Press release:
Today, the Genesee County Office for the Aging announced the need for veterans to serve as volunteer home visitors to other veterans.
According to Mary Alexander, director of the Home Visitation Program at Catholic Charities, “We are seeing an increasing number of requests from veterans of the Korean and Vietnam era who are now homebound. The simple act of a weekly visit from another veteran can make a real difference in reducing another’s sense of isolation and loneliness.”
Dorian Ely, director of the RSVP Volunteer Placement Program at the Office for the Aging, reports that RSVP has veterans serving veterans at the New York State Veterans Home and the VA of Western New York Healthcare System.
“We are excited about this new opportunity to place volunteer veterans in assignments where they can make such a positive impact on the lives of other veterans," Ely said.
The Home Visitation Program is a free service to individuals in Genesee County, 60 years of age and older, with a limited ability to get out of their homes and who would enjoy a friendly visitor offering socialization and companionship. Individuals may request services themselves or be referred by an agency or faith-based community.
The program is made possible by the Rochester Area Community Foundation’s Muriel H. Marshall Fund for the Aging. For information on the program or to volunteer, contact Mary Alexander, Catholic Charities, at 343-0614 or Dorian Ely, RSVP Volunteer Placement Program at the Genesee County Office for the Aging, at 343-1611.
