Retired and Senior Volunteer Program

When making a difference becomes a personal matter….RSVP volunteers are there!

Today’s senior volunteer is not just a cookie baker. RSVP volunteers help to expand and strengthen existing service programs with demonstrated experience. They provide service opportunities with visible benefits to the people they work with and the community. Our goals are to renew the ethic of civic responsibility and the spirit of community throughout the United States.

This feature will highlight the different RSVP projects throughout the state. The scope and extent of each project varies, but all projects can benefit from the involvement of a focused and sustained core group. RSVP can offer the next career choice and give the flexibility of personal time. Volunteers are not amateurs, but participants in the work that they do.

RSVP of Ashtabula is one of the newbies on the block. It was introduced to the county in January of 2000 as an extension of senior programs affiliated with Family and Community Services of Portage County. It continues to grow at a steady pace as the large senior population in the county sees the need for their time and talent.

One program that has been greatly supported is the intergenerational pen pal program. It combines the interaction of seniors with students in the local area schools in friendly letter writing. Literacy goals are met as they communicate the old fashion way by paper and pen. Students are using the rules of grammar, sentence structure and penmanship while learning that seniors are still vital members of the community. Teachers that participate in this exercise are encouraged to use this project to incorporate classroom study. When one class was learning about immigration and Ellis Island, the topic for that month’s letter to seniors was inquiring as to their heritage and roots. This lends itself well to our community’s heritage that was built by immigrants who built up our shipping and railroad port.

Senior and student meeting at end of school year.

A project like this can draw a variety of participants. Snowbirds that travel to the south participate as well as those who do not like to travel our snowy roads in winter. All letters are forwarded to the RSVP office and any return address is eliminated. Students know the senior only as Grandma Beth or Mr. Tom as decided by the senior to protect them. Student’s letters are also mailed from the RSVP office. This project was also opened up to home bound and assisted living seniors who can participate from their armchair.

The culmination of this project is a brunch or pizza party in May where the seniors and students get to meet face to face. The meeting room (usually cafeteria) is first met with some silence as students see a sea of old. The volume quickly increases as names are matched and old letters and summer plans discussed.

The creativity of the teacher decides the extent of the letters. They can make it friendly letter writing, but are encouraged to develop a topic or theme of the month. We have previously done a book discussion with fifth graders and students reading the same book and pen paling about characters, plot, etc. New next year will be journaling and book discussion at the eighth grade level with the option of internet or paper.

We will also begin the formation of Fire Corp in our county as part of the Citizen Corps Council addressing the need for Homeland Security. Of the 25 fire stations in our county only five have total paid employees. The rest are volunteer or a combination of paid and volunteer. The Fire Corp of volunteers will assist their community fire service in none operational roles. These will be based on the individual need of each fire department and will include tasks such as administrative functions, data entry, canteen services and apparatus and facility maintenance. The list of non-operational tasks is endless as citizen advocates improve the quality of their fire departments work and improve programs.

“Now that we have added years to life, we need to add life to years.”

President John F. Kennedy