RSVP - Your Invitation to Volunteer:

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RSVP - Your Invitation to Volunteer:

RSVP engages people 55 and better in volunteer service to meet community needs in Kalamazoo County and provides a high quality experience that will enrich the lives of volunteers.

"Volunteering really opened up my eyes to all the unmet needs in the community. I’m glad to help and it makes me feel good too.”
--RSVP Volunteer--



Volunteering or civic engagement has been said to be the “secret ingredient” to staying healthy and fulfilled. A recent study found that working or volunteering even one day a week significantly increases longevity and helps maintain functional independence. The study’s leader says of the findings, “I think it’s more profound than simply keeping busy. It has to do with satisfaction in life, meaning in life.”

Giving back for the good of the community benefits volunteers and those in need. Children learn to read or gain a new friend and role model, frail or homebound seniors receive home delivered meals, rides to medical appointments and help with grocery shopping. Wheelchair ramps are built and minor home repairs are provided to low-income seniors. And there’s so much more that volunteers are doing to help nonprofit agencies!

RSVP invites volunteers to make a difference by sharing their skills and experience with the community. RSVP volunteers have access to opportunities at more than 100 nonprofit organizations and programs. They also receive the benefits of membership. 

• To read the most recent issue of the RSVP newsletter "The Involvement", CLICK HERE

• To read the most recent issue of the RSVP Impact Summary,
  CLICK HERE

Membership Benefits:
Free supplemental accident, excess auto liability and personal liability insurance
Quarterly newsletter, The Involvement
Limited reimbursement for mileage for those who might otherwise find it financially difficult to volunteer
Recognition for service to the community
Invitations to annual luncheon

Funding Sources:
Corporation for National and Community Service  www.nationalservice.org
Michigan Office of Services to the Aging  www.michigan.gov/miseniors  
Greater Kalamazoo United Way
RSVP Partner Agencies
Fundraising Projects
Private Donations
Junior League of Kalamazoo  www.jlkalamazoo.org

"It is in the shelter of each other that people live.” – Irish Proverb

RSVP Signature Programs

In-Home Support
Volunteers give their time to those in need, helping them to maintain their dignity and independence. Frail or homebound seniors receive basic services including visiting, transportation, shopping assistance and telephone reassurance.

Mentor Academic Success
An important ingredient in being successful in school and in life is having a caring adult to help you. Mentor Academic Success volunteers help students grades K-12 in the classroom setting, with reading and or math. Mentors encourage their students and provide a good role model. Volunteers may also help in the school library or read in a public setting to younger children in the Ready to Read program of the Kalamazoo Public Library.

Home Safety Checks
Free home safety checks are conducted by a team of two volunteers for low to middle income older adults. Trained volunteers look for fire safety issues, tripping and falling hazards, and ways to make the home more secure from intruders. Homeowners receive recommendations for safety improvements.

Triad
Triad collaborates with volunteers, police officers and concerned citizens to increase the safety of older adults and to allay their fears of crime. Volunteers make safety presentations as part of the Speakers’ Bureau, distribute safety materials, and represent Triad at community events.  

         To read the most recent Triad Newsletter CLICK HERE 

Peer Prevention Players
The Players promote healthy aging using a readers’ theatre approach to perform humorous skits and poems to their peers, church groups, college students, and professionals serving older adults.

RSVP Signature Projects

Bulk Mail
Volunteers assist nonprofit organizations with bulk mail processing.

Helping Hands, Happy People
This volunteer group knits and crochets items, such as baby caps, slippers, hat, mittens, and scarves that are donated to community organizations.
 

You can make a difference
For more information on these programs and many other volunteer opportunities please contact RSVP or visit www.volunteerkalamazoo.org

Contact RSVP
Phone: 269-382-0515
Fax: 269-382-3189

Tracie Wheeler, Director – ext. 137 or TWheeler@seniorservices1.org

Kathleen Kelleher, Volunteer Supervisor & Marketing Director – ext. 127 or KKelleher@seniorservices1.org

Traci Furman, Special Projects Coordinator - ext. 123 or TFurman@seniorservices1.org

"Give what you have to somebody, it may be better than you think.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

For RSVP Volunteers

Volunteers play an important role in RSVP’s development. RSVP volunteer hours are essential to the funding and growth of the program. RSVP funding sources require volunteers to regularly report to RSVP the number of hours they contribute to the community. You must report your hours to remain an active volunteer with RSVP and eligible for membership benefits. For more information on reporting volunteer hours please contact RSVP.

For a copy of an RSVP Time Sheet, CLICK HERE

For RSVP Partner Agencies and Nonprofit Organizations
RSVP Partner Agencies provide service opportunities for the volunteers of RSVP. Their commitment allows the volunteers, age 55 and better, to reinvest a lifetime of talents, experiences, interests and skills that enriches the community.

A partner agency is a public agency, secular or faith-based private nonprofit organization, or proprietary health-care agency or organization that accepts the responsibility for assignment and supervision of RSVP volunteers. For more information on becoming an RSVP Partner Agency please contact RSVP.

If you are interested in having volunteer opportunities promoted by RSVP please contact the RSVP Director.

For a list of RSVP Partner Agencies, CLICK HERE

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