Volunteers Add Meaning To Children's Lives

SAN DIEGO -- Two San Diego organizations are coming together to pair up senior mentors with young children, 10News reported.

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Volunteers Help Build Children's Confidence

Potential volunteers are starting to come together for a new program sponsored by the First Five Commission of San Diego and the San Diego County Department of Aging and Independent Services. Senior volunteers at the Bayside Community Center in Linda Vista will be spending time with children.

Organizers said a senior mentor can make a real difference in a child's life.

Laura Spiegel, from the First Five Commission, said, "It isn't always the case that they have the kind of attention that will give them the best opportunities in life to succeed, and what the First Five Commission is about is really getting to kids very, very early."

Reading, talking and just spending time together could help children feel more confident and that could lead to better performances in school.

But volunteers see another advantage, as well.

One volunteer, named Roxanne, said, "They can learn how to go to their parents or their grandparents and communicate with them like a friend."

Not only does the program benefit children, but it also benefits the volunteers. It gives them the opportunity to add meaning to their own lives and do something significant that could make a difference in a young child's life, 10News reported.