The Lyon County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (R.S.V.P.) offers senior citizens, age 55 and over, many opportunities for civil engagement and community interaction through volunteering activities. There is no minimum amount of hours required to volunteer. You can choose one of our established volunteer sites, or you can volunteer on your own. Almost anything that you do to provide a service for others or another organization can be counted as volunteering. For more information, stop by our office or call us at 620–342–6119.

Acceptable and Non-Acceptable Volunteer Hours

There are only two areas where we cannot accept your volunteer hours:

• Religious activities such as teaching Sunday school, holding Bible studies, or promoting a certain religion.
• Political activities such as campaigning, rallying, or otherwise promoting a political candidate.

Volunteering Activities

There are several activities you may do in your everyday life that you may not consider as volunteering. Consider these activities:

• Any work for a non-profit organization
• Child care (unpaid)
• Raising environmental awareness
• Serving on boards or advisory councils
• Crafts, knitting, crocheting, quilting for organization fundraising
• Library Work (unpaid)
• School Helper (unpaid)
• Senior Center assistance
• Sporting event helper
• Helping plant a garden
• Virtually any activity that you perform to help another person, organization, or the community can be counted as volunteering.

How Volunteering Works

You will be asked to fill out a short registration form with the R.S.V.P. office which enrolls you in the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) R.S.V.P. Program. These forms simply ask for your name, address, birth date, phone number, and emergency contact information. We also need to know your interests and skills so we can match you with a project or volunteer site you will enjoy.

R.S.V.P. will provide you with a referral service to various volunteer sites. You chose the volunteer opportunities that are of interest to you, and you designate the days and times that you would have available for volunteer service.

You will also be given time sheets for you to track your volunteer hours. Just record the date, times, and where you volunteered. We like to have the time sheets by the 10th of each month so that we can record them in our database. The hours you turn in are calculated bi-annually and sent to the CNCS national office for tabulation and recognition of your volunteering service.

Benefits of Volunteering

• Community Engagement: Seniors remain connected to and involved with their community.
• Positive Impact: Volunteering is a great way to make a difference in the community and the lives of the people who live in it.
• Newsletter: A newsletter published by RSVP is sent to volunteers. It includes feature stories on senior volunteers and RSVP member sites, volunteering opportunities, community activities and current events
• Volunteer Insurance: Personal injury and personal liability insurance is provided to registered RSVP members free of charge while volunteering at registered volunteer sites. This insurance is secondary to the volunteer site insurance.
• Annual Recognition Banquet: Each year, a banquet is held in honor of all RSVP volunteers who served during the previous year. A meal is provided for each volunteer along with an awards ceremony to recognize outstanding volunteering service by Lyon County RSVP members.

Lyon County Dept on Aging
402 Commercial Street (Physical)
430 Commercial Street (Mail)
Emporia Kansas 66801
Phone: 620–342–6119
Fax: 620–341–3481

return to Department of Aging main page

last update 1/19/09

430 Commercial St • Emporia, KS 66801 • 620-341-4380

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