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December/January
RSVP News & Opportunities
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Holiday Guide: Community Volunteer & Donation Needs | |
Volunteer Fairfax has compiled a list of current volunteer opportunities and donation needs throughout partner organizations in the community. Please click on the button to find ways that you, your family, and your friends can serve and support local needs during the holiday season.
Please note that NV-RSVP volunteers are encouraged to connect with volunteer opportunities that include the NV-RSVP honeybee logo.
These opportunities support NV-RSVP volunteer stations where volunteer hours can be counted toward AmeriCorps grant goals. NV-RSVP volunteers should record and submit monthly volunteer service hours to Volunteer Specialist, Karen Coon, at kcoon@volunteerfairfax.org.
Following the holiday season and into the new year, NV-RSVP will continue to provide similar opportunity resources for volunteers.
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2023 MLK Day of Service: United We Serve | |
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The Martin Luther King, Jr., National Day of Service is a defining moment each year when people across the country step up to make communities more equitable and take action to create the Beloved Community of Dr. King’s dream. His example is our call to action.
On Monday, January 16, 2023, and the days leading up to this day of service, NV-RSVP invites you to participate in the annual Valentine’s Challenge to create hand-crafted cards that express our LOVE to older adults in the community who are facing isolation. Plan to participate in one of the following ways.
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Cards & Cocoa Conversations:
For those who enjoy a smaller and more personal setting, while it’s cold outside, visit RSVP’s new office and sip on some hot cocoa while enjoying the company of other RSVP volunteers as we craft Valentine’s cards together. All are welcome and crafting expertise is not necessary! Bring a friend or neighbor to join us so that we can share and celebrate with them the impact that our RSVP volunteers have on the community.
Come and go as it suits your schedule during these dates/times:
Friday, January 6, 1-3 p.m. and Wednesday, January 11, 10 a.m.-noon
Location: Volunteer Fairfax/RSVP Office, 12015 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway, Fairfax, Virginia
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MLK Day Valentine's Challenge:
For those interested in participating in a larger community adult only MLK Day event, join us at the Fairfax County Fire Department, Station #3, to craft Valentine’s cards with RSVP volunteers and other adult volunteers from the larger community. We hope to recruit 150 volunteers to support this project and encourage your participation and that of your friends, family, and neighbors.
Date: Monday, January 16,
9:30 a.m.- noon
Location: Station #3, 4081 University Drive, Fairfax, Virginia
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For active RSVP volunteers, this is a way to show your continued commitment to making an impact on our community. For RSVP volunteers who may have been inactive because of the pandemic or for other reasons, this is an opportunity to recommit and reconnect to serving others in the new year.
Respond to Karen Coon at kcoon@volunteerfairfax.org to indicate your interest in participation. Further details will be provided as we continue planning and determining volunteer interest. Remember, adult friends, family members, or neighbors are welcome as together we strengthen ties to our communities and one another!
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Updates: Timesheet/Annual Update Form
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As we move into 2023 the NV-RSVP team is updating our database and our methods of capturing the impact our volunteers have on the people they are serving. As we make these changes you will receive two new documents 1) an updated time sheet and 2) an Annual RSVP Volunteer Update form.
The updated timesheet has been created as a fillable PDF form to ensure a simple and efficient process to report your hours. Please note two significant changes on the timesheet. 1) The timesheet will no longer be used to capture the number of individuals impacted as we will work with each volunteer station to gather this information, and 2) Though all the ways you serve as a volunteer are important, we will no longer track your volunteer hours with organizations that are not part of the RSVP program and partnerships.
The Volunteer Update Form will be sent out on an annual basis every January to ensure we have current volunteer information. This first update is critical as our records have not been updated on a consistent basis; therefore, we are asking all volunteers to complete this form.
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Good communication with our RSVP volunteers is important to us and we are looking for feedback on how best to find success in sharing information with you. While data suggests that older adults rely on email and Facebook as primary means of communication and connection, there are certainly other popular media sites and platforms that can be used.
