50+ Lifestyles

RSVP: Lead With Experience

By Dave Layton
RSVP Program Director
Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Eastern Iowa and Western Illnois

RSVP’s Paid Staff are Also Volunteers – Plus Quad Cities Volunteer Recognition Event information

RSVP volunteers enjoying the 2015 Recognition at the Fountains

Before I get into the body of this article I want to mention our upcoming Quad Cities Volunteer Recognition events: Our RSVP Luncheons will be from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., Tuesday, May 3rd at the Fountains in Bettendorf, and Tuesday, May 10th at Jumer’s Conference Center (next to the casino) in Rock Island. These events are free for active RSVP members and $15 for guests. These celebrations will include great food, live entertainment and a guest emcee. Contact the office (309) 793-4425 for more information.

Sometimes when I tell someone I’m the director of RSVP and explain that this stands for Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, they ask, “So, are you a volunteer?” I explain, “No, I’m a paid staff member. RSVP staff work with 1100+ members in helping them find meaningful opportunities, maintaining ongoing contact with them, documenting their service, advocating for them, providing recognition events, reassigning them as needed, and ensuring that they have a safe, enjoyable and valuable volunteer experience. We also work with over 140 partner agencies to develop those valuable opportunities for RSVP members. It’s a big job that really requires paid staff.”

However, when someone asks if I’m a RSVP member, I can also answer, “Yes I am!” That’s because, separate from my paid job, I volunteer with Senior Voice by hosting the Christmas Show with my friends Don Mitchum and Jerry Schroeder. I also serve as a Navigator with Opportunities Quad Cities and help Bi-State Literacy Council with its fundraising events. Plus in Clinton where I live, I sometimes play music at a nursing home, perform in community benefit concerts, and help with the Burry Scurry foot race. Maybe that sounds like a lot, but they’re all just occasional activities that I enjoy. I barely record enough annual hours to get invited to RSVP’s Annual Recognition Luncheons. That would be just like me to not get invited to the event I’m in charge of.

The rest of the RSVP staff have no such problem, however. Every RSVP staff member is also an RSVP member – yes we’re all age 55+ and all the other staff members volunteer many more hours than I! Here’s what they do:  Julie serves as a Navigator and Bi-State Literacy volunteer. Plus she helps with Family Resources AMP program, and the Wapsi River Environmental Education Center. She’s also a Pen Pal with Moline schools. Marcia is a Pen Pal, too. Plus she volunteers with the Quad City Animal Welfare Center, Butterworth Center special events, and the Rock Island Arsenal Welcome Club. Amy volunteers as a Matter of Balance Coach, and she occasionally helps at Strom Center in Monmouth and the Orpheum Theatre in Galesburg. Rhonda also serves at the Orpheum and as a Matter of Balance Coach. Plus she volunteers at the Carl Sandburg Community Garden, Blessings in a Backpack, Knox Prairie Community Kitchen, and the FISH food pantry, all located in Galesburg. In fact, Rhonda has logged over 400 hours of service since becoming a RSVP member in 2012. She is a great example of how valuable an RSVP member can be in their community!

The top prize for RSVP staff volunteering, however, must go to Gayle. In 2015 alone, she has contributed 1,723 hours of service as a Matter of Balance Coach, Adler Theatre Usher, helping with special events and the American Red Cross (where the vast majority of her volunteering is done). If you talk to Gayle though, she’ll tell you she really hopes to contribute far fewer hours in 2016. That’s because last year over 1,000 of her hours were spent in response to disasters ranging from house fires to large tornadoes and floods across the country. She saw a lot of suffering last year and wishes to see far less this year.

There are two things all of our RSVP staff have in common: 1) We are passionate about the causes we support; and 2) We are dedicated to shepherding senior volunteerism in our communities. We know volunteerism’s value – personally!  So if you are considering service to your community, call Marcia, Julie, Gayle, or me in the Quad Cities at (309) 793-4425 or call Rhonda in Galesburg at (309) 737-3073 or Amy in Monmouth (309) 428-5841. We’re all your peers and our most important goal is to serve you!