One Stop Shop for Seniors expands to include volunteer information

To kick off Older Americans Month, Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prettner Solon announced Tuesday, May 1, the launch of SHARE Minnesota, part of the One Stop Shop for Minnesota Seniors and administered through the Senior LinkAge Line® and Minnesota Board on Aging. SHARE Minnesota is a virtual network of agencies that can help find volunteer opportunities for seniors who want to volunteer but may not know where to go.

“Minnesota seniors are living longer, getting more from their lives and are giving more to their communities,” said Prettner Solon. “It is important that we tap into the valuable resource and expertise of older Minnesotans, and SHARE Minnesota can help.”

Prettner Solon made the announcement at Frost Lake Elementary in St. Paul, where local senior volunteers demonstrated tutoring students. Representatives of Minnesota volunteer programs explained how they provide custom placement services to potential volunteers who call the Senior One Stop.

By calling, seniors will talk to a trained expert who will help them discover what areas they are interested in, what populations they want to support and what time they have to share with their communities.

The Senior LinkAge Line® will then connect the caller to organizations that will help find the volunteer opportunities they seek. These organizations include the Retired Senior Volunteer, Senior Companions and Foster Grandparents programs, as well as other volunteer centers covering all 87 Minnesota counties.

Seniors interested in volunteering can call the Senior LinkAge Line® at 1-800-333-2433 or visit MinnesotaHelp.info. More information is in a news release about the expansion on the Governor’s Office website.