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RSVP-Northern Virginia
May 2018
May is Older Americans Month
In honor of Older Americans Month, invite a friend, family member, or neighbor to get involved with RSVP!

Upcoming Orientations:

Wellness & Safety Expo
Vienna Parks and Recreation and the Vienna Police Department are teaming up to offer a Mature Adult Wellness & Safety Expo. Attendees will benefit from medical screenings and educational opportunities from many local vendors providing a wide range of resources to enhance the physical and mental well-being of older adults. This Wellness & Safety Expo will provide a wonderful environment to nurture personal interest, learn something new, foster friendships and gather vital information. Those caring or responsible for aging adults will also find this event helpful!

When: Sunday, May 20 from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Where: Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry Street SE, Vienna, VA 22180
Coffee with Rob and RSVP
Come join us at the Chick-fil-A in Fair Lakes for free coffee, bingo, and to learn about volunteering! Prospective and current RSVP volunteers are encouraged to attend. Free coffee will be given to those that are 55 years old or better and you will have a chance to win fun prizes!

When: Tuesday, May 22 from 9:30 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Where: Chick-fil- A, 4516 Fair Knoll Dr, Fairfax, VA 22033
National Senior Health and Fitness Day
RSVP and two of its partners, The Northern Virginia Senior Olympics and The Fairfax County Park Authority, are teaming up to celebrate National Senior Health and Fitness Day. All seniors 55-years-young or greater will enjoy free admission into the facility, courtesy of the RECenter. RSVP volunteer specialist, Carly Hubicki, will be on hand from 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. conducting mini-orientations and sharing information on volunteering. All current volunteers are invited and please extend this invitation to other seniors who you think would enjoy being part of RSVP. Providence RECenter also has a great volunteer program and the park’s volunteer coordinator, Beth Gallagher, will be on hand to answer questions. There will be a free exercise class for seniors and a demonstration of the newest NVSO event, a game developed right here in Fairfax County, Beach Ball Wallyball. It is a fun and senior-friendly sport! The celebration will also kickoff registration for the 2018 Northern Virginia Senior Olympics that are set to take place September 15 - 26.

When: Wednesday, May 30
Where: Providence RECenter, 7525 Marc Dr, Falls Church, VA 22042
May Group Service Project
In honor of Older Americans Month, RSVP will be partnering with Volunteer Solutions to assist with their Helping Hands Program! Helping Hands links volunteers with older adults throughout the county to help maintain their homes. The project will consist of de-cluttering, organizing, and cleaning for a client in need of this assistance. Please reply to Emily.Thomas@FairfaxCounty.Gov as soon as possible if you are interested!

When: Thursday, May 17 from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Where: Alexandria, VA (full address will be given once you sign up)
Emergency Full Scale Exercise
Volunteers are needed to act as displaced victims during this full scale exercise. This exercise will test the ability of fully EOC activation, notification and coordination pieces for response, and all personnel involved in opening a shelter. To sign up, click here .

When: Monday, May 7 from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Where: Alexandria, VA (full address will be given once you sign up)
Training on Abuse Later in Life
This training will focus on how professionals working with older and vulnerable adult survivors can enhance their knowledge of elder abuse prevention, response, mandatory reporting obligations, and community resources. To sign up, click here . Questions? Please contact Colleen Armstrong at 703-324-9493 or colleen.armstrong@fairfaxcounty.gov.

When: Tuesday, May 8 from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. 
Where: Fairfax County Government Center, Conference Rooms 4/5,
12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22035
Alexandria's Community Service Day
Alexandria's Community Service Day is a collaborative service event between the City of Alexandria and Volunteer Alexandria. Hundreds of volunteers come together as individuals and as teams to complete 20+ service projects for nonprofits across the city. They are in need of event volunteers to assist with carrying out the Community Service Day. Volunteers will assist with tool hand out, day of event tasks, and the after party celebration. Click here to sign up .

When: Friday, May 11 from 3 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Where: Alexandria, VA (full address will be given once you sign up)
Fairfax Pets on Wheels Picnic
Fairfax Pets on Wheels needs three volunteers to help at their annual picnic. Volunteers will help with set-up, registration table, pet photographs ( help with signing up and getting people to the photographer), and clean-up. Lunch and swag will be provided. For more information and to sign up, contact Madelynn Arnold at 703-256-6540 or blanche4808@outlook.com .

When: Sunday, June 3 from 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Where: Frying Pan Park, 2739 West Ox Road, Herndon, VA 20171
PACE Program Needs Helping Hands
InovaCares for Seniors PACE program is looking for volunteers to assist and lead various activities with their seniors such as a garden club, Spanish conversation group, arts and crafts, group activities, and more! PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) is an integrated system that allows seniors to remain in their own homes, maintain independence and lead healthier more fulfilling lives. If interested, call 703-239-5888.
Volunteer Workshop on Photography
RSVP will be offering a free photography workshop at Fairfax County Park Authority’s Green Spring Gardens led by RSVP outreach specialist and award-winning professional photographer, Rob Paine. No matter if your camera of choice is a cell phone or a DSLR, Rob will help you develop a more creative approach to your photography. Following an hour talk and slide show, Rob will lead a photo walk around the gardens at the park. The park’s volunteer coordinator will also be on hand to talk about the great volunteer opportunities at Green Spring. It will take place rain or shine. All current and potential volunteers are invited. Please wear comfortable shoes for walking. All workshop participants will be entered in a free drawing for a hardcover copy of Rob’s photo book “Saying it with Flowers” that will be given away at the end of the class.  Click here to sign up!

