can increase the presence of adults in the classroom, the more we can do to help the kids. Our volunteers provide an extra set of ears."
      Wofford said he relishes opportunities to personally evaluate the effectiveness of his group's programs.
      "The most important thing we see is that the talk the champions of this program make (becomes) a reality on the front lines," Wofford said. "So many of the things these organizations focus on are right in the school room, and here we see it in action. These kids have a tremendous need for extra help so they can swim in the mainstream of society."
      Wofford said the volunteers like those at Thomas fulfill dual purposes. While many schools have programs in place to help children, allowing seniors to volunteer gives many older citizens a chance to pass along their life experiences and skills to a rising generation.
      "Here you've got the other end of the potential," Wofford said. "There are close to 60 million seniors who aren't working in America. If we can tap into their experience, they'll come to life in a new way and discover a new half-career that delights them and taps their talents for something useful.
      "There are all sorts of studies that show seniors who serve live longer and are healthier. Their talent can also really help us solve some of our problems."
      Wofford knows a thing or two about public service.
      He served as a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania after replacing the late John Heinz in 1991. Although he failed in his 1994 bid for re-election to the senate, while in office he worked with President Clinton's task force to both draft and pass the National and Community Service Trust Act.
      That legislation created Americorps VISTA, which serves as the domestic Peace Corps, as well as the Corporation for National Service. Wofford has headed the organization since the fall of 1995, and working with children has been one of his organization's primary goals.
      "The corporation was established to get national service to solve real social problems, and as these folks would tell you, literacy among young children is a real problem," said Tara Murphy, director of public affairs for the Corporation for National Service. "Across the country, we have senior volunteers working with Americorps members to give the tutoring (necessary) to get them up to speed in reading."
      The corporation spent more than $1.3 million to fund its senior service corps program in Nevada for the 1998-99 fiscal year, and Wofford would like to see more growth at the state and national levels.
      "There is a case for expanding a program like Americorps," Wofford said. "The next generation needs this kind of experience, whether it's in literature, conservation or dealing with the homeless. You come out of a period of intense service understanding those problems and it creates a sense of `active duty citizens' who get involved for the rest of their lives. There's no better training ground."
      At 73, Wofford shows little sign of slowing down. His commitment to volunteer work dates back to the early 1960s, when he worked with President Kennedy to establish the Peace Corps. Since traveling to India as a Peace Corps member in 1961, Wofford has made a career of championing service-related efforts.
      "I had a little challenge from President Kennedy. When he sent the original Peace Corps overseas, he said, `Someday we've got to bring this home,' " Wofford said. "That was more than 30 years ago, and when I came home I saw plenty of the same, tremendous needs here.
      "I lived in a suburb of New York City but had never gone to see the conditions of the schools in Harlem. For me, firsthand experience is what sends (me) forth. Seeing the crucial need of children to read in action does more to make you help than just reading about it."