Page 2 - August 2016 Rolling Stone

Page 2
August, 2016
Money Management Program A SRC Pillar of Service
The Senior Resource Center current- ly provides Money Management for eligible individuals through the IDOA Volunteer Money Management Pro- gram (MMP). This is a wonderful and beneficial service that is made up of screened and trained volunteers who typically visit in the client’s home each month. The MMP volunteer as- sists with writing out checks to pay bills for the client to sign; balancing their check register and reconciling their bank account. This service pro- vides assistance for seniors who may be experiencing physical limitations, may have experienced the loss of a spouse who handled the finances or simply needing peace of mind know- ing that someone else is providing oversight of their bill paying and ac- count activity.
What the Money Management Program does:
Besides bill paying and balancing the check book, MMP volunteers can assist with:
• Referrals for benefits or other needed services.
• Developing a Spending Plan (budget) of monthly in- come & expenses.
• Developing and helping reach financial goals. IE saving for a vacation, etc.
• Assisting in filling out forms for insurance, etc.
• Maintaining a filing system for paid bills and financial related correspondence.
• Intervening with creditors. IE if the cable company bill includes a new unexpected fee, etc.
• Discussing mail, calls and advertising to help avoid scams that target seniors.
• If desired, setting up bills for automatic payments, on- line banking, direct deposits, etc.
• Monitoring of all volunteer’s activities; to provide secu- rity and peace of mind.
What the Money Management Program does not do:
Daily money management is taking care of the day to day financial responsibilities. To best protect and assist the client, the MMP volunteers do not
• Handle the client’s cash, debit or credit cards. • Become the client’s Power of Attorney.
• Give advice on investments, real estate, etc.
If you are someone who would like to consider assisting seniors in this way, or you could benefit from these servic- es, please contact the Senior Resource Center at 815.235.9777.
One of the pillars of service provided by
the Senior Resource Center is the Money Management program. Through this pro-
gram, qualifying seniors are able to receive
help with budgeting, paying bills and receiving additional help and advice with finances. The
most unique thing about the Money Manage-
ment program is the high quality of service that is provided by volunteers. They are professional, com- passionate and committed as they serve their clients. Audrey Firebaugh has been one of these volunteers since the program started 16 years ago.
Audrey and her husband, Doug have lived and been involved in the Freeport community for 53 years. Their family consists of two daughters, a son- in-law and two granddaughters. Their biggest joy is the time shared with them.
Audrey worked as a tax paralegal for nineteen years. During that time she had the privilege of helping family members with their bills and bank records in their senior years and saw how important that was for their peace of mind. After retiring, she heard about the money management program at the SRC and felt drawn to help. She has been a vol- unteer at the SRC since then and has also served two years in the AARP Tax-Aide program. She be- lieves this program is also a very important service in the community.
Audrey helped several seniors over the years. She states that whether she was writing checks for
clients to sign, or just balancing their check reg- isters with the bank statements, the monthly
visits were a joy, sharing time and smiles with other women who were friendly and apprecia-
tive.
Audrey retired from volunteering for the Money Management program this summer.
We are very thankful for her work at the SRC and her lifetime of sharing her skills
and gifts with this community. Knowing that she likes to travel with Doug and
spend time with family, The Senior Re- source Center wishes Audrey a great journey during this “second” retire-
ment.