Bridging the Gap
Inter-generational Programs
 
Tipton County Relative Caregivers Wellness Group

Mission statement: To encourage and strengthen older adults who are actively bridging the generation gap.

This group is funded through the National Family Caregivers Act (ACMS) and the United Way of the Mid-South.  Most of the meals are provided by the generous ladies of the United Methodist Women's Groups at First United Methodist Church.

Relative Caregivers Wellness Group meets the third Friday each month at 12:30 downstairs at the Covington Senior Center, 401 S. College Street, Covington, TN.

Meetings may be training sessions and include technical or educational information beneficial to grandparents or other kin-caregivers OR may be simply a wellness group session of sharing and discussing common challenges and concerns.

Because confidentiality is of major concern to both sponsors and kin-caregivers the motto of this group is "what is said here remains here."
Because it is so very important that these kin-caregivers remember to care for themselves first so that they remain healthy and able to care for their grandchildren, another very important motto for them is "respite, just do it!"

Inter-generational Programs

Senior Pen Pals
In co-operation with the Tipton County Board of Education, seniors from across the county come together to correspond with students in a fifth grade class at Munford Elementary School. Students and Seniors write letters monthly telling each other about hobbies, lifestyles, memories and "the way it used to be" and "the way it is now".

A volunteer leader will work with TCCA staff to recruit and train approximately a dozen interested seniors across the community to correspond monthly  with one or two fifth grade students. Senior Pals will be asked to write one letter each month (starting in September and ending in May) on a suggested topic to which the student pals will respond.  During the Holidays there will be an opportunity  for the pen pals to meet and visit. 

Senior Listeners
In co-operation with the Tipton County Board of Education, seniors from across the city and county visit students at Crestview Elementary School and Covington Integrated Arts Academy (CIAA) regularly to listen to students as they hone their reading skills. 
Many students need just a little additional encouragement.

A volunteer leader will work with TCCA staff to recruit and train volunteers who are interested in mentoring a student in second or third grade, usually at each school.  The Listeners visit the schools on Mondays beginning in September and continuing throughout the school year.   Each session is approximately one hour long and transportation is provided for the Listeners by the TCCA.