“Open Your Heart to a Senior” is awarding four mini-grants of $500 each to groups that implement volunteer recruitment and outreach projects that help older adults.

Proposed volunteer projects may be innovative new ideas, expansions of current outreach efforts, or replications of successful models used elsewhere. Proposals will be evaluated based on the soundness of their plan and project activities, especially their potential to engage both volunteers and seniors in response to an identified community need. The proposed projects must be conducted in Allegheny County and completed by Oct. 15, 2010.

“Open Your Heart to a Senior” is a joint initiative of Family Services of Western Pennsylvania’s Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers program (IVC) and North Hills Community Outreach, designed to ensure that every senior in Allegheny County who needs a caring volunteer has one. Volunteers provide nonmedical assistance (e.g., rides to the doctor, assistance with grocery shopping, friendly visits and phone calls, yard projects, etc.), helping the seniors to remain safe and independent in their own homes. This initiative is funded by the United Way of Allegheny County.

Although not mandatory, all applicants are encouraged to attend one of the following information and technical assistance sessions:

Saturday, May 15, 9:30-11 a.m. at Family Ser-vices of Western PA, 6401 Penn Ave., 2nd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15206;

Tuesday, May 18, 5-6:30 p.m. at North Hills Community Outreach, 1975 Ferguson Rd., Allison Park, PA 15101

To download an application with complete details and eligibility guidelines, visit www.openyourheart toasenior.org or call (412)307-0071 for more information.