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'Everybody's Grandpa' Devoted To Children

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By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR

cpastor@tampatrib.com

Published: October 22, 2008

COUNTRYWAY - Grandpa Pete wakes up early so he can get to school and help children off the bus. He bakes brownies on the weekends, making sure he has extras for the teachers. He will stop whatever he is doing to answer a question or listen to a problem.

He carries tissues around in his pocket to wipe runny noses. It's not the most glamorous part of his job, he said, but he doesn't mind.

"It's not for everybody," he said, "but that's why there's Grandpa Pete."

Pete Gaumond, 89, had one daughter who had no children, and, technically, he isn't anybody's grandfather. But when a child wondered if Gaumond really was his grandpa, another boy said, "He's everybody's grandpa."

Gaumond has volunteered for three years as a foster grandparent for Lowry Elementary. He works six hours a day, five days a week, arriving at 7:20 a.m. to meet the buses.

His commitment earned him a "Local Hero" award from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. He will be honored next month with other winners and receive a $5,000 grant to donate to a nonprofit organization of his choice.

Gaumond is thinking of donating the money to a veterans organization in Odessa that has helped him get to doctor appointments and keep his Town 'N Country home tidy.

Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay, which runs the foster grandparent program, nominated Gaumond for the award. He is committed, dedicated and effective at his job, said Nancy McWilliams, the organization's director of community development.

About 170 people serve as foster grandparents. They are eligible to join at age 60, McWilliams said, and it is unusual to have a volunteer nearing 90 as active as Gaumond. As a man, he also is a valuable role model to children who might not have anyone, McWilliams said.
Foster grandparents commit to 20 hours a week at schools, shelters and nonprofit day care centers. They may qualify for a $53 weekly stipend, based on income.

For most of his life, Gaumond never had a problem keeping busy. He worked as a cable engineer in New England, built houses and once spent two years with a friend traveling in a motor home, covering 32,000 miles from Key West to the Badlands.

He had been restoring antiques when a car accident injured his hands and he had to stop.

"I was bored right out of my gourd," he said.

He saw an advertisement seeking foster grandparents and wanted to join but feared he was too old. He decided to try. He found more than enough to occupy his time.

"I just love the daylights out of it," he said.

He provides tutoring and mentoring to Lowry students and works weekly in a special-needs classroom. He taught a boy to drink out of the water fountain. He feeds another student daily. It gets messy, he said, "but that's what the cleaners are for."

Gaumond likes the children who seem to need him the most, and he said his flexible schedule lets him spend as much time with them as the job takes. Sometimes, he just listens to them.

One little girl said she wished she could go home with him because he talked nice to her. Another girl was frustrated when no one would escort her to the bathroom, and Gaumond settled her down.

"If you ever have a problem, and grandpa's around, you just tell him," he instructed her.

In the classroom, he emphasizes reading. He tells them they can do anything if they know how to read. When they ask why he is smart, he says it is from reading. When they want to know why his brownies taste so good, he says he had to learn to read so he knew how to follow the instructions.

Second-grade teacher Marlene Sacarello said Gaumond is immersed in Lowry. He only misses work when he is hospitalized, and the teachers rely on him. His gentlemanly manner and kind heart make him stand out, she said.

"He's totally devoted to the entire child," she said, "not just the academics."

Reporter Courtney Cairns Pastor can be reached at (813) 865-1503.

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