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September RSVP
News & Opportunities
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Welcome, Karen Coon,
RSVP's New Volunteer Specialist!
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As an experienced publications coordinator and non-profit professional, Karen most recently served as a program coordinator for a large non-profit continuing care retirement community where she was responsible for developing and executing large-scale programs and events for older adults that included volunteer experiences. She is excited to continue her career journey in the role as the Volunteer Specialist with RSVP-Northern Virginia.
Karen has had a passion for volunteerism throughout her life. Volunteering with different service projects through her church grew into serving and volunteering in inner-city after-school programs, community clean-up projects, and mentoring opportunities with youth and young adults through her college years and into adulthood. These opportunities have inspired and challenged her to keep service as a pillar in her personal life and career. This desire is reflected in her time at North Park University, where she gained her degree in business management with a concentration in non-profit management and earned her certified non-profit professional credential through the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance.
In her free time she enjoys spending time with her young children, paddle-boarding, visiting different wineries, and reading.
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If you are interested in volunteering with RSVP in the opportunities below, please contact RSVP Volunteer Specialist, Karen Coon, at kcoon@volunteerfairfax.org.
Please allow 2 business days for a response. Follow the links below to learn more about each opportunity.
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Note: For Indoors/In-Person Volunteer Opportunities, please see Volunteer Fairfax's COVID-19 Policy here
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RSVP is pleased to announce that Belong!, a local non-profit organization spreading love through education and service in our Northern Virginia area, has connected with RSVP-Northern Virginia as a new workstation partner.
For those unfamiliar with the mission and services of this organization, visit their website at www.belongvienna.org to learn more about the good work that Executive Director, Lynn O’Connell, and her team are doing to support the community and keep children engaged.
RSVP volunteers are encouraged to get to know this organization over the coming months and determine how best to support them in their outreach efforts. Adding them as a new workstation partner increases the volunteer opportunities available to RSVP volunteers in a key impact area of the RSVP-Northern Virginia AmeriCorps grant, ‘Education K-12 Success.’ Belong! is currently recruiting volunteers to serve as after school tutors for elementary and middle school students in Vienna, Virginia.
A warm welcome to this new RSVP workstation partner! RSVP volunteers who are interested in learning more about opportunities to serve this organization and transform lives of children and youth can reach out to RSVP Volunteer Specialist, Karen Coon, at kcoon@volunteerfairfax.org.
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RSVP September Group Service Projects Support VolunteerFest | |
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Volunteer Fairfax’s signature fall volunteering event, VolunteerFest, is happening the week of September 11 through September 18 with a variety of in-person and at-home volunteer opportunities to benefit nonprofits across Fairfax County. For over 25 years, Volunteer Fairfax has hosted this annual volunteering event to mobilize volunteers of all ages and abilities to support nonprofits and government agencies in accomplishing wish list projects and securing donation needs. VolunteerFest is a great way to learn about local nonprofits and to serve, along with hundreds of other volunteers, on a variety of projects happening across the community.
RSVP volunteers are encouraged to support the event as follows:
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Cozy Fleece Blankets for CRi: (virtual project) Give the gift of ‘cozy’ this holiday season by making no-sew blankets for individuals at CRi. Blankets provide comfort and safety, protecting individuals from extreme temperatures. RSVP will provide blanket kits that include fleece and no-sew directions for RSVP volunteers interested in this project. There is also an option for volunteers to donate the fleece themselves and follow specific size and preparation directions to make blankets to donate. Completed blankets will be received through RSVP from September 17 through October 10. RSVP volunteers interested in this project should contact RSVP Volunteer Specialist, Karen Coon, at kcoon@volunteerfairfax.org.
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Pack Snack Kits for Embry Rucker Community Shelter: (in-person project) Join other RSVP volunteers and visit the new office space for Volunteer Fairfax and RSVP, post-COVID. Between the hours of 9:30-11:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 17, stop by 12015 Lee Jackson Memorial Hwy, Suite 225, Fairfax, VA 22033 (office building adjacent to Fair Oaks Mall) to check out the new office location, meet RSVP volunteers and staff, enjoy light refreshments, and assemble a few snack kits for a good cause (supplies provided). Questions? Contact RSVP-Northern Virginia Program Manager, Stacey Iden, siden@volunteerfairfax.org.
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Other: If RSVP volunteers are not interested and/or available to support the above, volunteers are encouraged to review other VolunteerFest service projects and register here.
As an RSVP team, let’s connect and support the mission and work of many great local agencies and nonprofits in Fairfax County through RSVP’s VolunteerFest group service projects – thank you!
