50+ Lifestyles

RSVP – Lead With Experience

By Julie Ross
Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois

RSVP’s Pen Pal Program is a mentoring program

Three years ago, RSVP started a pilot Pen Pal program with one classroom in a Davenport elementary school. Today this has grown to 4 classrooms (1 in Davenport, 1 in Rock Island, and 2 in Moline) and connects over 80 students with 80 different adults in our community.

A Pen Pal program is a unique opportunity for youth to connect with adults. Through traditional hand-written letters, participants exchange information, jokes, stories, and their histories. For the students, the goal of this correspondence is not necessarily to create a perfectly written composition– rather it is to instill a love and excitement of writing and communication. One teacher described her student, “Lydia is absolutely ecstatic when she receives her letters, I wish you could see her reaction!”

Through a close-knit connection between RSVP coordinators, classroom teachers, and our volunteers, not only are students gaining a love for writing, they also gain emotional guidance from their adult Pen Pal. Last year, one young writer confided some worrisome thoughts to his Pal, who contacted us at RSVP. We contacted the classroom teacher, who spoke with the guidance counsellor, and that child got some needed support. Also, recently one adult Pen Pal contacted RSVP out of concern for her student whose mother was extremely ill. Our volunteer wanted advice on what to say to this child, and again the teacher contacted the guidance counsellor who shared some supportive words.

Adults participate as Pen Pals for a variety of reasons. It is an ideal way for homebound individuals to volunteer and mentor a youth. Extremely busy folks also enjoy participating, because they can write at a time that fits a hectic schedule. We even have several “snowbirders” because they can continue to write their student even from the warmth of their winter homes. This is an ideal way for our volunteers to share their acquired knowledge and maintain this communication art form.

This year we have added two ESL (English as a Second Language) classrooms in a Moline middle school. This is a unique arrangement, because these students—immigrants and refugees—are not only gaining academic writing skills, they also are made aware that the community in as a whole
supports and cares for them.

If you are interested learning more about our Pen Pal
program, contact RSVP, rsvp@wiaaa.org 309-793-4425