NORWICH – Participants in the Chenango County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program made their way to the Canasawacta Country Club Thursday to laud the agency’s volunteers and the efforts they strived for over the last year during the annual RSVP meeting and recognition breakfast.
This year, RSVP – a subdivision of Opportunities for Chenango – lauded the work of 389 volunteers who have sacrificed their time, ranging from 100 to over 2,800 volunteer hours per person. Volunteers devoted their time and services to more than 50 non-profit and public agencies and organizations, including Hospice of Chenango County, the American Red Cross, the New York State Veterans’ Home, and Chenango County Area Agency on Aging. The mission, according to volunteers, is to bridge people with needs to those who serve.
This year also brings some change to the volunteer agency with Jon Moseley as the new RSVP director. Moseley stepped into the position in September, following the departure of former director Linda Campbell. For Moseley, the annual meeting was more than a chance to recognize volunteers; it was a chance to meet many of them for the first time. As the new kid on the block, he said, “My biggest challenge is getting to know everyone.”
“It’s important that we take a moment at least once a year to recognize all you do,” he told volunteers. “What you do is so important and it’s a great help to a lot of people.”
RSVP Human Resources Director Norma Smith also had a chance to speak a few words of praise for the group that’s devoted so much over the year. “The hours you put in to help the citizens of this county help so many,” she said. “Your time, your energy and your services are so appreciated.”
Time was also taken to recognize cooperative programs of RSVP that devoted the most hours for the purpose of the agency. The Northeast Classic Car Museum was applauded for allocating the most volunteer hours, followed by the NYS Veteran’s Home in Oxford with the second most, and Common Cents Thrift Shop in Oxford with the third.
Due to regulation changes in the national RSVP program, numbers this year were tallied according to a nine month period, explained Moseley. The program, which once based totals from July to June, now examines data and volunteer hours for the months of April to March. “The number of volunteer hours for the annual meeting would usually be higher,” he said. Still, RSVP volunteers racked up a total 52,190 hours during that shorter time frame, which translates to approximately $976,997 worth labor hours, based on national calculations. “That’s really a great gift,” Moseley added.
According to the Opportunities for Chenango website, the county has more than 13,000 seniors and the number grows daily with an aging Baby Boomer population. Moreover, professional reports show that this senior demographic is likely to achieve meaningful improvements in mental and physical health when engaged in volunteerism.
For additional information on RSVP, call 336-6414 ext. 103, or visit ofcinc.org.