'Good morning' calls for Genoa seniors, disabled?

GENOA -- A new program is seeking volunteers to help prevent some seniors and disabled persons from becoming forgotten members of the community.

Project Good Morning is headed by Genoa resident Mike Andrews, a physical therapist with Unlimited Performance Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine in Genoa.

The program is designed for those people who may not have daily contact with others and have a chronic disease or disability that prevents them from easily getting out of the house.

Project Good Morning volunteers will call these individuals at an agreed-upon time every day to make sure they are not in need of immediate assistance.

Since the Genoa area program just started, there are no volunteers or clients for now.

"We are just beginning to get the word out," Andrews said. "We are currently recruiting for volunteers. Our Web site was recently placed on the Genoa Police Department's server. I hope this program is successful. I would like to make it go countywide."

"I'm personally excited about the program," Police Chief Pat Solar said. "I will do whatever I can to help further it. If there are any questions or if someone would like to volunteer, contact either Mike Andrews or the Genoa Police Department. There will eventually be forms on the police department Web site."

Prospective volunteers must agree to undergo a police background check. Once they are cleared, volunteers receive training on the rules of the organization and a list that includes clients' telephone numbers, addresses and times when they should call the clients.

Volunteers will call the local police or sheriff's department if they feel a client is having a problem or if nobody answers the telephone at the time they agreed to answer it.

Clients should remember that volunteers are not a substitute for contacting 911 in an emergency or calling the doctor or family member if they are experiencing a serious problem.

Andrews, his wife Kristen and their three children moved from Maine to Illinois six years ago.

"I came up with the idea of beginning Project Good Morning about two years ago," Andrews said. "I have an aunt in New Hampshire who gets a call from an elderly volunteer who lives in a nursing home. This program was begun by the police department in Rochester, New Hampshire, but is now run by one or two elderly volunteers. I have found one other similar program in Maine that is run by a town police department."

"We believe it is important to be active in our community and to volunteer our time to better it," Andrews added. "We are active in our children's schools and their activities. I am also on the Genoa Chamber of Commerce board and run a DeKalb County area bird-watching club called KROW."

For more information on Project Good Morning, call Andrews at (815) 762-4175 or see the police department's Web site at www.genoapd.com.