To RSVP and to receive event location details, please email rsvp@rootcause.org, or call 617.649.1518
Start Time: 08:00
Date: 2010-03-25
End Time: 09:30

The Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) is a non-profit located in Somerville that promotes the dignity and independence of older adults.  Established in 1972 as part of the national movement towards community-based care for the elderly, this program serves thousands of older adults and younger people with disabilities.  Every third Wednesday of each month, SCES hosts their Brown Bag Program.  During the break our AmeriCorps members helped out by writing names of clients on brown bags, unloading boxes off pallets, packing bags in an assembly line and replenishing items when they got low.

We had a BLAST!

Cradles to Crayons (C2C) is a Quincy-based non-profit that provides homeless and in-need children with the basic essentials they need.  Since its inception in 2002, C2C has provided cribs, clothing, toys, books and much more to thousands of disadvantaged families in the Greater Boston area.  C2C’s Giving Factory is a large warehouse that holds the merchandise sorted by volunteers then given to social workers and families in need.   While at the Giving Factory we packaged essential materials consisting of shoes, clothes, winter jackets, school supplies and toys for over 60 children, ages 0-12.

Once again, we had a BLAST!

Throughout our year of service at Generations Incorporated we work long hours training and assisting older adults within our communities, helping them become healthier and more active. We commit to long days, usually two sites, working 1-on-1 with children while looking for new ways to increase their literacy skills. We are always interested and enthusiastic when given the chance to work with other organizations in our area. Not because it’s something different but because it gives us the opportunity to help even more people.

Volunteers, friends, AmeriCorps members and staff members gathered for a social event at the Jack Satter House in Revere to share personal stories of service and celebrate Generations Incorporated’s achievements in their community.  Site Team Leaders, Board Members, and GI Staff shared messages of appreciation and encouragement to Experience Corps Members.  Everyone exchanged uplifting accounts of their students’ progress and about the positive affect the service has had on them.  This highly successful event reminded us all why we are so proud to be a part of Generations Incorporated and we even inspired a few prospective volunteers!

Conversation flowed from topic to topic, as volunteers reminisced about the Revere of the past. They spoke of the fun they had had at the centennial commemoration of Revere beach. They told stories about the small town feel they had as children when they knew the names of each family in their neighborhood. Whether it was fifteen years or several decades ago, the Revere of the past was alive in their stories.

One of the volunteers told me how excited she was about the coffee club and Generations as a whole. After retiring she had found it a little more difficult to find the social situations she was accustomed to. She told me that Generations added a significant value to her life; she was thrilled to be involved in social clubs like the coffee club and excited about the book club that might start in the coming months. Another volunteer used the opportunity to thank everyone at the coffee club for being so welcoming at the site, making her transition into the program very comfortable and enjoyable.

Overall the coffee club was a great success. Everyone stayed longer than planned and as we all cleaned up together we talked about how exciting it will be to come to next month’s coffee club.