On Tuesday, January 24 at 1:30 p.m., NV-RSVP volunteers are invited to participate in a Zoom call to learn more about various tools available to us, i.e., Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Twitter, blogs, etc. Kat Williams, our new Communications & Outreach Coordinator, will provide an overview of some of these popular tools and how our industry views and uses them. We will then participate together in a conversation as we listen and learn from our volunteers as to how we foresee any of these tools being used in tandem with emails and newsletters to communicate with you. We also hope to gain an understanding of what type of content our volunteers want and need.
Your input is important to us as we communicate with you in the new year! Please click on the EventBrite link to reserve your spot and let us know you will be joining us. If you have questions, please reach out to Kat Williams, kwilliams@volunteerfairfax.org.
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Your NV-RSVP team is excited to have office space where we can invite and welcome RSVP volunteers and the community to visit with us. The NV-RSVP team, as part of Volunteer Fairfax, has moved to a hybrid-work model in the new year where team members will combine virtual and in-office work each week. As we gradually adjust to the new space and a hybrid model, Wednesdays have been designated as weekly office days where NV-RSVP team members will be together in the office. | |
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Beginning Wednesday, January 4, the office, located at 12015 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway, Fairfax, Virginia, will be open during business hours, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Wednesdays.
- If you want to connect in-person and meet with a specific team member, reach out to us and we will schedule a time to connect on a Wednesday at the office.
- If you want to visit the office and connect with the team and other RSVP volunteers for fellowship and engagement, plan to visit the office on the third Wednesday of each month sometime between 1-3 p.m. for light refreshments and to assist with a service-type task or project.
- If you want to serve in a volunteer capacity as an office support person on a Wednesday, let us know and we will coordinate with you.
We welcome the opportunity to engage with you in our new space and hope that you will stop by to connect with us! Questions? Contact Karen Coon, kcoon@volunteerfairfax.org.
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Did you know that NV-RSVP is a federally funded grant program as part of AmeriCorps Seniors, and that we have a goal to engage over 200 volunteers in supporting community needs in the Fairfax, Alexandria, and Arlington areas? Did you know that RSVP volunteers provide time and talents to organizations that focus on nutrition/food support, financial literacy education, tutoring, companionship, transportation, and other community priorities?
As we embrace the new year and work toward meeting the goals of the grant, NV-RSVP is busy evaluating our processes and programs to determine the best strategies to move us forward. In the coming months, you may see some changes in our approach and know that we are committed to communicating the why and how with you.
NV-RSVP found success both pre-pandemic and during the pandemic with our volunteers and community support, and we are in a wonderful position now, post-pandemic, to define the future of our RSVP program. The team is excited and encouraged to continue along the journey with you!
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Compete in the 60/60 Challenge | |
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Join us in collecting and donating 60 lbs. of food in 60 days during the months of January and February. Organize a food drive with your neighborhood, your church, your activity groups, with anyone you can to beat the challenge! Once you have your 60 lbs. of food, drop your donation off at Food for Others and get a donation receipt with your name and total poundage of food donated. Each pound of food counts as 1 minute donated towards food collection! We need 30 people to donate 60 lbs. of food to equal 30 hours of volunteer time spent towards food collection.
Help us to meet our grant goals by committing to the challenge! Contact Karen Coon to sign up and for more information. kcoon@volunteerfairfax.org
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Holiday Gratitude: Giving and Living | |
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There is a quote that suggests that for some persons, volunteering is not just a way of giving, but a way of living. The NV-RSVP team is humbled and appreciative of the way that our RSVP volunteers live lives that contribute and have a valuable and empowering impact on others throughout our communities.
There is no better gift to give than one that benefits humanity and makes a profound difference on others. It is with sincere gratitude that we thank our volunteers for their generosity and service during this holiday season!
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RSVP Virtual Information Session for NEW AmeriCorps Seniors Volunteers | |
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Is there a friend, neighbor, or family member, age 55+, with whom we can share the impact that RSVP volunteers have on the community and encourage their participation with us?
Be sure to promote the next new volunteer information sessions scheduled as follows:
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