When: Wednesday, June 20 from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Where: Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA 22312
RSVP Volunteer Close Up
Ken Kozloff - RSVP-Northern Virginia Award Winner 
Springfield resident Ken Kozloff was named Fairfax County RSVP-Northern Virginia Volunteer of the Year at Volunteer Fairfax's annual countywide volunteer recognition and awards breakfast at The Waterford in Springfield, Friday, April 27.

Established in 1993, the Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards serve as a community-wide celebration of volunteerism. The awards honor individuals, groups and organizations that have given outstanding volunteer service through a broad range of activities and programs. 

Ken volunteers for several of RSVP’s partners including Junior Achievement, The Fairfax County Park Authority and the Northern Virginia Senior Olympics.

Kozloff was nominated for the RSVP award by Gayle Robinson, director of program innovation at Junior Achievement of Greater Washington, a program that strives to inspire the next generation to be financially capable and tenacious problem solvers who creatively manage risk and welcome opportunity.

"Ken is a go-to volunteer that is always happy to help. His flexibility and passion make him an ideal volunteer to have on board,” Robinson wrote in her nomination. “He deserves to be recognized for his intentional dedication to supporting our communities through his volunteer activism.”

Ken is a familiar face at Junior Achievement Finance Park in Central Fairfax, a state-of- the-art facility where eighth graders from across the county get hands-on experience and guidance, so they can meet the fiscal challenges of everyday life. Ken is also a regular in local schools teaching financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship as a JA volunteer. Robinson says, “Kozloff’s energy and enthusiasm are contagious.” Ken has taught more than a dozen classes at local schools impacting close to 300 students, according to Robinson. “Ken is our go-to volunteer who is always happy to help,” she says. “We are so thankful for his support!.”

Kozloff is a fixture at some of Fairfax County Park Authority’s recreation centers. More than five years ago, he began volunteering at Providence RECenter in Falls Church, teaching children and adults with disabilities to swim though the park authority’s Adapted Aquatics program.

Kozloff parlayed his experience with Adapted Aquatics into expanding JA’s high school program to include special needs students. He suggested to JA, “What about working with special needs children in the schools?” Nothing like that had been done, he was told. He replied, “Why not, “ so Kozloff developed a financial literacy curriculum for special needs students. After a successful pilot project at Oakton High School, thanks to Kozloff’s vision, the program now called JA Life Skills Learning, is offered at several county high schools. 

When he is not volunteering for other causes, he is a volunteer engagement leader for RSVP, acting as a nonprofit evangelist of sorts, spreading the word on why RSVP is such a great program. "What's unique about RSVP is the approach it takes to new volunteers, helping them to find what they're looking to do, not where we are looking to place them," Kozloff says. Kozloff truly enjoys giving back; he told a recent group of new RSVP recruits “What you get back (from volunteering) is like 20 times more than what you are giving.” 

"The big thing that I get out of volunteering is the satisfaction of helping others," he says. "I love to help others, find out what their goals are and help them achieve them, whether it is teaching an autistic child to swim from one side of the pool to the other, or teaching a stroke patient who would like to learn to swim again.”

“Ken is the prime example of an RSVP volunteer and of how much impact one individual can have on their community” says RSVP-Northern Virginia interim program manager and RSVP volunteer specialist Carly Hubicki. “I know that I can always count on Ken whenever I need his help,” Hubicki says.
 
“Ken has a way of truly engaging and energizing our volunteers to take action. He is able to captivate the audience and get them excited about signing up for the program and volunteering! He has done all of this amazing work in just the three years he has been retired, and I know he isn’t slowing down anytime soon,” Hubicki says. Kozloff, a former INOVA Alexandria Hospital CEO, turned 70 years old last August.

To see photos from the awards breakfast, check out our Facebook page .
RSVP Podcast
RSVP Northern Virginia is proud to present its very own podcast series!  Go to our Youtube website to check them out! The podcasts include information about the program, interviews with volunteer coordinators at our partnering workstations, and interviews with our wonderful volunteers! Every Tuesday there is a new RSVP Podcast. Do you have a suggestion for an upcoming podcast? Do you have a question about volunteering that you would like to hear answered during a podcast? Please be sure to email all of your podcast suggestions and questions to RSVP Marketing and Outreach Assistant, Rob Paine, at  rpaine@volunteerfairfax.org .
Timesheet Submissions
Please remember to submit your April timesheets!  Tracking volunteer hours is essential to our program; it is the number one way we report our volunteers are active and keeps the program up and running. If you have any questions, please contact RSVP Volunteer Specialist, Carly Hubicki, at  rsvp@volunteerfairfax.org  or 703-403-5360.
Welcome New RSVP Volunteers!
Gene Leonard
Jean Leonard
Karen Schroth
Pat Skillicorn
Linda Mykietyn
Mary Ellen Hughes
Richard Hughes
Candia Hudson
Dennis Barbera
Asuncion O'Neill
Holly Hartge
Joy Bush
Invite a Friend or Group!
Help us grow our volunteer community.  Invite family, friends and neighbors to get involved with RSVP! 


Upcoming Orientations:



Know an organization or club that would like an  on-site orientation? Contact Carly Hubicki at chubicki@volunteerfairfax.org  or 703-403-5360.
Arlington Cares
This free event seeks to celebrate the spirit of volunteerism through a recognition ceremony as well as a Volunteer Fair. Volunteers are needed to help with set up for the event, helping people to their seats, and clean up. For more information and to sign up, contact Lisa Fikes at lfikes@leadercenter.org or 703-528-2522 x19. 

When: Tuesday, July 24 from 3:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Where: National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, 4301 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22203
VF Logo
Volunteer Alexandria