TAMPA — Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay is looking for 50 adults, age 55 and older, to volunteer in classrooms and help mentor elementary school students.

The organization’s Classroom Grandparents program serves dozens of Title I schools in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. Volunteers provide students with one-on-one support while helping teachers with everything from small-group learning to everyday classroom activities.

At Town ‘N Country Elementary School, volunteer Denise Bryant is known simply as “Grandma.”

“At home, I’m known as Gigi, but here I’m known as Grandma,” Bryant said.

Bryant began volunteering with Seniors in Service after retiring in 2020. Although her career was not in education, she said the organization provided the training she needed to work with students.

“Lunch time, circle time, individual time, learning with the children, they do what they call a Smart Board, so I’m kind of all over the classroom,” Bryant said.

She is now going into her fifth year as a Classroom Grandparent in Head Start teacher Yahaira Avila’s classroom.

“Having her is a blessing. We love her,” Avila said. “Even when we have to rotate and we do small groups for those students that are a little bit below, she will take them little by little. She will work with the skills that they really need to master, and it’s been great.”

Seniors in Service says that added support can make a difference. At B.T. Washington Elementary School, where nine Classroom Grandparents volunteer, the school improved from a “D” to a “B” grade last school year — the largest elementary school improvement in Hillsborough County.

Bryant said the role goes beyond helping students academically.

“Helping them feel confident, helping them feel loved, helping them to feel valued, helping them to know that they can do this,” Bryant said. “We’re helping the children to learn and grow so that they can succeed.”

For Bryant, it’s about making sure every child has someone in their corner.

Those interested in becoming a Classroom Grandparent must be at least 55 years old. There is an application process, and Seniors in Service provides training for volunteers who are selected