Sister Verna Kelley

Sister Verna Kelley, Foster Grandparent is a volunteer at Roncalli Primary School in Aberdeen, SD.

Sister Verna has been a Presentation Sister for 60 years and she is 79 years young. Before becoming a Foster Grandparent she taught school for 50 years at several schools and was a principal for 10 years. Grandma Verna has volunteered as a Foster Grandparent for over eight years. Over this period she has served five to eight students a week during each school year—for a total of over 6,000 hours. She is a past recipient of a Lifetime President’s Volunteer Service Award.

She currently works each week with five assigned children that are below level in reading. Grandma Verna helps children with reading, spelling, and VoWac. Classroom instructor Marcia Sturma states, “Sister Verna does a wonderful job with the children. She is such an asset to our school! She helps build self confidence in the students and gives them valuable extra help when needed.

Sister Verna also volunteers for our service events and enjoys promoting the Foster Grandparent Program