Editor's note (Summer 2007): Since this article first appeared in Bay Area Summit's Summer 2004 issue, Janet Oh has replaced Eunice Nichols as director of Experience Corps Bay Area. As planned, the program has expanded into Oakland. We are sorry to report that educator Tess Manalo-Ventresca passed away in July 2005.

Service to Schoolchildren Boosts Learning, Volunteers' Health
For Rich Dana, helping 5th graders at Francis Scott Key Elementary School grasp geometry concepts is every bit as challenging and rewarding as the Internal Revenue Service job he retired from in 2001.

Not only does it keep his mind sharp ("I'm learning concepts I should have learned in 5th grade!"), but it keeps him engaged with his retired professional peers and with his community. "It's a great way of giving back," says Dana, a volunteer with Experience Corps, a national non-profit program that channels the talents and energies of Americans aged 55 and older into serving the needs of youth in urban public schools and after-school programs.

In San Francisco, about 75 volunteers - many of them retired professionals - work with students from public schools in the Sunset, Richmond, Mission and Bayview-Hunters Point districts, helping them with reading, math and social skills. Experience Corps plans to expand its program to Oakland this Fall.

In addition to tutoring and mentoring students, Experience Corps volunteers work with teachers, administrators and youth workers to develop projects. They often assume leadership roles by acting as team leaders and initiating new projects.

Tess Manalo-Ventresca teaches the hula dance to students at
Francis Scott Key Elementary School in San Francisco. Photo credit: Atsuko Sekiguchi

According to Eunice Nichols, director of the program's San Francisco chapter, it's not just the children who benefit. "Yes, the children improve in academic performance and build lasting relationships with our caring volunteers," she says. "But there is payback for others as well. The volunteers themselves realize meaningful improvements in their physical and mental well-being, and San Francisco's public schools become more caring and personal places."

Indeed, a study conducted by the Center on Aging and Health at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore suggests that the mental and physical health of older adults improves as they help children with their education. "Programs like Experience Corps harness all the energy and smarts" of its volunteers "and could have a great social impact," according to Dr. Linda P. Fried, who led the study. Results were published in April by The Journal of Urban Health.

Experience Corps volunteers contribute in a variety of ways and are drawn to the program for a range of reasons. For Tess Manalo-Ventresca, who spends more than 20 hours per week at Francis Scott Key, working with young children is the most enjoyable thing she knows. "You feel like a celebrity among these kids," she declares. Manalo-Ventresca, a native of Hawaii, teaches hula dancing, origami and sign-language classes to students she fondly refers to as her "barnacles." "If these kids like you, they stick to you," she says.

Manalo-Ventresca also enjoys her interaction with other Experience Corps volunteers, many of whom have become good friends. "The warm relations between the volunteers rub off on the students, who then interact in the same way," she explains.

To participate in the program, Experience Corps volunteers are not required to have any previous experience with children. "What's important is that you have a heart for kids, enthusiasm for being part of an intergenerational team and desire to play a meaningful role in the lives of children," says Nichols.

Potential volunteers do need to pass a few screens, however, including reference checks, TB tests and a fingerprint security check. Once accepted, Experience Corps volunteers receive eight hours of pre-service training in working with children.

Volunteers also participate in regular team meetings, conferences and skills development workshops. Experience Corps works closely with volunteers and school administrators to find the right way to match the volunteers' skills and interests with student needs.

Volunteers are asked to commit to at least one year of service, but the hourly commitment is flexible. While some Experience Corps volunteers works as much as 40 hours per week, the average volunteer contributes about seven hours per week, according to Nichols. Monthly stipends are provided to volunteers who work 15 or more hours a week, to help defray transportation and meal costs.

For information, see http://www.experiencecorps.org/bayarea.cfm. Janet Oh, the director of Experience Corps Bay Area, can be reached by email at joh@snbc.org. She can also be reached at the Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center at (415) 759-3690.

(This article originally appeared in the Summer 2004 issue of Bay Area Summit)

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