Volunteer Guardianship Association awarded GIVE 365 grant

The Wayne County Volunteer Guardianship Association, whose mission is to locate and assist volunteer guardians to provide for the needs of the mentally incompetent in Wayne County, has been awarded a $1,500 grant for guardian training by the 2024 GIVE 365 Grant Fund of the Wayne County Community Foundation.

The training event will provide three hours of training, which is the annual training requirement for all guardians. The training event will be held Oct. 4 at The Connections Conference Center, which is part of West View Healthy Living, 1715 Mechanicsburg Road, Wooster.

A complimentary breakfast will be provided. The event is free. The training also provides three hours of continuing legal education credit for attorneys including an hour of professional conduct credit. The training is open to any guardian and/or attorney who needs to fulfill their continuing education obligation or who just wants to learn more about guardianship issues.

The training is titled Navigating Guardianship Issues and will include an overview of annual requirements for guardians, how to deal with nursing home care facilities and problems that may arise, and ethical issues in guardianship cases. Speakers for the event include Kelli Beckler, president of the WCVGA; Melissa Haddix, local ombudsman; and a local attorney. A panel discussion and Q-and-A session will conclude the event. Those who wish to attend should send an email to waynecovga@gmail.com reserving their spot for the event.

The WCVGA was established in 2012 as a not-for-profit program that provides guardian of the person services to individuals who are residents of Wayne County and are living in or in need of residential care. WCVGA is governed by a board of directors that carries out its mission to provide guardianship services to the most vulnerable adults in Wayne County.

Lori Schrop has been a volunteer guardian with the WCVGA for 11 years. Patty, her ward, is nonverbal, but that hasn’t stopped Schrop from building a relationship with her.

“Being a volunteer guardian has been such a blessing to me,” Schrop said. “It has allowed me to give back to my community and to make a difference. Patty’s life has touched my life, and I have become emotionally invested in hers.”

“I enjoy being a volunteer guardian and forming a friendship with my ward Vicki,” said Lydia Raber, who also has been a volunteer guardian for a number of years. “It’s important to be a voice for her and to help her with choices that need to be made.”

WCVGA is in need of additional volunteers to serve as guardians. The association provides support and assistance to the guardians who volunteer with the program. Visit www.waynecountyguardianship.org or call 330-465-2444 for more information.