Resources for Life Events: CRVIS, recap from 1999
Each Brings a Special Gift
All CRVIS (Cornell Retirees Volunteering in Service) volunteers bring
their own special backgrounds and interests to the elementary school age
children with who they work.
Last fall, 40 kindergarten students at the Enfield Elementary School made
small bird feeders with loblolly pine cones because a CRVIS volunteer
cared enough to work with them. Carlton Smith of Trumansburg came
to the school twice a week to take the children on nature walks, help
them identify birds and small animal tracks, count tree rings and build
bird feeders.
Freeville CRVIS volunteers Bill and Joan Albern like to travel, and when
on a trip, they send postcards back to the Freeville children. Excited
students can track where Bill and Joan are and get a lesson in geography
in the process. Students learn about the customs of the countries
Bill and Joan visit, getting a lesson in sociology and perhaps a bit of
history, too. When Bill and Joan return with photographs the students
get a first-hand look and hear about the language and the people.
CRVIS Volunteer Chuck Wharton, a Cornell Plasma Physics professor emeritus,
started an innovative science enrichment program in the Cayuga Heights
School. Chuck comes twice a week to the school with colleagues,
and they demonstrate-and the children participate in-simple science experiments.
The science is geared for the very young child in kindergarten, although
in the future it may expand to higher grades. Chuck helps the children
understand simple concepts of air, levers, water, light, electricity,
sound, and our environment. And the children love it-especially
when the lever experiment, which resembled a seesaw, let them actually
lift the teacher.
CRVIS has many other caring volunteers working in the schools-in Cayuga
Heights, Enfield and Freeville. CRVIS volunteers help with homework,
math, one-on-one reading, spelling, as well as playground and cafeteria
assignments.
Many stories can be told about the helpful projects that CRVIS is doing
in the local elementary schools, but an equally exciting outgrowth of
this initiative is what is doing for the volunteers. More than one
has said, "The children make it so exciting! This program gives me
a reason to get up in the morning."
This type of enthusiasm has helped CRVIS to continue to grow and involve
more retirees. In the fall of 1999 CRVIS will add another school-Trumansburg-to
its project area. If you would like to learn more about this Cornell
retiree initiative, call us at 255-7565.
~Gloria Howell and Rose Sanford
CRA Board Members