Milestone: Locals lauded for 68,000 hours+ of volunteerism
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, August 17, 2022
Despite the lingering effects of the COVID pandemic and various weather-related issues, local volunteers donated tens of thousands of hours helping seniors, students and others.
Jane Covella,Program Manager with Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) through Olympic Community Action Programs, said 351 volunteers — 249 with RSVP and another 102 with the North Olympic Volunteer Corps — served a total of 68,863 hours within Olympic Peninsula communities between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022.
Volunteers were recently honored with Presidents’ Volunteer Service Awards for their efforts to provide emergency food distribution, tutor youth, distribute weekly meal deliveries, transportation of senior adults to medical appointments, provide referrals to services for low-income clients seeking affordable housing, providing service referrals to military veterans and family members, and supporting community programming for KSQM 91.5 FM Radio.
The value of their work to our local communities was $2,273,856 dollars (based on the Independent Sector’s 2020 Valuation Rate for Washington State volunteers of $33.02 per hour times 68,863 hours worked), Covella said.
The RSVP program funded through grants from AmeriCorps, the Washington State Department of Commerce and Olympic Community Action Program (OlyCAP), and it focuses on: alleviating loneliness in seniors; supporting education and school readiness goals; providing emergency food to families; supporting home bound seniors with transportation and meal needs so senior adults can continue to live at home as they age; services to veterans and family members; supporting homeless clients with support to find housing; and helping to prevent social isolation.
RSVP started in 1968 with a congressional act. OlyCAP has been sponsoring RSVP for Jefferson & Clallam County volunteers and community partners since 1972. RSVP includes volunteers who are 55 and older, and NOVC include volunteers who are younger than 55 or work in separate non-funded programs.
To volunteer
RSVP has emerging needs for additional meal and food delivery drivers in Port Angeles, Forks and Port Townsend.
“We would like additional volunteers to host afternoon congregate meal services at the Port Angeles, Chimacum and Port Townsend Community Centers,” Covella said. Area food banks consistently need additional volunteers.
The organization is also seeking additional volunteer drivers in both counties to drive homebound seniors to medical appointments for our community partners ECHHO and Volunteer Services.
For more information or to volunteer, call the RSVP Program at 360-452-4726, x6222. Find volunteer applications at olycap.org under the “AmeriCorps Seniors” link. The Statewide RSVP webpage is warsvpd.org to find other volunteer sites around the state.
Gold pin recipients
Jeff Bankston, Mark Bragdon, Pamela Browning, Penny Condoll, Ed Evans, Francis Howell, John Laird, Sue Laird, Eloise Langenbach, Mike Langenbach, Carol Meyer, David More, Shirley Moss, Tod Nickerson, Beverly Saito, Terry Santos, Susan Sorenson, Kate Sullivan, Leslie Sweeney, Leslie Tippins, John Vigil
Silver pin recipients
Lois Allen, Deisy Bach, Beverly Clark, Carmen Clark, Yvonne Craig, Patricia Crossley, Bud Davies, Sally Davis, Roger Drake, Lisa Flores, David Gee, Chuck Gerstenberger, Dick Goodman, Terry Graham, Jackie Griffiths, William Hegarty, Richard Hendricksen, Mary Hood, Roger Horner, Chance Horton, Linda Johannessen, David Lundy, Sara Lynn, Randy Lyon, Sonja Mathews, Doris Muir, Luise Muller, Janet Norman, Edward Quesada, James Quinn, Sam Roberts, Kathryn Ryan, Scott Scherer, Brigitte Schlemmer, Rusty Smith, Bob Stedman, Carlina Stedman, Janice Tarpy, Bill Thompson, Peggy Thuotte, Linda Titus, Herbert Tracy, Terri Twyman, Craig Uchida, Sunchin Weeks, Bob Wallace, Duncan Watters, Paula West, John Wrobleski
Bronze pin recipients
Richard Ackley, Paula Adams, Leslie Aicken, Joe Allen, Joseph Arnett, Brick Ayola, Andy Bacon, Roger Beachy, Gale Benning, Brett Bowcutt, Cindy Breed, Barbara Breeze, Jason Buffington, Rosemary Burris, Sarah Clouse, Charles Codda, Alan Cunningham, Bob Denny, George Dooley, Amy Emett, James Emett, Sandra Erickson, Marc Errichetti, Robin Errichetti, Mary Quisling Foster, Pamela Gill, Claudia Girard, Kendra Golden, Sidney Goodman, John Gould, Jane Guiltinan, Patricia Guthrie, Robin Hale, Patricia Hannah, Katie Heinsberg, Florence Henderson, Steve Herkal, Katie Holmes, Jean Holtz, Marie Hooper, Tracy Hudson, Anne Hueter, Harold Jacobson, Lisa Jones, Richard Kaplan, Kit Kitteredge, Vida Kotte, Nancy Krill, Dari Lewis, Elizabeth Lyon, Stephen Mader, Mary Melly, Kris Mokma, Art Moore, Bonnie Moses, Kathi Mueller, Macy Mullarky, Linda Natali, Jerry Novak, Bill Penczak, Laurie Plunkett, Glennon Reeves, Marc Riolo, Gary Rodd, Scott Rosekrans, Teresa Rosekrans, Caroline Schimke, Gustav Sculptor, Neil Serafin, Susan Shadrick, Tomoko Shaffer, Caroline Shimke, Gilbert Skinner, Martha Standley, Yvonne Starkey, Larry Steiner, Anne Stewart, Lisa Storey, Teri Sumpter, Kim Thompson, Elizabeth Thorpe, Jon Voelker, Dana Ward, Carol Wood, Andrew Woodson, Michael Zimmerman
