President's Volunteer Service Awards

Special points of interest:

Learn about current com-

munity needs

Get updated on possible

funding cuts to RSVP

Hear about our new Sav-

ings for Seniors Events

See photos from the Vol-

unteer Luncheon

Inside this issue:

Potential Funding Cuts to

RSVP

2

Representative Contact

Info

2

Talking Points for SRVP 3

Letters to your Represent-

atives

3

Wrap up: Disaster Prepar-

edness Event

4

Savings for Seniors 4

Volunteer Appreciation

Party

5

Good Deeds Day 2017 6

RSVP Center of Essex & Hudson Counties

Spring 2017

Volume 3, Issue 2

Congratulations to our volunteers who

earned President's Volunteer Service

Awards!

Silver Awards – 250 hours of service

Dolores Lederman

Johnnie Porter

Samuel Maslansky

Bronze Awards – 100 hours of service

Angela Ifill

Bonnie Golden

Dorothy Wright

Elsie Kopcha

Eunice Blackie

Gloria Essoka

Irma Heywood

Janet Parker

Larry Palanza

Lorraine De Santi

Lucille Lackhan

Marcela Bledt

Monica Jennings

Nancy Trewhella

Onie Meyers

Peggy Decker

Raymond Roberts Jr

Robert Levin

Susan Becker

Susan Slater

Retired and Senior Volunteer Program

Upcoming Events:

April 23—29th—National

Volunteer Week

May 11—SNAP Follow up

Training

May 15—19th—National

Senior Corps Week

May 19—26th—Reading

Buddies/Bridges ends

A program of

Calling All Gardeners!

As the temperature rise, its time to get back outside. A Lot to Grow, Inc is

seeking volunteer gardeners to assist at their gardens this spring, summer

and fall. A Lot to Grow is a community garden organization designed to grow

vegetables and herbs for distribution to local food pantries, soup kitchens,

and non-profit senior community homes in suburban Essex County. They op-

erate gardens in Glen Ridge, Montclair, Upper Montclair, and Nutley. In

2016 alone their gardens yielded over 3600lbs of

vegetables and herbs to feed local families.

Volunteers are needed to prepare the beds, plant ,

water, weed, and harvest vegetables and herbs. This

is a great opportunity to do with a friend or to get out-

side and meet new people. If you are interested in

learning more information, contact Stephanie Grove

at 973-637-1766.

Potential Funding Cuts to RSVP

RSVP Volunteers, specifically those in Congres-

sional District 11 (Essex County!) to speak

out. Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen repre-

sents district 11 and is the chair of the Congres-

sional Appropriations Committee. This committee

controls federal spending. I have been in touch

with his office about our work in the area, but the

most impactful stories come directly from you!

Below is the contact information for local Repre-

sentatives. Calls have the most impact, but volun-

teers can also write letters. On the next page you

will find a sample talking points for phone calls

and a sample text for letters to send to your Rep-

resentative.

If you have questions on the proposed budget

cuts, contact Stephanie Grove at 973-637-1766

As many of you have been hearing in the news

and in the community, the White House released

their budget which proposed the complete elimi-

nation of many programs, including the Corpora-

tion for National & Community Service (CNCS),

which funds RSVP. The budget still has to be ap-

proved by Congress, but there is a real danger

they could uphold the decision to cut funding for

CNCS and all RSVP programs. This would mean

the end of Reading Buddies, the Senior SNAP Ini-

tiative, Disaster Preparedness Days, and a se-

vere loss of volunteer support to local nonprofits.

RSVP volunteers are encouraged to educate their

representatives on the great work they are doing

in the community. Now is the time to call your

legislatures and tell them your stories of commu-

nity service. It is especially important for NJ

Page 2 RSVP Center of Essex and Hudson Counties Newsletter

District 7 – Millburn Leonard Lance

361 Rt 31 Unit 400 Flemington, NJ 08822

Flemington office 208-788-6900 Washington (202) 225-5361

District 8 – Belleville, Newark Albio Sires

800 Anna St Elizabeth, NJ 07201

Jersey City office (201) 309-0301 Washington (202) 225-7919

District 9 – Kearny, Secaucus William Pascrell

367 Valley Brook Ave Lyndhurst, NJ 07071

Lyndhurst office 201-935-2448 Washington office (202) 225-5751

District 10 – Bayonne, Jersey City, Montclair, the Oranges, etc

Donald Payne Jr. Leroy Smith Public Safety Building

60 Nelson Place Newark, New Jersey 07102

Newark office (973)-645-3213 Washington (202) 225-3436

District 11 – Central Essex Co

Rodney Frelinghuysen 30 Schuyler Place, 2nd Floor

Morristown, NJ 07960 Morristown office (973) 984-0711

Washington (202) 225-5034

NJ Senators

Corey Booker One Gateway Center, 23rd Floor

Newark, NJ 07102 Newark office (973) 639-8700

Washington office (202) 224-3224

Bob Menendez One Gateway Center, Suite 1100

Newark, New Jersey 07102 Newark office 973.645.3030

Washington office 202.224.4744

House of Representatives

Page 3 Volume 3, Issue 2

Sample Letter for Writing Representatives

Dear [INSERT MEMBER OF CONGRESS HERE]:

As the funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is at risk, I am writing to

you to educate you on the great work this program does in my community. CNCS is the independent fed-

eral agency that funds Senior Corps, including RSVP, an important community program that makes an

impact in our community every day.

The RSVP Center of Essex and Hudson Counties, sponsored by Jewish Family Service of MetroWest

(JFSMW), is supported by CNCS and provides vital services to local residents in Essex and Hudson Coun-

ties. RSVP Volunteers read to children to improve literacy, tutor teens, visit isolated homebound adults,

bring meals to low-income homebound adults, answer Medicare questions, and help low-income seniors

sign up for food assistance. As an RSVP Volunteer, I [INSERT VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY HERE].

