RSVP August Newsletter

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RSVP-Northern Virginia

August 2018

In this issue:

RSVP's new blog!
August Group Service Project
RSVP Staff Opening
Upcoming Events
RSVP Volunteer Close Up
Timesheet Submissions
Welcome New Volunteers!

RSVP is proud to present its very own blog! Be sure to check it out here! Please let us know of any comments/suggestions on how we can make this a better resource for you.

August Group Service Project with our new partner Food for Others

RSVP is proud to welcome Food for Others as a new partner! Food for Others' mission is to distribute free food to our neighbors in need, in partnership with our Northern Virginia community, and to provide opportunities for people to volunteer their resources. We will be partnering with this wond erful organization for our August group service project. We are in need of volunteers to help with organizing their food warehouse and packing food boxes. Click here to sign up!

When: Wednesday, August 29 from 10 a.m. - noon

Where: Food for Others, 2938 Prosperity Avenue, Fairfax, VA 22031

RSVP Staff Opening

RSVP is in need of a Communications Intern. The RSVP Communications Intern will be tasked with researching and creating effective and relevant marketing tools for the targeted population and creating corresponding communication and marketing tools to use to assist in volunteer recruitment and program recognition. If you or anyone you know is interested in applying, click here for more details.

Bocce Lunc h & Learn

Join RSVP for a free lunch & learn and bocce demonstration! We will be meeting at the bocce courts outside at the Green Acres Senior Center (next to the picnic tables). Current and prospective volunteers are invited to attend! Click here to sign up.

When: Thursday, August 2 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Where: Green Acres Senior Center, 4401 Sideburn Road, Fairfax, VA 22030

NVFS Back-to-School Drive

Each year, Northern Virginia Family Service seeks to help low-income kids start their school year off strong! NVFS’ Back-to-School drive provides kids and teens across Northern Virginia with backpacks filled with the school supplies that their grade-level and county require. They plan to pack and distribute over 2,000 backpacks this year! Volunteers will help receive donations, sort donations, count inventory, pack backpacks and assist with distribution. Click here to sign up for a shift!

When: August 2, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, each day has an AM and PM shift (times vary by day)

Where: 13868 Metrotech Drive, Chantilly, VA 20151 (Donated storefront in Sully Place Shopping Center, next to Petsmart)

Northern Virginia Senior Olympics - Last Chance!

Registration for the Northern Virginia Senior Olympics (NVSO) is open until August 24. If you are interested in participating in an event, go to www.nvso.us . NVSO is also still in need of volunteers, both athletes and nonparticipants, to support the games. Various volunteer shifts are available throughout the games. Click here to sign up!

When: September 15 - 26

Where: Various locations throughout Northern VA

Venture into Volunteering Fair

Come out to the 14th edition of “Venture into Volunteering,” a fair for Baby Boomers and older adults seeking flexible, fun and meaningful volunteer opportunities. More than 20 nonprofits and agencies will be on hand to discuss their volunteer opportunities, including RSVP. Free parking is available and refreshments and prizes will be provided. For more information, contact Carly Hubicki at 703-403-5360 or chubicki@volunteerfairfax.org.

When: Thursday, September 13 from 10 a.m. – Noon

Where: United Baptist Church, 7100 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA 22003

Paws for a Cause 3K Walk

Paws for a Cause is the annual dog walk that benefits Fairfax Pets on Wheels, Inc. FPOW is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to providing pet visitation to residents of nursing homes and hospitals. They are in need of 2-3 volunteers to help with set-up, staff one of the pit stops during the walk, and then help with tear-down after the walk. The volunteers should each bring a folding chair, work gloves, and wear a hat. A walk t-shirt and snacks will be provided. For more information and to sign up, please contact Madelynn Arnold at 703-324-5424 or Madelynn.Arnold@fairfaxcounty.gov.

When: Sunday, October 7 from 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Where: Weber's Pet Supermarket, 11021 Lee Hwy, Fairfax, VA 22030

RSVP Volunteer Close Up

Lou Coglianese

Photo and story by RSVP outreach and marketing specialist Rob Paine

“It’s all about the mulch,” says RSVP Northern Virginia volunteer and engagement leader Lou Coglianese, when asked how he became an usher at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts.

Several springs ago, Lou was moving mulch as part of a RSVP group service project at Wolf Trap. During lunch, one of the rangers mentioned the park always needs new ushers. “I had heard of this (usher program) and figured they had so many there was no real need, but there was,” Lou says. “There is always a need,” he added.

Lou completed Wolf Trap’s volunteer orientation. He is now in his fifth year of ushering. If you go to a Tuesday show at Wolf Trap (which is Lou’s night at the Filene Center), he will probably be there, helping guests find their seats or directing others to a restroom or a concession stand.

Lou joined RSVP Northern Virginia five years ago after retiring. While searching on MeetUp, he noticed an announcement about an upcoming RSVP information session. Lou found RSVP to be a good fit and began signing up for volunteer projects. “I picked a variety of things a little bit of this, a little bit of that, to see what interested me,” Lou says. His first RSVP outings included helping direct traffic during an emergency preparedness event as well as the mulch spreading at Wolf Trap.

“A lot of folks who are retired are wondering what am I going to do with myself or gee, I have some skills and they are not being used." Lou says RSVP is a good place to see where you can match your skills to the needs of the community.

When RSVP started its volunteer engagement leader program, Lou was among the first to sign up. He says he enjoys helping others and being an engagement leader provides even more opportunity to do so. Engagement leaders not only oversee other volunteers at monthly RSVP group service projects, but they support outreach efforts by staffing tables at volunteer fairs and senior events.

Lou’s outreach work has included running the tables at the 50+ Employment Expo, The Vienna Wellness and Safety Expo and being chief gift wrapper at a holiday table at Barnes and Noble this past December. He also helped run RSVP’s photography workshop at Green Spring Gardens Park. Lou is a talented amateur photographer and is a former board member of the Vienna Photographic Society.

“I like to think of it (RSVP) as a means of finding things that interest you and helping you figure out who it is that could use your services,” Lou says. When Lou began his volunteer career with RSVP, he lived in Clifton. Though he now lives in Haymarket, he continues to be one of the more active RSVP volunteers and engagement leaders. "Lou is always willing to lend a hand and provide support to RSVP. He is an outstanding volunteer and engagement leader!" says Carly Hubicki, RSVP volunteer specialist.

What does Lou get out of volunteering? “I just enjoy it,” he says. “It sounds trite but I like to help," Lou says. “I have gotten a lot from Northern Virginia, says Lou, who moved to the area 21 years ago. "I feel it’s good to help keep Northern Virginia a great place to live.”

Click here to listen to the full podcast with Lou!

Timesheet Submissions

Please remember to submit your July 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.