TAMPA, Fla. — Advocates are worried federal cuts could mean kids in schools in the Tampa Bay Area could lose their “classroom grandparents.”
80-year-old John Porter has a heart for helping students.
“After I retired, I wanted to give back to the community and wanted to help the kids,” Porter said.
WATCH NOW: Tampa Bay families fear uncertain future of Foster Grandparent program
Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay provides the AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent program, where volunteers tutor and mentor students in both Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
That’s where Porter comes in.
“We have anywhere from two to four kids that we help them with their reading and with their writing and with their math," said Porter, a volunteer.
It’s a mission that makes a world of difference.
“These volunteers commit to serve at least 15 hours per week in the same classroom for the entire school year, so they are really invested in these kids and in this classroom,” said Robin Ingles.
ABC Action News sat down with Ingles, the CEO at Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay.
“We target all Title I schools, so these are kids that have, mostly low-income kids that really need another reliable adult in their lives that care about their success, that they really need that,” said Ingles. “These grandparents, as we call them classroom grandparents, really help students to learn to manage their emotions, so they can be mentally in a place where they can learn, and then they also actually help learn to read.”
However, with millions of dollars in federal budget cuts to AmeriCorps across the country, staff fear for the program's future.
“This is right here in our community. This is a school near you,” said Ingles. “These are seniors that live near you that have a heart to help kids, and we can act. You can be important. You can call our congresspeople and let them know that we need AmeriCorps, and we need the Foster Grandparent program.”
Their grant for the Foster Grandparent program in the Tampa Bay Area hasn’t been cut yet.
Porter explained it’s not just teachers and kids who’d feel the impact, but the grandparents too.
“It gives us something to do,” said Porter. “We’re retired, just sitting around, and it gives us (something) to keep our mind sharp.”
It’s a community of helpers hoping this program is here to stay.
“We love what we’re doing, and we always will be there to be a support to teachers and also the kids,” said Porter. “That’s what it’s all about.”
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