This fund was begun in 1982 to
provide moral support, offer financial assistance, and to provide gifts and visits to the sick and homebound of our membership.
The fund began with only $10,000 and has since grown to over $300,000 to better serve PASR members who have found themselves
in unfortunate circumstances.
The Social Service Memorial Honor Fund Committee is
a network of volunteers at the State and local levels that give their time to assist members in need. This network consists
of more than 600 volunteers across the state -- retired school employees and members of PASR! During the past year this volunteer
network made nearly 3,000 phone calls and over 5,000 personal visits to homebound members or those in hospitals and nursing
homes while delivering more than 3,000 flowers or other small gifts to those members in need of our services. They also
sent or personally delivered over 8,000 holiday or "get well" cards.
Since its inception, our association has provided
more than $70,000 in direct grants to members in need of financial assistance. This assistance has varied from a monthly stipend
for medical expenses to one-time grants for home repairs. The fund has purchased a wheelchair for one impoverished member,
for example, while for another it helped to install orthopedic bars in a member's bathroom.
Our local Carbon chapter, the Social Service committee
has made over 70 visits to our 90 plus years old members, members who are hospitalized, in nursing homes or rehabilitation
centers with a birthday plants on their birthday and a poinsettia plant in the middle of December for the Christmas season.
This year the SS committee would like to prepare a gift bag of cheer for each of these members, as well as to include members
who are stricken with Alzheimer, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis, etc. We ask your assistance to identify
those members. The committee will be visiting these members during the May – the month of Appreciation for all school
retirees, to deliver the gift bags of cheer.
A book sale will be held at the spring meeting
to help fund our gift bag of cheer. If you have any books that you care to donate to the book sale, please contact Marjorie
Balliet. Wal-marts donated $25.00 which enabled us to purchase items of tissues,
pens, search a word books, snack treats and numerous other items. Members also donated items to this SS project.
The Social Service committee sends cards to members on their
birthday and this year we have included 80 year old plus members with New Year, Valentine, St.
Patrick, Easter, Memorial Day, and July 4th, Labor Day, Halloween and Thanksgiving
Greetings. The personalized cards are made by our public relations co-chairman, Roy Seems.
Whatever
the situation, the Social Service Memorial Honor Fund Committee tries to find those in need and then attempts to provide them
with what it can to make life better for these, our less fortunate members.
Know someone who may be in need of some assistance?
Here is how you can help.
