Shelby County RSVPRetire to Inspire

October 2010The Shelby County AWARE (Aging Workers Are Reliable Employees) program for 50+ year olds had 630 job seekers attend the job fair that was held September 21. We apologize for any inconvenience experienced by those attending. AWARE had to hire shuttles to bring the job seekers from the Food World parking lot. We had nearly 30 companies seeking employees. THANKS to those who volunteered. The volunteers were praised by the companies and attendees for their help.

The Middle Alabama Area Agency on Aging (M4A) has shared a list of volunteer needs. There is a wide variety of opportunities listed for Shelby County. Please contact my office (669-3837) if you can help fill some of these needs. Included: light housekeeping, transportation, friendly visiting, pen pals, respite for caregivers, lawn maintenance, home repairs, office assistance, mailings, filing, etc.

In order to meet our continued concern for the budget and the economic impact on funding the program and services offered, our board adopted a policy for the RSVP bus. I have enclosed a copy of the RSVP bus policy. The major change is the restriction on distance traveled to events. We are trying to stretch the life of the bus and overhead costs associated with trips. This does not mean we are not limiting trips – just distance traveled.

We have developed a second policy on mileage reimbursement for volunteer work. This only affects those requesting financial assistance because they will be unable to assist seniors with transportation help or unable to volunteer without this assistance. Again, we do not want to cut any services, but we are anticipating future cuts from some of our funding sources.

An apology is made for the McWane outing. RSVP did not furnish transportation to the McWane Center. This was not an RSVP event.

Shelby County RSVP Recognition Lunch

The annual lunch for RSVP volunteers is scheduled for Wednesday, December 1 at Rolling Hills Conference Center in Calera. This is the same location as held last year. We plan to have vans available at strategic locations to transport some of the volunteers. We are requesting that our senior centers us their vans to help in transporting their seniors. More information will be furnished as more details become available.

We plan to have more awards presented this year to include the Presidential Volunteer Service Award.

Volunteer Needs:

The Heart of Dixie Railroad has two needs. Every weekend (Saturday and Sunday) in October, they will be running a special train to the pumpkin patch where kids can choose their Halloween pumpkin and enjoy the games and activities in that area.

The Heart of Dixie Railroad will be seeking volunteers for the Polar Express events in December.

The Shelby Iron Works Park’s Fall Festival is October 9-10. They are seeking volunteers to assist with the Festival activities to include kitchen, sales, parking, living history, museum helpers, etc.

If able to help with any of these projects, please call Ellen at 669-2037 or Marvin at 669-3837.

New Stations:

Wiregrass Hospice, Valleydale Rd., needs volunteers to help the patient frame their life’s journey by helping record those memories, thoughts, letters, prayers and even recipes that are so precious to a patient and their family. Volunteers are trained to assist patients and provide journey materials needed.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Riverchase, seeks volunteers for clerical assistance, data input, stuff goodie bags, send thank you cards, and make phone calls.

Some of the existing stations available for volunteers include:YMCA Hargis Retreat Wilsonville United Methodist ChurchWilsonville Civitan Club Vineyard Family ServicesVincent Senior Center and Meals on Wheels Volunteer TransportationTuesday Night-Crochet Group St. Thomas Catholic ChurchSpring Creek Presbyterian Church South Shelby Chamber of CommerceSouthern Care Hospice SKY – Skilled Knowledgeable YouthSomerby at St. Vincent’s One Nineteen Shelby WoodsShelby Volunteers in Service Shelby Ridge Nursing CenterShelby Paws for the Cause Shelby Medical CenterShelby Humane Society Shelby Emergency AssistanceShelby County Volunteer Reception Center Shelby County Sheriff’s OfficeShelby County Historical Society Shelby County Family Resource CenterSalvation Army American Cancer Society

Thanks for Volunteering!