'Acts of kindness' aid seniors

Sophia Bobin of Arlington Heights looks forward to the mundane outdoor chores of homeownership, such as raking leaves, cleaning out gutters and bringing in lawn furniture.

That is because for the past three years she hasn't had to do the actual work.

She's been a client of the A-OK Acts of Kindness program, in which high school students, supervised by teachers and other skilled adult volunteers, handle those tasks senior citizens can no longer do themselves.

The program is offered by Northwest Suburban High School District 214 in partnership with Wheeling and Elk Grove townships, Elk Grove Village, the Rolling Meadows Police Department's Senior Services program and the University of Illinois Cook County North Suburban Extension.

Bobin said that before this program was offered, she was seriously considering moving out of her home of 20 years because the yard work was simply too much for her.

"And I was not alone," Bobin said. "People need help if they are going to stay in their homes.

"So some of us mentioned our problem to the senior coordinators at the township and, before long, there was a program."

Bobin said she's been enjoying it ever since.

"I love it!" she said. "These kids give a lot of heart to me. I tell other seniors that these kids care about us."

Her experience with the volunteers from Vanguard School, District 214's alternative school, has been top-notch.

"They are reliable," she said. "They come when they say they are going to come."

Seniors typically provide snacks and conversation, and maybe share a meal later.

"The kids get to spend the entire day with the resident, develop a relationship with him or her, and the intergenerational interaction is invaluable," said Scott Gustafson, the A-OK program's faculty coordinator at Vanguard.

Students themselves are getting a lot from the program, too.

"The older people are really sweet and smart and because of the age difference, you may think that we don't have anything in common, but they teach us things," said Bianca LaCour, of Wheelong. "I am amazed how Mrs. Bobin knows five languages, for instance."

Gustafson said the kids split into groups of between eight and 10 students, led by a faculty member, to do the work.

"Since we are an alternative school with only 112 students, we do things differently than the other schools," he said. "Our students spend half their school day doing community service, so we can do this during the week, while the other schools mainly do their A-OK service on the weekends."

At Prospect High School, the students who volunteer for the program do the work after school and on weekends.

"This is a great program because the volunteers see an immediate payoff on the work we do with the yard becoming free of leaves, for instance," said Dave Jacobson, service learning coordinator for the Mount Prospect school.

"The kids really enjoy chatting with the seniors afterward -- hearing stories about how things were 40 years ago and getting the benefit of the older people's advice," he said. "Some of them don't have grandparents or any other interaction with older people, so this is great for them."

Lily Thompson of Arlington Heights has a crew from Prospect or Vanguard come to her home every spring and fall to help her with her outdoor maintenance.

"The children are very outgoing and eager to help me," Thompson said. "Without them I probably couldn't stay in my house."

The A-OK Acts of Kindness program is a partnership between the various entities, according to Sue Berlini, director of senior and disability services for Wheeling Township. They even won an award for the "most innovative senior program" in 2006 from the Illinois Township Association.

Seniors who need help can call the municipal or township senior services programs to start the ball rolling. The service agencies then handle home assessments, making sure that the homes are safe for the students and that the work they are asking to have done is appropriate, Berlini said.

The social service workers also explain to the seniors that they will be expected to spend some time afterward with the students.

"Students don't just do outdoor work, either. They will move refrigerators and clean behind them, even vacuuming the coils. They will wash windows, change smoke alarm batteries, etc.," Berlini said.

After the request has been approved by the agency, it is forwarded to District 214's Community Education department where Michael Field and his staff distribute assignments to the various schools.

"Our typical client is a widow in her 70s or older," said Field, director of District 214's Community Education program. "They are always grateful for the help and they enjoy the kids.

"In most cases these are people who are still vibrant and interested, they just can't do the physical labor any longer."

If you are a senior citizen who needs this kind of assistance, call Wheeling Township at (847) 259-7730, Elk Grove Township at (847) 437-0300, Elk Grove Village at (847) 357-4120 or the City of Rolling Meadows at (847) 506-2061.