Institute Receives Grant
The Ithaca College Gerontology Institute has received $25,000 in funding from the Foundation for Long Term Care, Inc. (FLTC) located in Albany, NY for a three year intergenerational service learning project. The Ithaca project is one of five which the FLTC is administering with funding from the federal government’s Corporation for National and Community Service’s Learn and Serve Higher Education program. Other colleges involved in the grant to the FLTC include Cornell University, Molloy College, SUNY Brockport and SUNY Stony Brook. This grant provides funding to develop and implement an intergenerational service learning course that brings IC students together with older adults
Ithaca College’s course will enroll students as well as elders from the community, including residents of Longview, to work on projects that address community needs, including but not limited to the needs of elders. The course has both classroom and experiential learning components. Anticipated types of service the intergenerational teams will provide include: performing analysis of existing community services for various populations, including older adults; researching and recommending possible new services; examining access issues in living and business environments; and participating in intergenerational social and recreational activities in the community and long-term care settings.
The overall focus of the intergenerational service learning course at Ithaca College will be to help the local community become more “livable” for older persons. Community is critical to maximizing health and well-being in old age and to allow for the “aging in place” that so many older persons indicate is their desire. According to a 2005 AARP, Global Report on Aging, a livable community has “appropriate and affordable housing, adequate options for mobility, and the community features and services that can facilitate personal independence and continued engagement in civic and social life”. Features of communities that are more livable for elders benefit persons of all ages and abilities.
The Ithaca College project is being lead by Chris Pogorzala, Assistant Professor of Gerontology with assistance from John Krout, Professor of Gerontology and the Institute’s director.
We are also pleased to provide information on the January 15, 2007 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. This is a very important day for the national service family given Dr. King’s commitment to cooperation and understanding among racial and ethnic groups, nonviolent conflict resolution, equal economic and educational opportunities, and social justice.
Learn and Serve America Day of Service projects can be found at www.MLKDay.gov