RSVP 1994, 2 15, MLK,

Transcription

1 Adams County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program Volunteer Voice Barb Casady, Manager / Sarah Bonness, Specialist RSVP is a program of John Wood Community College Message from Barb Casady Inside This Issue: The Winner Is page 2 In the News page 2 JWCC/RSVP Basketball Event page 3 VITA page 3 Recognition Banquet page 4 Volunteer Opportunities page 5 Did you Know? page 6 Save The Date Martin Luther King, Jr Day of Service In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service and charged the Corporation for National and Community Service with leading this effort. Taking place each year on the third Monday in January, the MLK Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service a day on, not a day off." The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King's vision of a "Beloved Community." Adams County RSVP will join with Adams County Health Department on January 15, MLK, Jr Day of Service, to educate the community about the importance of being prepared for emergencies. The theme is Don t Be Left Out in the Cold From 9:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. we will be at the Health Department passing out emergency preparedness bags and information about preparing your vehicle and yourself so you travel safely in good or bad weather. Anyone who contributes a can of food or a gently used children s book will receive a free bag. Food will be shared with the Souper Bowl Day of Caring Food Drive that benefits four food pantries in Quincy. (see below) Gently used books will be shared with children who accompany their parents to programs at the Adams County Health Department. Volunteers will be needed on January 15 to collect food and books and share the emergency preparedness bags and information AND : The 2017 Kettle Campaign dates for RSVP with bell ringing at the Quincy Mall 10:00am 5:30 p.m. by the Fountain : News & Views at the Senior Center, 7:30-noon : Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service Souper Bowl Day of Caring The RSVP Office will be a drop off location for food items for the 2018 Souper Bowl Day of Caring. Please bring in non-perishable food items, and they will be shared with four different food pantries in Quincy. Collection will take place January 28 through Feb. 6. The food collected benefits Quanada, Horizons, Madonna House and St. John Lutheran Church food pantries.

2 John Cooley won for September and Paul Morey won for October in our monthly contest. RSVP staff draw a name from all the pink Timesheets turned in for each month. Since the pink Timesheets are due by the 7th of each month, the drawing will take place the middle of each month for the prior month s timesheets. Pat Bastean is the winner of our Refer a Friend Contest for the 3rd quarter of We track all the names of those current members who referred a new volunteer who turned in their first Timesheet Winners please stop by the RSVP office to pick up your $15.00 Hy-Vee gift card at 122 N. 5th between the hours of 7:30am and 4:00 pm. Thanks to some lovely residents at Sunset Home we were able to get our newsletter for October prepared for mailing! Thanks to Ila Walker, Betty Harmon, Kazuko Howell, Mary Ellerman, Georgia Bunt, and Catherine Hoyt. These volunteers traveled to Kansas City on August 3rd to pick up RV's to drive back to Quincy for use in the St. Jude Quincy to Peoria Run. For the past several years, RSVP has been asked to supply drivers to pick up and return the RV s used to transport the runners. Seventy runners plus volunteers left from downtown Quincy on Friday afternoon, August 4 for a 24 hour, 132 mile journey to Peoria to raise money for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis TN. The run is done relay-style, so runners just go for a bit and then switch off. On Monday the 7th the volunteers drove the RV's back to Kansas City. We ve had a great group of dedicated volunteers, and we would like to recognize those who volunteered this year. L-R: Jim Hornsey-RSVP, Debbie Dittmer-RSVP, Bill Casady-RSVP, Jim DeHart-RSVP, and Justin Wolbrink-St. Jude Volunteer. Page 2

3 United Way is looking for volunteers who are interested in sharing their skills, talent and knowledge to serve as Tax Preparers and Greeters/Screeners for our VITA Program! YOU can make a difference in your community at tax time! Earlier in 2017 VITA volunteers helped residents of Adams County receive $1,875,634 in federal and state refunds. We need volunteers during tax season from January 22 April 17! Tax Preparers: You successfully complete certification in tax training, including the use of electronic filing software, to provide free tax return preparation for eligible taxpayers. Greeters/Screeners: You greet everyone visiting the site to create a pleasant atmosphere. You screen taxpayers to determine the type of assistance they need and confirm they have the necessary documents to complete their tax returns. Tax law certification is not required for this position. For more information or to sign up as a volunteer, contact United Way of Adams County at (217) Page 3

4 Issue 27 December th Annual Recognition Banquet The 44th Annual Recognition Banquet was held on October 18 at the Student Activity Center at JWCC. Two-hundred volunteers and representatives from non-profit agencies were in attendance. Two volunteers were inducted into the RSVP Hall of Fame and volunteers were recognized for years of service RSVP Hall of Fame Gwen Kenady Juanita Wingerter Betty Nichols 20 years Ginny Jorgensen 30 years Page 4 Hilda West 25 years

