RSVP invites adults age 55 and over to share their life experiences, skills, and talents in meaningful volunteer opportunities responding to community needs. RSVP offices in Manchester and Nashua support over 732 volunteers county-wide who provided 129,000 hours of service in 2008. The benefit of these services to the community is estimated $2.4 million.
This critical thinking and decision-making course has a twenty-five year history in the northeast and is delivered to inmates in county jails by trained volunteers. Thresholds and Decisions is a program of RSVP. Volunteers recruited and trained by RSVP meet weekly with selected inmates for twelve weeks. This program teaches participants to take responsibility for their past, present, and future, and to make good decisions based on the training model. The recidivism rate of graduates of the Thresholds and Decisions Program is 14%, compared to the recidivism rate of the general inmate population, which is over 62%. This is a 48% reduction in recidivism, a remarkable statistic. For more information, contact Heather Latourette at 634-1169 or hlatourette@snhs.org
Vial of Life Program
The Vial of Life is a standard plastic prescription bottle containing vital personal and medical information readily accessible in the home in case of crisis or emergency.
Individuals who live alone, senior citizens, or anyone who wishes to provide for their care in case of fire, sudden illness or other emergency are eligible to receive a vial.
In the bottle is a form that gives the person's name, doctor, information on medical history and medications, and who to notify. It is taped to the upper right hand shelf of the refrigerator.
A red heart decal on the refrigerator door lets emergency personnel know the resident has a Vial of Life.
The vials are distributed free through a cooperative effort between the Telephone Pioneers of America, RSVP, and local fire and police departments.
The Volunteer Services Department uses volunteerism as a strategy to address unmet community needs.
Several programs combine to offer comprehensive services to potential volunteers and
Can you give one to two hours a week to brighten the life of an isolated senior citizen? Seniors Count is a community collaboration to ensure that seniors, especially those who are frail, receive the help they need to maintain their independence and stay in their homes. We are looking for volunteers for a one-on-one informal support program for friendly visits, running errands, taking a senior to an appointment, etc. If you interested and would like more information, please contact Lyn Collins, Seniors Count Volunteer Coordinator at 668-8601 or lcollins@snhs.org You may also visit our web site at www.seniorscountnh.org.
Pen Pal Program
Established as a Signature RSVP Program in 2004 to serve children from low income families, the Pen Pal Program pairs third graders with caring RSVP seniors who foster an interest in reading and letter writing to improve language, written communication, and social skills. Monthly letters are exchanged. Pen pals meet each other in December and gather again in June for a close of the school year celebration. Many pen pals continue to correspond by mail throughout the summer and some even throughout the grammar school years. This unique partnership promotes nurturing relationships through sharing experiential wisdom and encouraging the child’s growth into a confident, responsible, and caring individual who is capable of assuming a positive role in society. For more information contact: Lyn Collins 634-1169 lcollins@snhs.org or Sr. Denise Charest 598-9421 rsvp@snhs.org
The FixIt Program provides minor home repair for Seniors 60 years or older and disabled citizens in Hillsborough County. The client provides the materials and repair/labor is done by qualified volunteers. A donation is expected as it allows the program to continue offering services to others. The Fixit Program is not only beneficial to the seniors and disabled, but also to the volunteer, usually retired women and men who can continue to use their skills while receiving tremendous gratification in helping someone in need. In 2007 our volunteers served 1,532 volunteer hours. In addition, volunteers drove over 7,799 miles on route to completing 879 requests for service. For further information on The FixIt Program please contact Michelle A. Iller, coordinator at 1-800-322-1073 ext. 6168 or (603) 881-3805. She can be reached by email miller@snhs.org
Mr. Irwin Yaffie receiving the Dick Gourley Award
for Volunteer of the Year completing over
209 volunteer hours and driving 3086 miles.
~The FixIt Program~
Brandon White a Junior at St Anselm College and sisters Pauline Labonte and Anita Lymburner. Brandon taught computer skills to seniors at Sundance Village for the Seniors Count Program in conjunction with Neighborhood Networks. Seniors were taught to set up, send, receive and print
e-mails, surf the web, and how to use word processing.
The expansion of the Pen Pal Program to the Beech Street School in Manchester for the 2008-2009 school year was a huge success. Seniors from Sundance Village, Cedar House, and Francis Warde House were paired with a third grade student and the letters were exchanged from September to June. Both the seniors and the students shared stories about family and friends in their letters, and developed a true friendship. The end of the year
Station Spotlight The Manchester Pen Pal Program
party was fun and bittersweet for both the students and the seniors, and was evident by the long hugs and good-byes. The seniors and the staff from the Beech Street School are looking forward to continuing the program in the fall.
