Citizen Outreach Program

CITIZEN OUTREACH for ELDERS PROGRAM

The Town of Lisbon is truly a wonderful place to live.  But for many of our senior citizens the passing of days can be long and lonely, with little direct contact with others.  With that in mind the Citizens Outreach for Elders Program makes daily telephone calls to area senior citizens who would like to have regular contact with someone.  This program is based out of the Lisbon Police Department and works like this:

Each day a community volunteer, or Lisbon Communications Officer, makes phone calls to any elder who would like to be on our participant list. 

The volunteers have brief conversations, checking on the wellness of the program participant, and then move on to calling on other local citizens that are signed up for the program.    

If the participant does not answer, the volunteer will try again a short time later.  If contact cannot be made we reach out to one of the participant’s listed contacts (neighbor, friend, family member).  If all else fails we send a police officer by to make a quick check on the program participant’s welfare.   

Depending on the number of persons who take part in the program, the volunteer or Communications Officer spends anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour of their day talking to our community elders before the list is complete. 

This is a simple (free) program that can positively affect the lives of many persons in our community.  For any person that is interested, we are always looking for volunteers to offer just a few minutes of their time on a weekly basis to make these calls.  ** It should be noted that we are also looking for community members who may wish to be contacted as well. **    

How do I help?  The police department is seeking not only those wishing to make a difference in our community but also anyone who may know of an elder friend or loved one who would appreciate a daily call.  Any interested volunteer or participant can check the Town of Lisbon’s website, or the Lisbon Police Department’s website, to find our “Volunteer Application” or “Participant Information” form, which can be filled out and returned to the Lisbon Police Department at 300 Lisbon Street.  You can also stop in at the Lisbon Dispatch window, or call in, and ask for Chief McGee and we will be sure to get a form out to anyone who is interested. 

Thank you for making a difference.