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HONORS
Hillsborough County School Board Member Jack Lamb received
the first “Honorary Foster Grandparent” award.
Dr. Lamb was recognized for being a strong supporter of the Foster
Grandparent Program for more than four decades. In 1964, when the
program was conceived,
he was a young teacher in the Hillsborough County Public Schools
Exceptional Student Education Department.
From the moment he heard of the program, he became a supporter of
the concept. When the time was right, he aligned himself with
Congressman Sam Gibbons and Tampa City Councilwoman Haven Poe.
Together, they worked to bring the pilot for the Foster Grandparent
Program to our community.
The pilot was conducted with 25 students. After one year, it was
deemed a success because it had a positive impact on everyone
involved. The volunteers benefited from the interaction they
enjoyed with the children. The children loved their Grandparents
and made academic and social advances because of their daily
one-on-one dealings with them. The teachers appreciated the
assistance they received from the Foster Grandparents. Based on
this great success, the program was expanded the following year to
13 other sites. Today, more than 33,000 Foster Grandparents serve
in all 50 states.
Over the
years, Dr. Lamb has served on the Seniors in Service Board of
Directors and has taken an active role in helping the program expand
in Hillsborough County. When he left the Hillsborough school
district to work as an administrator in Pinellas County schools, he
brought the program there. Subsequently, he was instrumental in
helping it expand into Polk County.
Dr. Jeffrey Hunt
of the Vein Center of Tampa Bay was honored by Seniors
in Service at the Annual Recognition Luncheon with the C orporate
Citizenship Award. This award recognizes a company for
outstanding support of Seniors in Service. Dr. Hunt
sponsored a wonderful Fashion Show event to benefit Seniors in
Service. He also adopted a Foster Grandparent as part of the
Adopt-a-Foster Grandparent initiative and served as a sponsor of our
"Friend-Building Breakfast."
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