5 Volunteer Opportunities As you can see, there are many good volunteer opportunities. Please share with others of all ages who might be interested. Advocacy Network for Children - Needs CASA volunteers in Adams and McDonough County. CASA volunteers are trained community volunteers appointed by a judge to speak up for abused or neglected children in the court system. Volunteers receive 30 hours of training prior to case assignment. Training includes courtroom procedures, working with social service agencies and the special needs of abused and neglected children. Training is free with training manuals and materials provided. Once trained, CASA volunteers work alongside attorneys and social workers from case inception to its completion representing abused and neglected children in the Adams and McDonough County court system. Ladies of Charity - The Ladies of Charity, 510 South 4th Street, would love to have you come and help at the food pantry, help to sort donations, or help at the counter checking out customers picking up the free clothing and household supplies. Hours are 9:00a.m. 11:45a.m. and 1:00p.m. 2:45p.m. Salvation Army - Christmas basket packing Tuesday, December 19th from 9am- noon., Christmas basket distribution/toy town December 21st 8:30a.m. -6:30p.m., Christmas community dinner 10:30a.m. -2:p.m. Blessing Hospital Open volunteer service areas are Animal Assisted Activities, Blessed Beginnings, Blessing Cancer Center, Emergency Department Advocate, Hospitality House, ICU Waiting Room, M.E.N. of Blessing, Nurse Server Replenisher, Radiation Oncology Waiting Room, Safety Volunteer, Surgery/GI Center Discharge Transporter, Tea Room. Sunset Home Coffee/ice cream shop help needed taking and filling orders in the shop and also extra hands needed for special events at the Home. Friends of the Log Cabins - Volunteers willing to act as guides to a cabin during group tours of the village. Guides are provided information telling about the cabin and life in the 1800 s. Friends of the Log Cabins is also looking for grant writing assistance. Advocacy Network for Children - They will be gift wrapping presents for donations at the Quincy Mall December 11th-17th. Hours are Monday Saturday 10-8 and Sunday They are looking for volunteers to work two hour shifts. They generally need most of the help during the weekday hours. Call Diane Pieper at or dpieper@advonet.org. Salvations Army Bell Ringing - The Adams County RSVP has reserved the following shifts for our volunteers. All are in the Quincy Mall by the Fountain. Wednesday, December 13th 11-1, 1-3, 3-5:30. Thursday, December 14th 11-1, 1-3, 3-5:30. Please consider helping a very worthwhile cause. Bring a friend or grandchild and spread the Christmas spirit. The District - Looking for volunteers who love Quincy and would like to meet and greet people visiting the city. If you are interested in volunteering a few hours a week staffing the front desk at The District office give Meg a call at (217) This is a great opportunity to share your love of the city. American Collectibles Museum - An amazing place full of amazing collections. Right now the museum would love to have help with scanning sheets of stamps. Stop by the Business & Technology Center 301 Oak Street Suite 4-3 Monday Friday or 1-5. Adams County RSVP - Needs a volunteer to take grocery orders one Monday a month from 8:00a.m. until noon. Clients call in their orders to a volunteer at the RSVP office. The volunteer fills out an order form for the groceries listing brand names, size of package and other descriptions as needed. Those orders are sent to the grocery stores to be filled and delivered on Tuesdays. We receive between 12 and 18 calls. If interested in any of these volunteer opportunities, please contact our office. Page 5

6 The Adam County Low Vision Support Group meets the first Thursday of the month (not January or February) at 10:00 am at the Quincy Senior and Family Resource Center, 639 York St. Quincy, IL. The meetings offer friendship, resources, and speakers of interest to the group. Contact Vivian Hogge at for more information. JWCC and RSVP will be closed December 22 through January 1 for Holiday Hours. JWCC and RSVP will also be furloughed January 2-5, and will be closed on those dates. JWCC and RSVP staff will not be working during the holiday hours or during the furloughed days. We will reopen on January 8, Do not worry! We accept pink sheets anytime, and we will extend the date pink sheets need to be turned in to be eligible for the monthly drawings until Wednesday, January 17. Remember turn in pink sheets by the due date and your name is placed in a drawing for a Hy-Vee gift card. Adams County Lead With Experience N. 5th Street Quincy IL Phone: rsvp@jwcc.edu bcasady@jwcc.edu bonness@jwcc.edu RSVP is a United Way Funded Agency Page 6