The Volunteer Hotline

WILLOUGHBY-EASTLAKE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
37047 Ridge Road • Willoughby OH 44094
NONPROFIT ORG
US POSTAGE
PAID
WILLOUGHBY OH 44094
PERMIT NO 27
The Volunteer Hotline
RSVP of Lake County
25 Public Square
Willoughby, OH 44094
440-269-3015
www.rsvplc.org
RSVP of Lake County Staff
Newsletter by bCreative Design
Cindy Mizner - Admin. Assistant
Cindy.Mizner@WESchools.org
Janet Ranallo - Part-Time Admin. Assistant
Janet.Ranallo@WESchools.org
Emily McClay - Veteran Project VISTA
Ohio Benefits Bank
Emily.McClay@WESchools.org
Jenn Bartone - Part-Time Project Assistant
Jenn.Bartone@WESchools.org
Listed below are all new volunteers who have
recently joined us.
Pat Apanovitch
Jacki Aplis
Dorene Barker
Don Berlin
Ron Corban
Franklin Decapua
Bernadette Green
Pat Groskopf
Kathleen Kent
Sally Klock
Robert Kodramaz
Patricia Kolling
Mary Lee
Karen Liming
Dorothy Liuzzo
Myrna Luskin
Betty Murray
Marjorie Parsons
Mary Ann Reichhardt
Eleanor Silva
Paulette Szuhay
Tom Tranter
William Varga
Mary Visnick
Carole Whipple
Richard Winter
Joann Wirfel
Leo Wirfel
Spring 2011
New PowerPoint presentation aims to recruit Baby Boomers
into our volunteer ranks
Cristen Kane - Director
Cristen.Kane@WESchools.org
Welcome new members of RSVP!
The Quarterly Newsletter of RSVP of Lake County
RSVP/Lake County Launches
New Volunteer Recruitment Effort
Editor - Cristen Kane
Editorial writer - James Perry
Calendar of Events Spring 2011
The Volunteer Hotline
RSVP Orientation Dates:
March
Wednesday, March 23rd at 10 am
April
Wednesday, April 6th at 12:30 pm
Friday, April 15th at 10 am
Wednesday, April 27th at 12:30 pm
May
Wednesday, May 4th at 10 am
Friday, May 20th at 10 am
Wednesday, May 25th at 12:30 pm
June
Wednesday, June 1st at 10 am
Wednesday, June 15th at 12:30 pm
Friday, June 24th at 10 am
RSVP offices closed for Spring Break
Monday April 18th through Monday April 25th
(reopen on Tuesday, April 26th, 2011)
Lake County Senior Day at the Great Lakes Mall
Tuesday May 10th 8 am – 4 pm
Want to find out more about becoming a RSVP Ambassador, and presenting the slide show to
your group or other groups? Call the RSVP office at 440-269-3015 today!
Exposing a new generation of aged 55+ volunteers to the ever-widening opportunities for community service
in Lake County is the aim of RSVP’s new outreach program. Our new 15 minute PowerPoint presentation
introduces all seniors – not just Baby Boomers – to
the new face of volunteering. Of course, current RSVP
members already know how volunteering makes their
lives more fulfilling and helps those around them.
[See the accompanying article about RSVP members
Don and Doris Reik.] But we also know that many
thousands of “rising seniors” may have another view of
volunteering. Many recall volunteering for church or
school with a sense of obligation. As one Boomer said,
“I always felt that I had to volunteer. That took some of
the fun out of it for me.”
Snowbirds welcome!
With our new presentation, we dispell that old notion, and make it clear that
nowadays volunteers can take assignments on their terms, with their hours,
and their own needs at heart. That means those winter holidays and visiting
grandchildren – or that leisurly middle-of-the-week loafing day – won’t be interfered
with. In fact, the more volunteers we have, the more we can spread the work.
What do nonprofit agencies need from volunteers these days? Everything from board members to writers
to tutors to clerical work. Our goal is to make sure these “rising seniors” know that RSVP can find them
opportunities that are exciting and personally rewarding as well as useful to our community.
Want to find out more about becoming a RSVP Ambassador, and presenting the slide show to your group or
other groups? Call the RSVP office at the number on the back page.
YOU can help spread the volunteering message!
Invite RSVP to present this new 10 minute side show at your club, social gathering, church, book club,
or other event. We will supply the equipment, brochures to hand out, and a speaker who can answer
questions about volunteering with RSVP. Call the RSVP office today!
Cristen’s Corner
A letter from the Director
of RSVP/Lake County
Dear Fellow Volunteers,
National Volunteer week
is April 10-16 this year, and
it gives us an opportunity
to do something most
volunteers don’t think to do – to congratulate ourselves!
I know that most volunteers don’t think twice about
serving our community and helping others, but the
fact is, you are very special. Think about it: you have
a rare combination of attitude, desire, optimism, and
skills that you have put to use for others. You have
made that “jump” from thinking it’s a burden to help
others to the better place of gaining joy and a sense
of satisfaction from your community work.
