The Grandparent Program
Activities and companionship brought to the elderly in various communities.
I like being a part of the grandparent program because we always spend an incredible time together and they are so nice to us. I never miss a grandparent program event. They have activities for us and games, we play bingo and do crafts. It gives me the opportunity to spend a lot of time in fellowship with other seniors and young people from the community. We even dance and we have a lot of fun, we spend the whole day there together. I am 82 years old and live alone, all my kids live in Sinaloa. I didn’t have a lot of companionship here, but the grandparent program has changed that. It is very beautiful work that you do.
Jose
Grandparent Program Participant
Reaching out to isolated older adults
The Grandparent Program was started in 2022 as a way to reach out to the elderly people in the community. BAM leaders and sub-leaders organize events at different houses with seniors from various BAM neighborhoods. Our BAM scholarship students help to run the meetings, pick the grandparents up and bring them to the meeting location, prepare snacks to share, and spend time getting to know the seniors.
My favorite activity is when we spend time with the grandparents, because they talk to you about their life experiences, give you advice and encourage you to go ahead and make an effort in your studies. I believe it is very nice to help them and have a moment to talk with the elderly. BAM is a great blessing and helps so many.
Mancera
Many of these seniors live alone in conditions of extreme poverty. They oftentimes do not have a strong social support system and can not receive a BAM home due to the fact that they do not own their land and the home could be taken away from them. In the Grandparent Program, they get to know other people in their communities, enjoy fun activities, and build relationships with the young people in our scholarship program.
Some of the activities they enjoy are art projects, knitting, bingo, and sharing advice and stories with the scholarship students. Furthermore, the dads from our Dads Program have completed many construction projects to improve the homes and living situations of the seniors in the Grandparent Program. Some of the projects they have completed for the seniors are – installing wheelchair ramps, setting up donated tarps to prevent the rain from coming into their houses, and pouring cement pads.
