The Community Place- Media Room

Aging Services Program at CPGR Receives Two ‘Programs of

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (August 15, 2005) – The Aging Services department at The Community Place of Greater Rochester, Inc. (CPGR) recently received $53,000 in grants from the Corporation for National and Community Service. The two grants were awarded to CPGR’s Foster Grandparent Program. More than 150 organizations around the country applied for the “Programs of National Significance” grants. Only 25 grants were given.

The grants will allow CPGR’s Foster Grandparent Program to add 16 new Foster Grandparents. Currently, there are over 100 Foster Grandparents in CPGR’s successful program that gives elders the opportunity to help children from area schools and childcare centers succeed by providing additional academic, social, and emotional support. Half of the new Foster Grandparents will focus their efforts on mentoring children in foster care while the other half will focus on the academic and social achievement of children at schools #22 and #36.

“Having foster grandparents in our school has been a great experience that we hope to build upon,” said Paul Montanarello, principal at School #36. “I can see first-hand how they enrich the lives of the children they work with by providing academic and emotional support and by being caring and positive influences in their lives.”

“Something magical happens when you match an elder with a child and give them both the opportunity to learn and share and grow together and we are thrilled to be able to offer additional opportunities to area elders to join the Foster Grandparent Program,” said Katy Allen-Caballero, director, Aging Services, CPGR. “Mentoring and providing additional academic support are on-going services our Foster Grandparents have provided for over 26 years. We are very excited that these ‘Program of National Significance’ grants and additional Corporation for National Service funding will help us offer these much-needed services.”

The Community Place of Greater Rochester, Inc. is a nonprofit human services agency that provides a variety of programs and services to individuals, families, children, seniors, and the developmentally disabled living in Rochester’s Northeast Quadrant. As a self-empowerment agency, CPGR’s ultimate goal is client self-sufficiency. CPGR was formed in 2001 after the merger of the former Lewis Street Center, Genesee Settlement House, and Eastside Community Center. CPGR is headquartered at 145 Parsells Avenue, Rochester; its other main locations are 500 Carter Street, Rochester and 57 Central Park, Rochester.