Foster Grandparents Program honors service, says goodbye to longtime director

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

More than 60 foster grandparents were honored for their contributions to the Charles City Foster Grandparent Program at a luncheon and awards ceremony Thursday afternoon.

At an event where dozens of honors and recognitions were handed out, the Best Director/Boss Award went to program Director Mary Litterer, who has led the group for 19 years and is retiring.

Diane Blackburn, an group advisory council member, helped present the award to Litterer.

“This award goes to someone who has dedicated many hours holding down many roles, from mediator, nurse, problem-solver, party-planner, psychologist, grant-writer, and the list could go on and on,” Blackburn said. “She has done them all with love and caring for the Foster Grandparents, her office staff and the van drivers.”

Litterer said, “It’s been wonderful. When I first started I thought I’d be here two years, not 20 years later. Thank you. I love all of you. … You’re part of my family, too.”

Every year the annual Foster Grandparents Program celebration has a different theme, and this year it was “Hollywood.” A white stretch limousine ferried the guests to the Elks Club in trip after trip from the staging area at the Kmart parking lot.

Foster grandparents help with school work and act as role models, mentors and friends to children in day cares, preschools and schools in Floyd, Chickasaw, Cerro Gordo and Mitchell counties.

The sites where foster grandparents volunteer are Lincoln Elementary, Washington Elementary, the middle school and high school in Charles City; Central Preschool; St. John Christian Preschool; Immaculate Conception Elementary and Preschool; T.L.C. (The Learning Center); RRMR Schools; Mason City Newman Catholic Elementary and Newman Childcare; West Town Charlie Brown, Washington Charlie Brown and Lake Town Charlie Brown; Clear Lake Elementary; Osage Lincoln Elementary and Osage Community Childcare; New Hampton Community School, St. Joseph and Great Plays Childcare in New Hampton.

The teachers and students at the schools where the Foster Grandparents are part of the classroom put together goodie bags for each of the volunteers.

The Charles City Foster Grandparents Program, at 46 years old, is the oldest and largest such program in the state.

The foster grandparents and staff members each received a certificate for their years of service. People who have been part of the program for five years, 10 years and 15 years and longer also receive pins.

Here are the foster grandparents and staff and their years of service:

• Less than a year — Carol Pollard, Donna Fiestner, Debroah Abplanalp, Jayne Hansen and Jody Jacobson.
• 1 year —  Penny Matte, Valerie Shaw, Sharon Bormann and John Miller (van driver).
• 2 years —  Diane Winter, Janet Niess, Kathleen Ranc, Susan Marvin and Cynthia Kinney.
• 3 years —  Linda Betels, Patty Martin, Aletha Berding Powell, Joe Leider, Haila Reinhardt, Charlote Reams and Ladonna Norris.
• 4 years —  Martha Hoevet, Rose Leichtman, Lois Logsdon and Debra Tonn.
• 5 years —  Colleen Hubesch, Wanda Ward, Joan Nielsen and Vicky Inman.
• 6 years —  Pat Leichtman, Shirley Orthel, Darlene Toyne and Betty Hanson.
• 7 years —  Joan Adams, Janice Duren, Jackie Ferch and Jane True.
• 8 years —  Vicky Clark, Wilma Lensing, Joann Murphy, Toni Pieper and June Rosonke.
• 9 years —  Barb Brown, Alice Embretson, Betty High and Pat Krueger.
• 10 years —  Mavis Beenen and Paul Krueger (van driver).
• 11 years —  Lavonne Kacer.
• 12 years —  Betty Keifer and Sheral Tumilson.
• 13 years —  Shirley Petrack and Madeline Knowlton.
• 14 years —  Pat Sinnwell, Jean Boley (field coordinator) and Colleen Ortmayer (office assistant).
• 15 years —  Donna Hulion and Mary Kellogg.
• 16 years —  Bernice Voelker.
• 17 years —  Sharon Ott.
• 18 years —  Mary Jones.
• 19 years —  Mary Litterer (director).
• 28 years —  Evelyn Schmidt.