Northeastern Montana Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) would like to introduce itself to the community. The spirit of RSVP is already in so many of Northeastern Montana residents. Helping one another seems to be second nature for so many of us who live in small, tight-knit communities. RSVP is here to support our community’s current volunteers and engage new members to become more active in community service projects.
Many people think of RSVP as a sort of “Job Service of volunteerism”, because we connect organizations seeking volunteers with volunteers looking for opportunities to share their expertise and enthusiasm. RSVP is not just a program for seniors, it’s a program supported by seniors. That means RSVP’s focus is on meeting the needs of the community, and we meet those needs with volunteers who are 55 and older.
We are a grant program funded by the Federal Government and sponsored by the Richland County Health Department. There are many successful branches of RSVP throughout the state and the country, but the northeastern RSVP covers Sheridan, Daniels, Roosevelt and Valley counties. RSVP was brought to our area a few years ago, but this is an entirely new grant and a new program that we are excited to share with our communities.
RSVP is connected to other government supported community service programs such as AmeriCorps, VISTA, the Social Initiative Fund and other Senior Corps programs. Those programs are organized under the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and work together to support veterans, active military families, low-income and at-risk families, seniors and other people and communities in need. The Retired & Senior Volunteer Program operates under the Senior Corps branch and focuses on spreading its own unique mission.
Examples of RSVP volunteer opportunities in other programs around Montana include: holding recycling drives, providing community information to newcomers, helping children read at schools, community clean-up projects, providing support to veterans and military families, volunteering for churches, creating newsletters, helping with food drives, completing office work and creating hands-on building projects. The sky is the limit for the types of volunteer opportunities that could be available in our area!
For more information, if you’re interested in volunteering, or if you have any great ideas for volunteers in your community, please visit Kim Kittelson at 121 N. Main St. in Plentywood, MT. We are located in the Darvis Accounting building right next to Rexall Drug. There you can get brochures, a list of volunteer opportunities, volunteer applications and the simple paperwork to sign up your non-profit organization or community service agency with RSVP. Call RSVP at 406-765-7907 or email Kim Kittelson at [email protected].
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