Very few people see what Clarie Miller does on nearly a daily basis during the school year.
Every day, the Marshalltown senior gets up and goes to Hoglan Elementary School, which may not seem like much, but when you're 76, the wind is blowing and it's in the single digits, there are times when it can be tougher than others. And it's not as if she is earning a paycheck for her hard work.
Her pay comes in other ways. And this week, one of those ways she is being paid is taking place in Washington, D.C.
As a volunteer for the Foster Grandparents Program, she is being honored as a recipient of the 2011 MetLife Foundation Older Volunteers Enrich America award. She is one of 48 people from across the nation receiving the award, and the first from Central Iowa, at least in recent history.
"We're pretty excited for Grandma Clarie to get this," said Julie Bonamarte, executive director of the Mid Iowa Foster Grandparent Program.
For her part, Miller said she has never done it for the awards or recognitions, which are few and far between anyway.
"When I leave in the morning, it's like I'm going to be with my family for the day," she said. "There are a lot of young ones who need our help. It's not wasted time."
The time commitment is a big one for the Foster Grandparents program. Volunteers must agree to at least a minimum commitment of 15 hours a week. Miller goes beyond that, spending four to five hours a day in the classroom during the school year. Bonamarte said that time requirement is not arbitrary.
"We want them to be able to build up relationships with those kids," she said.
That is one thing that Miller seems to have done at Hoglan.
"They keep me going," Miller said. "They come up and say, 'Oh, Grandma Clarie, I missed you.' When you get to be 70-something years old, it makes you forget about your age."
And while Miller said it's nice to be recognized, she really does not see what all the fuss is all about.
"I do it because I enjoy being around the children. If I get my flowers down here, what am I going to get when I get to heaven?" Miller said. "To share what God has given me with some else's child, that's my award."
