Mercy Care Friendship Volunteer Training set for May 24
May 3—LAKE PLACID — Mercy Care for the Adirondacks is recruiting new volunteers and has scheduled a Friendship Volunteer Training Program in Lake Placid on May 24 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
There is no cost for the training but registration is required. Complementary lunch will be provided.
New Volunteers will join Mercy Care's more than 100 Friendship Volunteers from Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, and Tupper Lake and surrounding areas who are helping their elder neighbors stay connected to their communities and helping to make their lives a little easier and happier. Volunteers of all faiths are encouraged and invited to participate.
"The pandemic has only amplified the need some elders in our community have for the joy and companionship of a kind and compassionate Friendship Volunteer to help ease their isolation and loneliness," Melissa Eisinger, board president, said in a press release.
Mercy Care is experiencing many new requests from elders in communities who need friends and assistance to help them age in place more successfully.
Mercy Care serves any older adult in need within the organization's capacity.
Can you help?
Mercy Care receives requests for a Friendship Volunteer from elders themselves, their families, or friends, health care and aging services organizations to provide informal supports to help elders age in place more successfully.
Volunteers will learn about offering friendship and assistance to elders in sessions on healthy aging, spirituality and aging, community resources for elders, and COVID-19 precautions and protocols.
New volunteers will hear from experienced Mercy Care Friendship Volunteers who find purposeful service to their elder friends to be meaningful in their own lives.
Mercy Care Friendship Volunteers provide informal supports such as assistance with grocery shopping, transportation to medical appointments or social outings, or visiting with an elder in their home.
"Mercy Care is very grateful for the volunteer service given by so many in the Tri-Lakes area to their elder neighbors," Donna Beal, executive director, said.
"Mercy Care is blessed to be able to coordinate the efforts of the volunteers with the elders in need of assistance to be able to age in place more successfully."
REGIONS SUPPORTED
The agency invites anyone in the Tri-Lakes region, Ausable Forks, Keene or other surrounding communities who is interested in becoming a Mercy Care Friendship Volunteer to take the training in Lake Placid.
Mercy Care is seeking to extend its Friendship Volunteer assistance program in the Ausable Forks, Keene Valley, Keene, Wilmington, and Jay communities.
"Mercy Care first started out its mission in 2007 and served the communities of Lake Placid, Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake and surrounding smaller communities," Beal said.
"But, we have recently been receiving calls from elders or families in the Keene area or Ausable Forks looking for assistance for elders there.
"So, we are very eager to recruit some volunteers from the Keene or Ausable Forks area, so that we would be able to better fill the need of elders in those communities."
HOW TO HELP
To register for the training, please visit Mercy Care's website at www.adkmercy.org or contact Lexi Bevilacqua, Mercy Care's Program Director at abevilacqua@adkmercy.org or call Lexi for more information at 518-523-5446.
The mission of Mercy Care for the Adirondacks, sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, is to extend mercy to elders living in the community in order to enhance the fullness of their lives and help them age in place more successfully.
Mercy Care for the Adirondacks is governed by a local board of directors and relies solely on grants and charitable gifts from individuals, businesses, and foundations for its support. Mercy Care's services are provided free of charge to those we assist.
Board members include: Melissa Eisinger, President, Art Devlin, Vice-President, David Aldrich, Ann Cantwell, Jerry Hayes, Cathy Johnston, Jack McGill, Judith Meagher, Paul O'Leary, Kathryn Reiss, Kathleen Trainor, Mary Welch, Sr. Denise Wilke, RSM, and Fr. John Yonkovig.
Mercy Care can be reached at 185 Old Military Road, Lake Placid, NY 12946, by calling Donna Beal, Executive Director, at 518-523-5581, or by e-mail at dbeal@adkmercy.org For more information, visit Mercy Care's web site at http://www.adkmercy.org
Email: rcaudell@pressrepublican.com
Twitter@RobinCaudell
