By:Jason Scheer
Diane Monks, program director for the network, said it was lack of funding, not lack of determination, that brought about the organization's demise.
The program was funded by a substantial grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Faith-in-Action Fund, one of the nation's largest health care-related philanthropic organizations. That grant, however, ran out late last year.
Despite reaching out to alternative organizations for funds, Monks said there just wasn't enough money generated to keep the program going. "It's unfortunate that there's simply not a lot of money made available to programs in general and specifically for seniors," she said.
The GNIN began working in the Baldwin community as part of the Education and Assistance Corporation, a national human-services agency. The EAC's plan was to create a geriatric program that worked in conjunction with different religious institutions. Since Baldwin had an active interfaith fellowship as well as an active interfaith conference, it was a natural fit.
Over the course of the network's brief existence, the volunteer-driven organization reached out to hundreds of seniors. Volunteers met and spent time with seniors, many of whom had no nearby family, no friends to call for help and no familiar faces in the neighborhood. In short, they had become disconnected from their community.
"There's just a silent cohort of the elderly out there who are alone most of the time, and we were looking to identify those people and provide them some support," Monks said.
Luana Schilling became a network volunteer last summer after hearing about the organization from the social director at St. Peter's Church. She was already a volunteer for Good Shepherd Hospice, and the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of seniors immediately piqued her interest. "It sounded like such a wonderful program," she said.
Schilling was placed with an elderly couple in their late 70s. The husband, nearly bedridden, suffered from end-stage emphysema. His wife, his only companion, suffered from Alzheimer's. "He was really starving for some adult companionship," Schilling said.
In addition to shopping, filling prescriptions and visiting with the couple, Schilling provided some much-needed conversation. She said it felt good to see her charges interacting.
With the network now a thing of the past, Schilling hopes that local religious institutions and organizations will pick up the slack for the community's older population." Baldwin has lost a wonderful asset," she said. "I hope, somehow, something of the program can continue."
Remnants of the network will survive, thanks to the Baldwin Kiwanis Club. It is continuing one of the network's most popular programs, the annual Fall Clean-up Project. During October and November, volunteers sweep leaves and beautify lawns and sidewalks for those who can no longer do so.
Kiwanis Club president Tony Tarentino said that the disbanding of the GNIN shouldn't preclude seniors from getting this valuable service. "The bottom line is, [the Fall Clean-up] is a fantastic program," he said.
Tarentino empathizes with Monks, knowing that getting volunteer organizations off the ground, and making them financially sound, is often an arduous task. "It's a shame people just didn't wake up and realize there was a need for [the GNIN] and support it," he said.
"I think what's terribly sad is that this was a very low-cost approach to helping seniors," Monks said. "It was a preventative program in that the more seniors feel connected, the healthier they are. When seniors don't have social interaction, they become increasingly dependent on more expensive services, like paid home care."
Monks is hopeful that the Baldwin community will continue to support the elderly population in the network's absence. Both she and Schilling urge people to be on the lookout in their neighborhoods for driveways that haven't been shoveled or snowdrift-covered cars, and take it upon themselves to help out. "I just want people to be more aware of their senior neighbors in need and reach out to help them whenever they can," she said.
Comments about this story? JScheer@liherald. com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 282.
