New Member Committee Announces 2012 Grant Recipients

The committee decided to split the awards funds. $500 is being donated to the Cheyenne Childhood Language Clinic that is run by the Scottish Rite. They provide speech and language therapy as well as assistance for children with Autism. The clinic has significantly helped many youngsters  with speech and language development.  Children who might have remained educationally behind for a lifetime can now talk, read, and lead productive lives with the good work of dedicated clinicians, parents, and funding for this program.

$500 is being awarded to the Southeast Wyoming Foster Grandparent program to help cover the transportation expenses for the Foster Grandparent volunteers during the upcoming year.  During the 2010 funding cycle, the Foster Grandparent Program experienced a cut of nearly $3,200 from the City of Cheyenne and a 20% reduction from United Way. The Laramie County Needs Assessment, completed in November 2005, confirmed that the Foster Grandparent Program is the only intergenerational program, serving both seniors and youth, that provides a unique combination of services and benefits.  It is a dual-purpose program that helps the low-income senior volunteers to achieve a higher quality of life, while providing at-risk youth with personal attention to help them overcome obstacles and achieve their higher potential.  The Foster Grandparent Program, now in its 36th year in Cheyenne, has served seniors and youth for 46 years nationwide, and is a program of the federal Corporation for National and Community Service.  The program provided volunteer opportunities for 84 low-income seniors in Southeast Wyoming in 2011, and has a current volunteer roster of 58 in Laramie County.  Last year, the Foster Grandparent Program provided 1,171 children with services, and the program generated 68,785 service hours assisting children with special and/or exceptional needs.