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Creative Artistic Volunteers Needed! | |
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Do you have artistic skills that could be used to design or paint a mural in the office of one of the projects coordinated for VolunteerFest? OAR, a local non-profit restorative justice organization providing human services since 1971, is coordinating a painting refresh of their office space on Saturday, September 17 as part of VolunteerFest.
If you have talent and interest, contact RSVP Volunteer Specialist, Karen Coon, kcoon@volunteerfairfax.org for details.
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Volunteers Needed for Northern Virginia Senior Olympics September 10-23, 2022 | |
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NVSO (Northern Virginia Senior Olympics) is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year with a record number of events to promote living healthy longer and volunteers are critical to the success of this large-scale multi-event held September 10-23, 2022.
If you haven’t had the chance to sign up yet as a volunteer, we encourage you to visit the NSVO website at Volunteers - NVSO. The website provides instructions on how to connect directly to the event directors who can share details and their remaining volunteer needs. It’s confirmed that volunteers are still needed for the swimming and track events.
If you have questions or need help navigating the NVSO website, you can reach out to Volunteer Specialist, Karen Coon, kcoon@volunteerfairfax.org.
Being an active volunteer is living a healthy lifestyle. Thank you for your willingness to serve!
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RSVP Volunteers Support a HUGE Collaborative Community Initiative | |
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RSVP volunteers supported Synchrony and hundreds of its volunteers in a hands-on community service initiative called “Synchrony’s Great Giveback” in collaboration with Prince George’s County Public Schools and Volunteer Fairfax, assembling 10,000 empowerment backpacks with school supplies for underserved elementary students. The backpacks, filled with school supplies were distributed in August at PGCPS’s “Back 2 School Drive & Dash” event for students and their families.
RSVP volunteers were involved in prepping the supplies for the backpacks, participating in the event with the Synchrony employees at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center and then supporting PGCPS as they prepared the backpacks for distribution. Students in Prince George’s County are better prepared for the new school year because of the success of this collaborative effort!
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Thank you to our volunteers! | |
Unite through Service on September 11 | |
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"As we commemorate 9/11 Day, let’s ensure that what unites us will always outlast what is trying to divide us."
The tragedy of 9/11 sparked many people to volunteer and serve in their communities. AmeriCorps encourages you to continue to serve in honor of the heroes and the ones that were lost.
Learn more about AmeriCorps and “Unite through Service” here!
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RSVP Virtual Information Session for NEW AmeriCorps Seniors Volunteers | |
Do you know of any friends or family aged 55 and over who would be interested in joining RSVP as an AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer?
Share the links below so they can register for one of RSVP's Virtual Information Sessions:
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Don't Forget Your Waiver ...
We're asking all volunteers who are volunteering in person at any of RSVP's workstations to please submit a waiver prior to volunteering. Click here- Volunteer Waiver to download your waiver.
Please reach out to Volunteer Specialist, Karen Coon, at kcoon@volunteerfairfax.org, with completed waivers, as well as any questions you may have.
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Or Your Timesheets
Why are timesheets the lifeblood of RSVP? Because if we don't get them, we can't submit hours to AmeriCorps Seniors and we don't get funded. It's that simple!
Please submit timesheets to Volunteer Specialist, Karen Coon at kcoon@volunteerfairfax.org
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August & September
Birthdays
Sreekar Achanta, Liwayway Beltran, Elizabeth Boyen, Shelley Brosnan, Cynthia Cadden, Madeline Caporiccio, Sharon Celesnik, Yee-Fong Chen, Donni Clifton, Lou Coglianese, Ann Confer, Thomas Devlin, Randall Eberhard, John Edwards, Joseph Evancho, Khalil Haddad, Diana James, Simon Ju, Dorothy Keenan, Mary Kent, Kenneth Kozloff, Charles Kuhman, Janna Marchione, Kenneth Mass, Doug McDonald, Irene McDonnell, Roger Morie, Robbie Mosley, Jeanne Mussig, Paul Myers, Yolande Nanayakkara, Patricia O'Brien, Marisu O'Neill, Lisa Paulus, Elizabeth Quinn, Kristin Ramkey, Deborah Richlen, Maryann Sabol, Sheila Sandford, Jeff Saxe, Debra Schrack, Joyce Schueftan, Jane Schulman, Teresa Scott, Patricia Shaulis, Lisa Shuman, Holly Thompson, Eva Vandenbos, Carol Wagner, Moira Wait, Louise Williams, D'Nell Williamson, Alfred Wong
This world is a little better because you're in it.
Happy Birthday!
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RSVP-Northern Virginia is a program of AmeriCorps Seniors.
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