Senior Service America Highlights GED Opportunities In Connecticut

For Immediate Release May 19, 2003
Contact: Sue Carroll 301-578-8868

Silver Spring, Md.—Anyone can follow in the footsteps of grandmother and Spanish instructor Maria Villaran of Danielson, Conn.

The 67-year-old is being recognized by state government officials, Senior Service America Inc. and the GED Testing Service (GEDTS) at a May 19 event in Hartford, Conn., for her many accomplishments, including earning her GED diploma in 2001.

Senior Service America’s Senior AIDES Program, funded by U.S. Department of Labor grants under the Senior Community Service Employment Program, helped Villaran step into the workforce as a job coach for mentally retarded adults at the Eastern Connecticut Regional Education Service Center. That experience and her diploma opened the door to her current position as a GED testing proctor.

“These stubbornly challenging times and this difficult economic climate are leading more and more seniors to work later and later in life; regrettably, pension funds and retirement savings have lost a great deal of value in recent years, compounding this scenario, and golden parachutes are only available to the chosen few,” said Connecticut State Sen. Edith G. Prague. “I’m absolutely thrilled to be part of this initiative, coordinated by Senior Service America, to help our seniors get the education they’ll need and learn the skills they’ll use in their effort to stay independent and self-sufficient throughout their senior years.”

“There is no substitute for the higher self-esteem and sense of accomplishment anyone derives at any age from having a job and meeting the responsibilities of that job,” she added. “This program provides the catalyst for our seniors to realize these goals.”

The May 19 event kicked off the joint Building Senior Participation campaign of Senior Service America and GEDTS to reach out to Connecticut seniors and help them earn their high school credential.

“Seniors who earn their GED diploma serve as great role models for their peers—and their children and grandchildren,” says Tony Sarmiento, Senior Service America executive director. “But seniors also greatly increase their chances at better employment and, by earning their diploma, they show prospective employers they are motivated to take on challenges.”

The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) of Senior Service America is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. SCSEP is an equal opportunity program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.