Substitute grandpa wanted! How family sponsors enrich life

Leo Firydus, a 69-year-old family sponsor from the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district, has been volunteering for three years, which is aimed at supporting families. Firydus is one of around 20 family sponsors in the Nordland district and visits a family once a week that consists of five members and which he has supported for a year and a half. Before retirement, he worked at the machine manufacturer DMG in Geretsried and has four adult children.

The tasks of a family sponsor depend on the individual needs of the respective family. The parents are often employed, single parent or overwhelmed. On average, Firydus spends two to three hours a week with the family, who sees him as a "replacement grandpa" and also invites him to family celebrations. As a rule, a sponsorship is limited to one year, but can be extended in exceptional cases. Firydus also helped a Syrian family with language barriers and authorities.

requires support and sponsorships

In the region there is a long waiting list for family sponsors, which indicates the high need for support for overloaded families. Interested parties who also want to get involved as a family sponsor can contact Sonja Weißbacher by email to receive an apprenticeship. Family sponsorships in particular offer young parents support in everyday life, as on the website of Parentsin.info

These sponsorships are offered by trained volunteers who relieve families in stressful situations. The range of families with children from zero to three years, in some cases also for older children. The support from volunteers is usually free of charge and includes a variety of tasks, from leisure activities with children to accompaniment to doctor's dates. A professional coordination is provided throughout two to four hours a week, which regularly conducts conversations between the coordinators, families and volunteers about the course of the sponsorship.