Volunteer Opportunities for San Ramon Seniors

Are you suffering from empty nest syndrome since the last little bird flew off to college? Maybe you're recently retired, finally finished cleaning out all the closets, and now you're looking for a way to avoid having to start on the garage.

April is National Volunteer Month. If you've got a few extra hours in your week and want to give something back to this great community we live in, here are some volunteer opportunities especially suited for seniors in San Ramon.

Senior Scholars is a tutoring program for students in elementary through high school, offered through The Alcosta Senior & Community Center. Students are matched with a volunteer tutor to work with them one-on-one during the school year. Prior teaching or tutoring experience is helpful, but not required. The primary requirement is a desire to work with children.

"Mentoring relationships often develop between a tutor and his or her student, beyond the tutoring sessions," says Program Manager Teri Mountford.

For more information about the Senior Scholars Program, call Teri Mountford at 973-3350 or e-mail her at tmountford@sanramon.ca.gov.

Forest Home Farms Tour Guides. Forest Home Farms offers a variety of volunteer opportunities. The Education program brings third-grade students from local schools to the farm to experience life at the turn of the 20th century.

Volunteer positions include "Grandpa and Grandma," who lead tours and hands-on activities. Through demonstrations and participation, kids learn the agricultural history of the San Ramon Valley and Forest Home Farms.

"After working in an office for 25 years, in retirement I wanted to volunteer somewhere that would be outside, close to my home, and would give me fulfillment and a feeling of giving to the community," says Joanne Ashmore, a San Ramon resident and volunteer "Grandma" for five years. "Forest Home Farms has all of that and more. Time and again I have heard from the students, 'This is the best field trip I have ever been on.' That alone keeps me coming back to give of my time."

For more information about the Forest Home Farms education program, contact Stephanie Herscu at 973-3282 or e-mail sherscu@sanramon.ca.gov.

Glass House Docents. With the grand opening of the recently restored Glass House scheduled for May 15, volunteer docents are being recruited and trained to lead tours of the house.

Dressed in period attire, docents will describe daily life in a Victorian-era farm house. Volunteers will also assist in preservation of the many artifacts and furnishings that decorate the rooms.

For more information on becoming a docent for the Glass House, call Mary Ann Wilkman at 973-3287 or e-mail mwilkman@sanramon.ca.gov

Tractor Guys. Are carburetors and crank shafts more your thing? Join the "tractor guys" who rebuild and restore vintage tractors and farm equipment displayed in the small tractor museum located in the upper barn on the property at Forest Home Farms.

The tractor volunteer program started in 1998, shortly after the city acquired the Forest Home Farm property and started to operate it as a historic park. Most of the tractors have been donated. The guys also do restoration work for other Historic agencies as a way of fundraising. They also give tractor rides during the San Ramon Farmer's Market, which opens next month.

Roy Ginochio has been volunteering his time for over four years. "I want to help preserve the farming equipment of yesterday," says Ginochio. He adds that he gets a lot of pleasure working on the old equipment with the other volunteers.

To participate in the vintage tractor restoration program, contact Mary Ann Wilkman, 973-3287 or mwilkman@sanramon.ca.gov.

Still wondering if volunteering is the right thing for you? Consider this: Research shows that those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression later in life. So what are you waiting for?