RETIRED SENIOR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM EXPANDS INTO CAPE COUNTY

The Scott County Retired Senior Volunteer Service Program (RSVP) expanded its services Wednesday into Cape Girardeau County.

"The RSVP program is designed for those people who are age 60, or older, who want to volunteer their time to help others," said Ellie Knight, RSVP administrator. "The only requirement to become an RSVP volunteer is that you be willing to contribute your time, experience, knowledge and interest to others in your own community who need you and your commitment for the good of all."

Because of the expansion, the RSVP's advisory board was enlarged to include six Cape Girardeau County members, in addition to the board members from Scott County. The expanded board held its first meeting in Benton on Wednesday to discuss details of the start-up of the Cape County RSVP program.

Board members from Cape Girardeau County include the Rev. Louis Launhardt, pastor of St. Andrew Lutheran Church; David Giles, principal at Alma Schrader School; Carol Dippold of Lutheran Family and Children's Service of Southeast Missouri; Cynthia Kothe of the Hoover Eldercare Center at Southeast Missouri State University; and Nancy Bray of Southeast Missouri Hospital.

Knight said the RSVP program was created by Congress in the early 1970s as part of a legislative package involving the Peace Corps and Volunteers In Service to America (VISTA) programs. "You might say RSVP is the hometown version of the Peace Corps," Knight said. "But instead of young Peace Corps volunteers, RSVP uses senior citizen volunteers."

Knight said RSVP literally acts as a broker, matching the needs of organizations and agencies that would like RSVP volunteer assistance with the wishes and expertise of the RSVP volunteers.

The first RSVP program in Southeast Missouri was founded in Chaffee in July 1973. "At that time, there were only eleven other RSVP programs in operation in the entire country, and all of them were in the larger cities," Knight said.

Since 1973, the Chaffee RSVP has expanded into all of Scott County, with offices in Sikeston and Chaffee. RSVP has 320 volunteers in Scott County, serving between 48-50 agencies.

Knight said agencies that use RSVP volunteers include schools, day-care centers, mental health clinics, hospitals, home-health care agencies, nutrition centers, local government offices, and even police departments.

Other RSVP volunteers work with adults to teach them how to read. "Really there is no limit to what an RSVP volunteer can do, and often a volunteer can suggest something that we are not even aware of," she added.

Knight said the success of the Scott County RSVP program attracted the attention of agencies and senior citizens in Cape Girardeau County. Lack of funding kept the program from expanding.

But under the sponsorship of the Southeast Missouri Area Agency on Aging, based in Cape Girardeau, Knight was finally able to expand the program into Cape County.

She said the Scott County RSVP program receives $30,000 in federal funds each year, and another $30,000 in cash and in-kind donations from civic and fraternal organizations, and individuals.

"With the expansion of the RSVP program into Cape County, we will continue to use cash and in-kind donations from organizations and individuals in each county. All donations will remain in the county in which they are made," Knight said. "Right now, we operate in Scott County with about $30,000 in local funding. We'll need about the same amount in Cape Girardeau County. The $30,000 in federal funding will be used for administrative costs in the Cape Girardeau, Chaffee and Sikeston offices."

Knight said the Gibson Center at 1112 Linden has provided space for the Cape Girardeau County RSVP administrative office. The telephone number is 335-7555. The office hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Knight said Cape Girardeau County organizations interested in providing volunteers or making a donation should contact the local RSVP office. "We'll be glad to meet with any group that wants to know more about the RSVP program," Knight said. "Just give us a call."