Message from the Director:
It’s hard to believe that summer is over. Our recognition luncheon seems like yesterday. While I am on that subject, thanks again to Anna Young for getting seventy-eight door prizes. Without Anna’s assistance we would have nowhere near the prizes that we do for the luncheon. It’s very easy for the merchants to turn me down when I ask for a gift or a certificate and another thing to say no to an active volunteer like Anna.

Dick Aime, Julia Monroe, Betty Voutsinas and Mary Wagner all helped make the event run smoothly for the volunteers. RSVP staff, Madeline Bollmann, Del Overby and Teri Klein were helpful as always. We have booked the Hoot Owls again for next year’s luncheon. Save May 15^th 2003, we are planning our next recognition luncheon for that day and once again it will be held at Giovanni’s II in Darien.

A quick message to the mailing team. We have been really, really quiet this summer, no one wanted any bulk mailings done. Hang in there, now that September is here we will be getting busy again, beginning with the United Way mailing. In the meantime enjoy the cool weather!

Introducing…..Teri Klein
RSVP has a new out reach coordinator, Teri Klein. A former member of the RSVP Advisory Council, Teri brings a number of skills into the position. Her background as a State of Connecticut Health Program Associate enables her to understand the intricacies of working in a government program. Teri’s first task was to assist the Norwalk Tree Inventory group by writing press releases promoting the project. Teri has since been recruiting volunteers for the Fox Run Family Resource Center, visiting work-sites and volunteers and distributing our brochures throughout the seven town area that RSVP covers. After taking the month of August off to travel she will return to work on September 3^rd. If you wish to speak to Teri she can be reached at 899-2443 or e-mailed at tklein@neon-norwalk.org.

SPECIAL WELCOME TO NEAL BRODSKY-- RSVP’s newest Advisory Council member. Neal is Norwalk Housing Authority’s Development and Personnel Analyst. We are looking forward to Neal’s input regarding our programs. Welcome Neal!

Norwalk Tree Alliance
Help inventory street trees in Norwalk. Volunteers work in teams of three and trainings are provided at the volunteer’s convenience. This project will assist the city with implementing a more effective and efficient management of Norwalk’s "urban forest". Groups are already meeting every other Saturday at the Tree Alliance office at 2 Maple Street. Call us for the date’s 899-2442!

Reach Out and Read
The Norwalk Community Health Center is seeking volunteers to read to children ages 6 months to 5 years in the pediatric waiting rooms at the Norwalk Community Health Center on Water Street or the Health Department on East Avenue. The volunteers will be demonstrating reading aloud skills to the parents that show both children and parents that reading is fun for kids. This is a twice a month commitment for one hour at least at a time. Bi-lingual volunteers welcome!

Norwalk’s Fox Run School – Family Resource Center
Early birds wanted!!!!!! Volunteers will provide extra one-on-one support to children before school two mornings a week. Training provided.

Youth in Media
Mentor at risk in-school high school students. Volunteers may depending on personal experience and expertise, offer to be guest speakers or serve on an evaluation team. This is a once a week position. Mentors may correspond by e-mail, phone or in-person with the Youth in Media Coordinator in order to update participant issues, solutions to problems and/or accomplishments.

Judicial Volunteers
The Court Support Services Division is looking for volunteers to assist in the daily operations of our Courthouses in Stamford and Norwalk. Volunteers will assist clients through the judicial process. The volunteers will be contacting and interviewing clients, explaining the programs to clients and making referrals to different agencies as needed. You may even assist the judge in the courtroom! This would be regular once a week commitment.

Senior Companions
RSVP is considering beginning a Senior Companion program in Norwalk. A Senior Companion is a volunteer that visits with a homebound senior on a weekly basis. (We currently offer this program, however there are income eligibility guidelines in place for the volunteers to receive the stipend.) The volunteers may assist with grocery shopping, bill paying, and transportation to medical appointments. As I mentioned earlier this program is in the planning stages only. If you have any comments or help you may wish to provide to us while we are in the planning stages, give us a call.

Tourism
The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development and RSVP offer those fifty-five and over the opportunity to volunteer as travel counselors. This is a four-hour a week commitment at either the Darien or Greenwich Welcome Centers. Darien is open year round and the Greenwich site is seasonal (May-October). There is a generous mileage reimbursement offered. The Darien Welcome Center is the busiest in the nation boasting four thousand visitors a week during the summer vacation season!

Norwalk City Hall
Meet the Mayor!! This position may be of particular interest to the RSVP members that reside in Norwalk. RSVP volunteers staff the information desk at Norwalk City Hall. The volunteers will offer directions to visitors to City Hall as well as pointing out some of Norwalk’s heritage through the lovely murals that are throughout the building.

Meals-on-Wheels
A program of the Norwalk Senior Center, Meals-on-Wheels is looking for volunteers to deliver meals and have a quick visit with a person who is unable to prepare their own meals. Volunteers serve two hours a day one day a week. The weekend volunteers serve two hours every other week.

Mailing Teams
If you like to socialize and meet new people while helping out a local not for profit this may be just the placement for you! RSVP volunteers stuff, label, seal and zip code bulk mailings. The sites change so it’s not the same old thing. Go as often as your schedule permits. Lunch is provided if you stay until three. Teams are based in Norwalk and Wilton.

Naramake School
Norwalk’s Naramake School is seeking volunteers for an early literacy program. The children are in the age range of k-3 and the volunteer would be working one-to-one with the student from 7:30am-8:30am or 3-4pm. The volunteer will either read to the child and/or let the child read to the volunteer.

Norwalk Housing Authority
NHA is looking for dedicated volunteers to assist in their learning centers. Specifically; Homework Heroes. Children need help with homework, reading, math, etc. This volunteer position is suitable and offered to those individuals that would like to volunteer their time in the centers but require more flexibility and less commitment. They may volunteer as much as they like but no less than one hour per week. They will assist any child in the learning center with homework or any other academic endeavor. The commitment should be for a minimum of three months.

Wilton Worktable
Help make items such as tray favors for Meals-on-Wheels and quilts for Project Linus. Help the Senior Center with mailings or a Peer Counselor for Nursing and Home Care. Call Del Overby in Wilton at 762-0520 for more information.

Homeland Security
RSVP volunteers throughout the state are being asked by the State of Connecticut, Department of Public Safety, Division of Protective Services to conduct telephone surveys in each of our geographic towns to determine if they have a Citizen Corps.

Citizen Corps focuses on opportunities for people across the country to participate in a range of measures to make their families, homes, and communities safer from the threats of terrorism, crimes and disasters of all kinds. RSVP volunteers will be given a script and trained by RSVP staff to complete the survey sheet when making calls.

The state would like this project completed by October 31, 2002. This work can be done from home or in the afternoons at the RSVP office. RSVP covers from Westport to Greenwich so each of these communities has to be contacted by the volunteer.

After September 11th so many of you asked what could you do to help. This is one way. Please give us a call at 899-2442 to help organize the Homeland Security in our state.