Carson Valley Sertoma Sponsorship Chair Dianne Ford and Douglas County Sheriff’s Department Good Neighbor creator Sgt. Bernadette Smith.
On Jan. 14, the Carson Valley Sertoma Club hosted Sgt. Bernadette Smith as a guest speaker representing the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department’s Good Neighbor Program.
Smith created the program after realizing seniors are alone, lonely, in need of assistance, and are sometimes exploited by family or others.
The program recruits volunteers who perform outreach calls and visits to these individuals as a friend and to help, if needed, with grocery shopping, doctor visits, medication pickups and general welfare checks.
Several Sertoma members serve as volunteers with the Good Neighbor Program.
Their experiences, and the fact that other communities are now emulating the Good Neighbor Program, affirm the value it provides to residents.
This prompted the service club to request a grant from their headquarters, Sertoma Inc., that was approved.
At the end of her presentation, Smith was presented with a $1,000 grant check from Sertoma Inc. and a second $1,000 check from funds raised by the local Carson Valley Sertoma club.
The club thanked the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and specifically Smith for initiating a program that helps seniors here.
