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“Service is the rent
each of us pays for living – the very purpose of
life and not something you do in your spare time
or after you have reached your personal goals.”
~ Marian Wright Edelman
Nursing Home
Visitors
Volunteers are
needed to visit local nursing home residents
one-on-one or in groups with the goal of
reducing isolation and increasing socialization.
Activities may include reading to the residents,
playing cards or other games, going for walks
or drives, or just chatting with residents.
Time required is approximately an hour a week,
but scheduling is flexible.
Volunteers are also
needed to spend time with groups of nursing home
residents, helping with activities,
entertainment, and special events.
You may choose the
care facility at which you would like to serve,
and the residents you wish to visit. For more
information, contact your county RSVP office.
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Companionship &
Telephone Reassurance
Volunteers are
needed to visit residents in their homes who are
elderly, frail or who have disabilities. The
goal of the Companionship program is to help
these individuals retain their independence and
maintain their quality of life. In addition to
chatting, volunteers will also check on the
individuals’ physical and mental status, assess
if they need any type of assistance and refer
them to needed services in the community. Time
required is approximately an hour a week, but
scheduling is flexible.
Volunteers are also
needed to provide telephone reassurance to
homebound residents. Phone calls are made on a
regular basis (daily or weekly) to check on the
individual’s overall well-being, provide an
outlet for socialization, and alert a neighbor
or emergency contact person if there is no
answer.
Your county
RSVP coordinator has a list of residents who
would appreciate a volunteer “companion.”
Contact
your county RSVP office for more information.
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Transportation
Volunteers are
needed to provide rides for people who do not
have a car, do not have access to public
transportation, and do not have family or
friends to drive them to medical and other
necessary appointments. Both in-town and
out-of-town drivers are needed. Escorts are
sometimes needed to ride along with the drivers
and clients and to provide assistance.
Volunteers are
usually reimbursed for their mileage and other
expenses.
For more
information about the RSVP Transportation
Program, and for specific volunteer needs in
your community, please
contact your county RSVP
coordinator.
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School Volunteers
Volunteers are
needed in the local schools, working with
students of all ages from kindergarten through
high school. Volunteers serve as tutors and
mentors; speak to classes on topics of interest
to them; teach a craft or skill to children;
assist teachers and staff in various
assignments; and help with special events and
outings.
Volunteers may
choose the school where they wish to volunteer,
the age of children they prefer to work with,
and the amount of time they would like to spend
at the school. Volunteers may choose to work
with a group of children or be paired one-to-one
with a child that needs special attention.
There are also
intergenerational service-learning opportunities
for RSVP volunteers who want to help students
learn while participating in community service
projects.
For volunteers who
prefer working with older students, RSVP staff
can place you at the Iowa Lakes Community
College campus in your county working with
college students and staff.
For more
information about the RSVP School Volunteer
Program, and for specific volunteer needs in
your local schools, please
contact your county
RSVP coordinator.
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At-Home Volunteer
Opportunities
If you prefer to do
volunteer work at home, RSVP can find an at-home
volunteer opportunity that matches your skills
and interests. Here are a few:
-
Knitting or crocheting caps for newborns at
local hospitals
-
Sewing
cot covers for Head Start
-
Making
stuffed bears to give to children in need
-
Doing
mailings, cutting coupons, counting box tops
-
Making
caps and mittens for Head Start or elementary
students
-
Making
blankets for children who are critically ill
-
Telephone Reassurance – Call homebound or
isolated residents to chat and to check on their
general well-being.
For more
information about RSVP at-home volunteer
projects, please
contact your county RSVP
coordinator.
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Other Volunteer
Opportunities
RSVP has a
wide variety of volunteer opportunities. Here
are just a few. If you are interested in
volunteering for a position that isn’t listed
here, please
contact your county RSVP
coordinator for more volunteer job descriptions.
Advisory Councils, Boards:
Several local agencies and
organizations have openings on their boards for
people 55 and over. Meeting frequency, times and
dates vary.
Animals, Pets:
Volunteers are needed to help at
local humane shelters, walking and feeding pets
as well as for office assistants.
Blood Drives:
Volunteers are needed to call
potential donors to set appointments and also to
assist with registration and snacks during blood
drives held in the area.
Clinics, Health:
Volunteers are needed to help
with blood pressure and immunization clinics,
Lifeline, flu shot clinics, and similar
health-related activities and events.
Clothing & Food Distribution:
Help is needed at
local food pantries and at organizations that
provide clothing for families in need.
Volunteers sort food and clothing, as well as
working as office assistants.
Conservation, Beautification,
Environmental: The
Department of Natural Resources, city and county
government, and local parks provide various
opportunities for volunteers interested in
preserving the environment and/or community
beautification.
Day Care:
Volunteers are requested by local
non-profit day care facilities to help rock
babies, read to children and help with special
activities. Frequency, times and days are
flexible.
Domestic Violence:
Volunteers are needed to help
staff the Family Crisis Center offices and
shelters as office assistants, night monitors,
and mentors to families. Contact RSVP for
volunteer job descriptions.
Fine Arts:
Volunteers are needed to help at area community
theaters, costume shops, art centers, museums,
etc., in many capacities.
Food Distribution:
Help is needed for various food
distribution programs such as Fare Share, Iowa
Share, etc. Volunteer jobs include sorting and
boxing food, delivering groceries, and doing
paperwork.
Home-Delivered Meals:
Volunteers are needed to
deliver Meals-on-Wheels to homebound
individuals.
Hospice/Respite:
Volunteers are needed to help families dealing
with a terminal illness by providing respite
care for patients, allow family members time to
run errands, take care of personal needs, and
have some “alone” time to de-stress.
Laker Café:
The Laker Café at the Emmetsburg
Campus of Iowa Lakes Community College needs
volunteers to sell refreshments. Volunteers can
pick the days and times.
Libraries:
Volunteers are often needed at
various libraries in the 5-county area. Jobs may
include sorting and cataloguing books, assisting
with special events, and greeting library
patrons.
Literacy:
Volunteers are needed to tutor
adults who are learning to read or want to
improve their reading skills. Volunteers are
also needed to help with RIF (Reading is
Fundamental) and other book distributions.
Mentors, Tutors:
Tutors are needed for students
all ages at various schools in our area. Mentors
– volunteers who are willing to spend at least
an hour a week one-one-one with a child needing
extra attention – are also needed.
Office Help:
Various offices of public
agencies and non-profit agencies request both
ongoing and occasional volunteer assistance to
help with mass mailings, computer entry, filing
and paperwork, and to serve as receptionists.
Contact RSVP for specific volunteer openings.
Payees:
Volunteers are needed to help
individuals handle their finances, pay bills and
provide financial counseling.
Pen Pals:
Volunteers are needed to
participate in Pen Pal programs, exchanging
letters with elementary school children for a
brief period of time (usually 3-6 weeks),
sharing experiences. At the end of the period,
the volunteers meet their pen pal at a
get-together hosted by the school.
Senior Services:
If
you’d like to volunteer for an agency that
serves seniors, or assist with a program that
benefits seniors, please contact RSVP for
specific job descriptions.
School Helpers:
Besides needing mentors and
tutors, schools also request volunteers to help
on the playground, at lunch time, and for
special activities such as speech, music and
athletic events.
For more
information about RSVP volunteer opportunities,
please
contact your county RSVP coordinator.
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