Beyond the local impact in our community, national service programs have strong bipartisan support

among American voters. According to a poll by TargetPoint Consulting, 83 percent of voters across nine

battleground states want Congress to maintain or increase federal spending on national service. Nation-

al service is also a smart, cost-effective investment for the nation. Research shows that, for every dollar

invested in national service, there are returns of nearly $4 in community-wide benefits.

Without funding for CNCS, we would lose several programs vital to this area.

Sincerely,

[INSERT NAME & ADDRESS], Volunteer at RSVP Center of Essex & Hudson Counties

Talking Points— What is RSVP Doing in Your Community?

The RSVP Center of Essex & Hudson Counties currently has over 460 volunteers serving in 50 agencies. Volun-

teers are:

Reading to children on a weekly basis to improve literacy

Visiting isolated homebound seniors

Delivering Meals on Wheels to the most vulnerable community members

Mentoring struggling children

Providing one-on-one help to Medicare beneficiaries who have problems with, or questions about insurance

Helping low-income seniors apply for SNAP benefits (food stamps)

Without funding for RSVP in Essex/Hudson:

Our Reading Buddies program, which trains and coordinates volunteers to improve literacy among children

ages k-2 in public schools could end

The Senior SNAP Initiative which helps low-income seniors apply for food stamps would be reduced by

more than half and would be unsustainable

The number of seniors recruited to visit homebound seniors would be greatly reduced

Medicare counseling programs would be reduced in size

Smaller agencies, currently supported by RSVP, would have little resources to recruit, train, and manage

volunteers

There would be no central agency to coordinate older adult volunteers

Page 4 RSVP Center of Essex and Hudson Counties Newsletter

RSVP collaborated with the Bloomfield Department of Health & Human Services and Neigh-

bor to Neighbor Network (NTNN) to host a Disaster Preparedness Volunteer Service Day on

January 17th at the Bloomfield Civic Center. Volunteers assembled 400 disaster kits for iso-

lated homebound seniors in Bloomfield and Glen Ridge. The kits contained flashlights, local

emergency numbers, first aid kits, information from FEMA, water bottles, snacks, manual can

openers, hand sanitizer, blankets and more.

Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen and Mayor Michael Venezia attended the event.

Bloomfield Disaster Preparedness Volunteer Service Day “Volunteers

assembled

400 disaster

kits for

isolated

homebound

seniors”

RSVP is now hosting “Saving For Seniors” events across Essex County. The events are a chance for seniors

agers 60+ and those with disabilities to learn about assistance programs they may qualify for. Savings For

Seniors events are staffed by SNAP and SHIP Volunteers.

SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps. SNAP Volun-

teers screen older adults for food stamps and help them apply for benefits on site. Previously, seniors apply-

ing for food stamps have had to apply in person at the county welfare office or online. Many older adults do

not have access to transportation, cannot physically wait in long lines at the welfare office or do not have

access to a computer. SNAP Volunteers fills these gaps.

SHIP is the State Health Insurance Assistance Program. Trained SHIP Counselors provide free help to Medi-

care beneficiaries who have problems with, or questions about their health insurance. They can assist peo-

ple with questions about benefits, claims, supplement policies (known as Medigaps), Part D plans, and more.

SHIP Volunteers can also screen people for Medicare Savings Programs and assist them with applying for

benefits.

We aim to host these events at sites throughout the county and provide assistance face-to-face with older

adults. Seniors will be able to meet with someone locally, in an accessible location, without long wait times

and get the help they need.

For more information on these events, contact Julie Cramer at jcramer@jfsmetrowest.org.

Saving For Seniors

Page 5 Volume 3, Issue 2

RSVP held its 3rd Annual Volunteer Appreciation Party on Friday April 21st at the JCC MetroWest. Over 150 volunteers and volunteer station representatives attended.

RSVP Volunteer Appreciation Party

973-637-1766

www.jfsmetrowest.org/Volunteer

RSVP Center of Essex and Hudson Counties is a compre-

hensive community service organization through Jewish Family

Service of MetroWest New Jersey designed to mobilize mem-

bers of the community who are 55 years of age and older in

giving back to their own neighborhoods through volunteer ser-

vice. We currently cover the counties of Essex and Hudson.

RSVP is a federally funded program of the Corporation for

National & Community Service whose mission is to provide

opportunity for individuals 55 years of age and older to provide

volunteer service in their community. It has over 500,000

members nationwide.

For the potential volunteer, RSVP provides a single location

where they can review a number of local volunteer opportunities

and receive the help of a trained Volunteer Coordinator.

The Retired and Senior Volunteer program is part of the Corporation for National and Community Service and the USA

Jewish Family Service of MetroWest New Jersey

256 Columbia Turnpike, Suite 105

Florham Park, NJ 07932

Retired and Senior Volunteer Program

Center of Essex and Hudson Counties

In honor of Good Deeds Day, an international day of doing good

for others, the RSVP Center of Essex and Hudson Counties and

Jewish Family Service of MetroWest held a community event

where volunteers came together to make chocolate covered

matzah and assemble Passover Packages. The matzah and

packages were delivered to homebound seniors in the commu-

nity.

The event was held at Congregation AABJ&D in West Orange on

April 2nd. Volunteers melted chocolate, decorated matzah and

package them

for home-

bound sen-

iors. Volunteers also packaged Gefilte

fish, matzah, macaroons, and handmade

cards . Volunteers then delivered the

packages to homebound seniors with a

smile.

Over 30 volunteers participated and

packages were delivered to 140 home-

bound seniors in the area.

Good Deeds Day 2017