RSVP Spotlight on Service – AARP Tax-Aide Program Just days after we pack away the holiday trimmings, tax season is upon us. And while assembling receipts and filling in all those pesky boxes on our tax returns can be frustrating, for seniors on limited incomes even the simplest 1040 is often daunting. That’s where the…
PADS Program Faces a Critical Need for Facilities, Volunteers
RSVP Spotlight on Service – Journeys |The Road Home In March 2020, when the COVID lockdown hit, JOURNEYS |The Road Home (a social service agency providing support for those in need), suddenly faced a daunting challenge: How and where to house the homeless in the Northwest suburbs during the night. As with so many facilities…
Volunteer Tutor Inspires First-Graders in Post-Pandemic World
Spotlight on Service – AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP On a Friday afternoon in March 2020, Michael LaVant, a volunteer tutor for first graders at Euclid School in Mount Prospect, casually waved goodbye to the classroom teacher, saying “See you in ten days.” It was the start of spring break, and little did he know that the…
A Double Need: Blood Donors and Blood Drive Volunteers
Spotlight on Service – AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP “You’ve just saved three lives.” That’s what Steve Foerch (pictured on the left) tells blood donors at Vitalant, and that’s what he loves most about being a volunteer at one of the many blood drives in the area. At a blood donor drive, Steve is responsible for donors’…
This Meal Delivery Volunteer Feels Like He Could “Do This Forever”
When David Stagg delivers nourishing meals to homebound seniors once a week, he finds the rewards for him far outweigh his efforts. As an AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP volunteer Meals-on-Wheels driver for the Kenneth Young Center (KYC) in Elk Grove Village, he especially enjoys the interaction with the KYC clients, knowing that he might be one of the very few people they speak with all day.
“They become a kind of friend,” he said. “Often it’s more than just hello and goodbye.”
RSVP Volunteer’s Love of Literature Brings Out the Best in Students
He’s known as “Mr. Julian,” but the teachers at Timber Ridge School in Arlington Heights, also call Julian Schreiber, an AmeriCorps Senior RSVP volunteer, “the best part of our day.” Two years ago, when Julian began volunteering at the school, he was asked to simply help special needs students with their reading lessons. Then he…
Faith Community Homes Senior Corps-RSVP Volunteers Help Families Get Back on Track
For the last several months, we’ve all struggled with the challenges of social distancing, remembering to wear masks and keeping our hands clean in an effort to avoid COVID-19. In addition, many have the added burden of job loss, illness, a dwindling bank account, child care expenses and home schooling-the recipe for a perfect storm….
Volunteering is Twice the Fun for Senior Corps-RSVP Couples
Volunteering is always more comfortable when you join in with a friend. With a spouse, it brings even greater rewards, according to Diana and Rod Marino and Nancy and Randy Schmidt, who participate in several Senior Corps-RSVP programs. For Rod and Diana, togetherness has always been a part of their lives. They are both retired…
