The Eldercare Center at Southeast Missouri State University has received a $20,000 federal grant from the Action Student Community Service Program to develop projects that allow students to interact with older adults.

Cynthia Kothe, director of the center, said the Eldercare Center is one of just two agencies in the state to receive the federal money. The grant is for one year.

"The goal is to allow secondary level students high school or college students to interact with older adults," Kothe said. "We are also providing a service to the older adult population by utilizing student volunteers."

One portion of the program is in transportation.

"We are serving the low income older adult population, those who typically use cab coupons," Kothe said. "The cab coupons usually don't last the month. We are providing some supplemental service to those folks."

A monthly calendar of destinations is published.

"We take them only to those locations. This is not an on-demand service," Kothe said.

Transportation is provided to the post office, the library, West Park Mall, Ben Franklin Crafts, Aldis', Wal-Mart, Dollar General Store, Schnucks and other locations.

The list of destinations changes each month, in response to requests.

"We use student volunteers to assist. They go along help people shop, to help them in reaching items and reading labels.

"A lot of people have been very excited about the program," Kothe said. "They are saying how much it means to them and what a help it is to them."

"We also have volunteers who go into the home to assist older adults with housekeeping project."

She said older people have trouble, for example, cleaning a ceiling fan. A volunteer could do that chore.

"We also send volunteers to the nutrition center to deliver homebound meals," said Kothe.

Volunteers read to veterans at the Missouri Veterans Home and to blind individuals in their homes.

The volunteer program is open to any interested high school or college student.

Volunteers attend a short orientation on the program.

For more information, call Kothe at 290-5944 between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays.