Retired & Senior Volunteer Program
Serving Centre County Since 1985
RSVP of Centre County has been connecting active adult volunteers, 55 and better, with volunteer opportunities at 120 non-profit agencies throughout Centre County for the past 18 years. Join today to share your time, talent and life experience with the agencies and organizations that keep our community strong. You are needed!
Centre County RSVP is supported in part by the Corporation for National & Community Service and by the Centre County Board of Commissioners through the Office of Aging.
About Us
RSVP of Centre County is a part of the Corporation for National & Community Service. CNCS supports Senior Corps, Americorps and Learn & Serve. Senior Corps has three programs: Retired & Senior Volunteer Program, Foster Grandparents Program and Senior Companion Program.
RSVP was founded in 1985 through the support of the Centre Co. Commissioners and the Centre Co. Office of Aging, Jane Taylor, Director. We are located in the Willowbank Building (upper level) Room 245, 420 Holmes St., Bellefonte, PA 16823. The RSVP office is open M-F, 8:30am to 5:00pm and you are invited to visit or give us a call at (814)355-6816.
Advisory Council
The Centre County RSVP Advisory Council consists of 21 members who serve in an advisory capacity to the Project Director in matters affecting planning and program support.
RSVP Advisory Council - 2005
Chair: Robert Kidder
Vice-Chair: John Ziegler
Lois Beckenbaugh
Homer Breault
Flora Brooks
Joan Confer
Mary Crater
Mimi Edwards
Robert Kobularcik
Milly Learn
Rev. Bertha Morrison
Edwina Sims
Dean Sholl
Yvonne Smith
Ardell & Eleanor Tyson
Dick Ulrich
Gail & Vernon Wilks
Richard Wolf
Frequently Asked Questions & Concerns
My time is limited; do I have to volunteer a lot of hours? No. You choose how often and how many hours you volunteer.
I leave for the winter. Can I still volunteer? Yes. Many of our volunteers enjoy time with family and friends outside the Centre region but volunteer when in residence.
Why should I volunteer with RSVP if I am already volunteering in the community? By joining the RSVP 'family', you help create a positive image of seniors and join one of America's oldest and largest volunteer organizations. RSVP helps you to find just the right fit for your time and interests. RSVP members have the benefit of insurance coverage while at your volunteer job, a quarterly newsletter, recognition events and the continuing support of your RSVP staff.
If I don't like my volunteer placement, what can I do? Just call our office and let us know how you feel. We will work with you to either straighten out the problem or change your volunteer opportunity to one you like better. Volunteering is an excellent way to try new experiences, so don't ever hesitate to let us know when a change is needed.
Will I be getting called to do things all the time? Not if you do not want to be. You tell us how often you wish to volunteer, how many hours you want to devote to volunteering and the type of volunteer job(s) which interest you. We have matched RSVP members with volunteer spots that require a one-time commitment all the way up to volunteer jobs with regular hours.
Why do I need to keep track of my volunteer hours? Your hours COUNT and so we count your hours...we use this information to report to federal, state and local governments and to grant and other funding sources. Locally, by tracking the volunteer hours generated by RSVP volunteers, we know where the community needs are by your time and the dollar equivalent of your volunteer service. Collectively, we demonstrate what an asset senior volunteers are to their community. We understand that reporting your volunteer hours may sometime be a nuisance, but it is necessary and tells a meaningful story about all of you.
Can I volunteer at more than one place? Yes, yes and yes! In fact many of our RSVP volunteers have favorite places where they have volunteered for years and find other projects and sites they enjoy as well. It's up to you.
Special Projects
Senior Environmental Corps
The Pennsylvania Senior Environmental Corps (Pa SEC) is a collaboration between RSVP, the Centre County Office of Aging, the Centre County Conservation District and the Environmental Alliance for Senior Involvement (EASI). The current mission of the corps is to provide baseline water quality testing on Centre County streams. We currently have 30 volunteers monitoring 14 sites on 6 streams throughout Centre County. Test results are entered into a computer data base which can be accessed by the public.
While our current focus is on water quality, the Corps may also be involved in other programs, including but not limited to environmental education for children, tree planting, waterway cleanup, and many other programs. These volunteers are also aware of Homeland Security issues surrounding our waterways.
Nexus Pen Pal Project
Nexus is an intergenerational program which brings adults and grade school students together to share experiences. What started out as a program to improve the reading and writing ability of grade school students has become much more. The Nexus program has become a way for young students to receive special attention from older adults as well as giving the adults an opportunity to share their life experiences to benefit the students. A new Nexus Pen Pal Program begins each fall.
Telephone Touch Reassurance Program
This free service connects people who are either living alone or may not have daily contact with others to a friendly, trusted volunteer. Knowing a volunteer will be calling to check on them provides a welcome link to the community and reassurance that someone cares.
RSVP Secure Community Program
The mission of the Secure Community Program is to enhance awareness of personal and community security through educational programs and to encourage residents 55 and
older to volunteer their time and talents toward community safety. We will help Neighborhood Watch Programs get started and
lend support to their effort. We train people how to be more observant, how and when to notify police, how to recognize and avoid fraud, phone and electronic scams, and how to identify neighborhood residents who may be at higher risk for criminal activity due to age or disability.
For Agencies
Welcome! Did you know that you are one of the 120 nonprofits in Centre Co. that have joined with RSVP to offer volunteer opportunities to active older adults in the Centre region? We applaud the contribution your agency or organization is making to the community and look forward to helping you meet your day to day needs with RSVP volunteers.
It may be helpful to explain how we match volunteers with a member non-profit. Community members are eligible to join RSVP at the age of 55, so many are not 'retired' and most consider 'senior' a well-earned status. New RSVP members are asked to complete a volunteer interest form which helps the volunteer define his or her goals and gives us the information we need to provide you and our volunteer with the best possible match.
The information you (the site) provide on the volunteer request form, which includes a job description, helps us in the same way. We can match your needs with volunteers who has the skills and interest to get the job done. When making a volunteer request, PLEASE ALLOW AT LEAST ONE WEEK ADVANCE NOTICE. We will make every effort to fill your request, however, our success in finding the right volunteer depends on their availability. Tracking volunteer hours can be one of the more difficult aspects of the volunteer experience for RSVP, our volunteers and our sites as well. We all recognize that volunteer hours can be reflected in community policy and funding, making every hour count. While we ask our volunteers to keep accurate records of their volunteer hours, most sites have their own method of documenting volunteer hours and send a monthly report to RSVP. Just complete the Monthly Volunteer Hours Report and e-mail to Brenda (breeve@co.centre.pa.us), fax RSVP at (814)355-6757 or drop in the mail.
How does my organization become an RSVP site? You must be a non-profit agency or organization to tap into RSVP volunteer resources. Just call Bonnie Wick, Director, for an onsite visit. You will be asked to sign a Memorandum of Understanding, an agreement between RSVP and the agency, which can be renewed every three years. Your initial request(s) and job descriptions will be entered into our database. RSVP volunteers can and do make a difference!
For Volunteers
WELCOME TO RSVP! If you are 55 or better, we want you! Did you know that nearly 600,000 older Americans serve in the Senior Corps and most of them are members of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program? RSVP volunteers in Centre Co. tutor children, distribute food, counsel small businesses, collect environmental data, work in healthcare settings, museums, county government and so much more!
The reasons for joining RSVP, one of the oldest and largest volunteer organizations in the country, are as varied as our members. Want to get into the workforce but not sure about your options? Volunteer first to see if you like the setting and possibly move into a paid position. Are you new to the area and would like to get involved in the community? Perhaps you've recently retired and would like to continue to use your skills...or try something entirely new? You can choose from the numerous and varied volunteer opportunities at one (or more) of the 120 nonprofit agencies and organizations in the Centre region that welcome RSVP volunteers.
The simple mission of RSVP of Centre Co. is to help active older adults find rewarding volunteer experiences. No need to look in the yellow pages or make a random choice...just fill out a Volunteer Enrollment Form and a Volunteer Interest Form and we'll do the rest. We will match your interests and available time with a volunteer position; the possibilities are practically endless.
For those of you who have generously volunteered your time in the past, you may find volunteering with RSVP fits more easily into your schedule and lifestyle. You can tailor your volunteer hours around vacations, winters in warmer climes or simply volunteer as often or as little as you like. If you want to try a different volunteer opportunity from the one you are now doing or want to change your hours, just let us know. RSVP is here to serve you, the senior volunteer, and to help make your volunteer experience a fulfilling one.
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