In a news release from the Hands On Network and the
Points of Light Institute, there is a statement that this
special week is to ...”celebrate the ordinary people
who accomplish extraordinary things.”
But I know RSVP volunteers are in fact extraordinary.
Meeting and talking to RSVP members reveals
an energy, an excitement, a love of life that I find
contagious. When I hear about what some of you are
doing for your community, I wonder when you sleep
at all!
Most recently, they trained to narrate a new slide
show that highlights the benefits of joining RSVP.
We’ll soon see them at civic meetings, giving a lively
ten minute presentation about volunteering. And to
fill in their spare time, they are also members of Team
RSVP, our on-call team that responds to one-time or
urgent volunteer needs.
Sometimes the simplest gifts can have the biggest
impact. For people who are homebound – the elderly
or disabled for whom even walking to an appointment
or a store would be impossible – a car ride to the
doctor can be a lifesaver, a ride to the grocery store
can relieve an immense burden of anxiety.
Faith in Action’s more than 60 volunteers do just
that: they provide rides for homebound Lake County
residents so they can meet their life’s needs. For many
people, medical needs increase as mobility decreases.
And, doctors make few house calls these days.
And be sure to tell others what a good time you
have volunteering – we need more good folks
exactly like you!
Pam Lewis, head of Faith in Action of Lake
County in Willoughby, says,
Yours in service –
Cristen Kane
Director - RSVP/Lake County
When do they sleep?
With their schedule, it’s hard to describe them as
“retired,” but these two Wickliffe residents are
officially retired. Doris spent 44 years as a nurse,
Don retired after 20 years at Beechwood School in
transportation, finishing as Supervisor.
Simple Gifts
So, sometime between April 10th and April 16th,
take a moment in between tutoring a child, visiting
a shut-in, serving on a board, and teaching an adult
to read – and pat yourself on the back. You earned it.
Profiles In Volunteering: Don & Doris Reik
Don and Doris Reik clocked many hours last year as
RSVP volunteers, helping out in many organizations
including the Alzheimer’s Association, the Lake
County Emergency Management Agency, and the
Show Biz Kids at Lake MetroParks.
Volunteer Station Spotlight: Faith in Action
In an interview, Don said,
“You know, we love volunteering, but we don’t let it
tie us down. We love our family, too, and we love to
travel. We are lucky that we can arrange our lives so
we can do all the things we care about.
Doris added,
“Our retirement is anything but. We are blessed with
good health so we stay active doing things we love,
and trying out new projects. RSVP and the other
organizations we work with are ideal channels for
doing all of that.”
Thank you Don and Doris, and all our volunteers
who make our community better.
Do you know a volunteer who is an inspiration to you? Contact the RSVP office and let us
know, too. You may see them in the newsletter or on our website soon!
“This is a basic and simple form of volunteering, but
it makes a very big difference in people’s lives. If you
have a driver’s license and a good driving record,
you can help. You would be surprised at how many
seniors in Lake County go without simply because
they can’t get to a grocery store regularly. And for
seniors and disabled people, getting to a doctor’s
appointment by public transportation can take
hours and can be exhausting. By simply providing a
ride for these members of our community, we can
make their lives so much easier.”
In addition to providing critical transportation – about
half of the service requests to Faith in Action, they also
help people in need with bill-paying, shopping, light
housekeeping, and just visiting in person or offering
telephone support. They also provide respite care for
family members who take care of infirm relatives or
disabled children or spouses.
Pam also said,
“We want more volunteers! The hours are very
flexible, and volunteers can offer as many or as
few hours as their schedule permits. Some of our
volunteers drive for us just an hour or so a week,
often for the same person, and we are very grateful
for their participation.”
When asked what their needs are, Pam said that they
especially need people who can drive during the
workday. She also said that they could use double
the 50 drivers and other volunteers they have
now because the need is so great. Although many
volunteers come from religious groups, many others
are “walk-ins” from RSVP and other organizations.
Faith in Action of Lake County is part of a national
network of local Faith in Action programs, regional and
state Faith in Action collaboratives, and individuals
who support Faith in Action. Membership is open to
any organization or individual who believes they can
benefit from the Faith in Action National Network
and support the mission.
The network supports hundreds of local programs
by sharing knowledge, experience, and ideas, and
by fostering and supporting the establishment of
new interfaith volunteer caregiving programs in
communities without them.
Faith in Action of Lake County is a program
spearheaded by Senior Independence Health
and Hospice.
RSVP starts social media effort
to reach “Boomer” volunteers
Social networking nearly doubled in popularity
in the over-50 crowd in the last year, reports
the Pew Foundation’s Internet and American
Life Project. Seniors use the internet to talk to
grandkids, find old friends, and research family
history with little cost or effort.
Research also shows that social networkers
volunteer more, so RSVP is launching a social
media program to attract new volunteers and
to publicize volunteer opportunities though
FaceBook, Twitter and Meetup . So if you’re
into social media – or if you want to learn
about it – get in on the ground floor of a
great opportunity, and call Cristen Kane, RSVP
Director, at 440-269-3015.