Scott van Lear of the Paul Smith’s College VIC speaks at the 2022 Mercy Care Friendship Picnic on Lower Saranac Lake. (Provided photo)

LAKE PLACID — Mercy Care for the Adirondacks is recruiting new volunteers and has scheduled a Friendship Volunteer Training Program in Lake Placid on May 24 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There is no cost for the training, but registration is required. Complementary lunch will be provided. To register, visit Mercy Care’s website at www.adkmercy.org or contact Lexi Bevilacqua, Mercy Care’s program director, at abevilacqua@adkmercy.org or 518-523-5446.

Trainees will join Mercy Care’s more than 100 Friendship Volunteers from Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake and surrounding areas who are helping their elder neighbors stay connected to their communities and helping to make their lives a little easier and happier. Volunteers of all faiths are encouraged and invited to participate.

Mercy Care is seeking to extend its Friendship Volunteer assistance program in the AuSable Forks, Keene Valley, Keene, Wilmington and Jay communities, as well as the Tri-Lakes area.

“The pandemic has only amplified the need some elders in our community have for the joy and companionship of a kind and compassionate Friendship Volunteer to help ease their isolation and loneliness,” Mercy Care Board President Melissa Eisinger said in a news release.

Mercy Care is experiencing many new requests from local elders who need friends and assistance to help them age in place more successfully, as well as requests from elders’ families, friends, health care and aging services. Mercy Care serves any older adult in need within its capacity.

Trainees will learn about offering friendship and assistance to elders in sessions on healthy aging, spirituality and aging, community resources for elders, and COVID-19 precautions and protocols. Trainees will hear from experienced Mercy Care Friendship Volunteers who find purposeful service to their elder friends to be meaningful in their own lives. Friendship Volunteers provide informal supports such as assistance with grocery shopping, transportation to medical appointments or social outings, or visiting with an elder in their home.

The mission of Mercy Care for the Adirondacks, sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, is to extend mercy to elders living in the community to enhance the fullness of their lives and help them age in place more successfully.

Mercy Care for the Adirondacks is governed by a local board of directors and relies solely on grants and charitable gifts from individuals, businesses and foundations for its support. Mercy Care’s services are provided free of charge to those we assist. Board members include President Eisinger, Vice President Art Devlin, David Aldrich, Ann Cantwell, Jerry Hayes, Cathy Johnston, Jack McGill, Judith Meagher, Paul O’Leary, Kathryn Reiss, Kathleen Trainor, Mary Welch, Sr. Denise Wilke, RSM, and the Rev. John Yonkovig.