Blog

FTJ Resident Volunteer Spotlight – Karen Fischer

By Francesca Thomas, Philanthropy Coordinator

This past winter the Pt. Defiance ~ Ruston Senior Center received a generous grant from the Ben B. Cheney Foundation to purchase computers and other supplies needed for a series of educational classes: how to use a computer! The pandemic, resulting in isolation for a lot of the 55+ demographic, demonstrated how critical technology access is for older adults. Through surveys and feedback, the Senior Center participants requested to learn how to stay current and connected, as well as digital training with computers, Microsoft programs, and online communication.

Resident Volunteer Helps Teach Class

Karen Fischer, a Franke Tobey Jones resident, volunteered to help Ron Yaden, the Senior Center assistant, teach the first series of beginner computer classes. Ron taught the class, and Karen aided him by assisting the participants in navigating the grant funded laptops. The first class had six participants, some of whom did not have internet access at home, let alone know how to use a laptop! Karen’s assistance ensured Ron was able to teach the course without much disruption or delay.

A four-week class explored the basics of using a computer. Karen admired the sheer desire these participants had to learn something new. When asked about what she liked most about volunteering at the Senior Center, she said, “The people! And discovering that as I age, there are people older than me willing to learn new things.”

With the success of the beginner class, Karen offered to teach an advanced class. This three-class series would be catered to participants with computer experience and focus on safety in navigating and using the internet. To her delight and surprise, her first students were the same six participants who had completed the beginner class!

Karen taught the participants how to spot an online scam, identify if a website is safe, informative and helpful websites to visit, and more. When she asked the participants if there was something they would like to know, one of them asked to be shown how to use Google Street View. This became a bonding moment between the entire class when everyone looked up their childhood homes using this feature. These six participants had been strangers when they started this educational journey and were all friends by the end of the classes.  

Senior Center Improves Lives

Despite the size of the space, Karen could not believe just how much the Senior Center is able to improve the lives of local seniors. “I’m impressed by how much they do, from educational classes to exercise, lunches, even assistance with tax preparation and a dominoes club!”

More Classes To Be Held

Because of the sheer volume of interest and need, the Senior Center will likely hold another series of beginner and advanced classes this coming fall. With striking disparities in technology access, in which over 30% of low-income seniors do not have access to a computer/internet and 77% of seniors reporting they require assistance with technology, this gap is being bridged by volunteers like Karen at the Pt. Defiance ~ Ruston Senior Center.