A blog about great senior volunteers in Northern Virginia making a difference
Holiday Basket Group Service Project, Nov. 23 in Reston No one should go hungry during Thanksgiving, for many though, enjoying a holiday dinner is not a given. Help us assist Cornerstones with sorting food for holiday baskets so everyone will have a happy and bountiful turkey day. When: Saturday, November 23 9:30 AM to 2:30
The RSVP-Northern Virginia team is happy to present it’s 2019 Holiday Volunteering Guide! Each holiday season RSVP-Northern Virginia assembles a special offering of holiday season volunteer experiences for its hundreds of volunteers that take place across the region from Alexandria to Reston. We hope you will find an opportunity that will suite your interests and schedule. One
The new RSVP e-news is out! You can read it by clicking November 2019 RSVP Update This monthly newsletter will keep you up to date on everything RSVP. It includes a Quick-Click section where you can easily sign up for an upcoming group service project or event. If you are not currently on our email
Story and Photos by Rob Paine, RSVP-Northern Virginia marketing and outreach specialist “Volunteering is a good way to keep social,” says RSVP-Northern Virginia volunteer and engagement leader Sue Dussinger of Alexandria. “I have never in my life been a real ‘joiner’ but once you get into it (volunteering) you can’t stop. I love interacting with
RSVP-Northern Virginia is offering a free seminar titled “The Art of Volunteering in Retirement,” Monday,Nov. 18, at 1:30 p.m., at the James Lee Community Center in Falls Church. The one-hour event is free and open to the public. You can register online now at RSVP November 18 Seminar Sign up or you can register by calling Shannon
By Rob Paine, RSVP Marketing and Outreach Specialist Welcome to November! November is a month during which we express gratitude for our veterans (Veterans Day is Nov. 11) and then of give thanks on Thanksgiving. RSVP-Northern Virginia has put together list of volunteer opportunities for November and into holiday season provided by our partners and
RSVP-Northern Virginia is proud to introduce its new volunteer specialist, Shannon White of Alexandria. “We are excited to have Shannon on our team,” said RSVP Program Manager Brandi Morris. “She not only has a wealth of experience in volunteer recruitment and management, she also has a deep understanding of the community’s needs and the critical
RSVP-Northern Virginia is offering a free seminar titled “The Art of Volunteering in Retirement,” Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 10:30 a.m., at the Capital Caring Halquist Center in Arlington. The one-hour event is free and open to the public. You can register online now at https://conta.cc/2lYw7VG RSVP, the region’s largest volunteer network for those 55-years-old or
The 2019 Northern Virginia Senior Olympics kicked off in grand style, Saturday, Sept. 14, in Arlington . RSVP-Northern Virginia and The Northern Virginia Senior Olympics would like to thank all of the volunteers who started arriving a little after dawn Saturday to make the NVSO’s opening day a great success. To see more of
By Rob Paine, RSVP Northern Virginia Outreach and Marketing Specialist Lead photo by Bob Baker RSVP-Northern Virginia volunteer Ken Kozloff doesn’t just enjoy leaving his comfort zone, he thrives on it. Ken Kozloff began his volunteer career before retirement. The Springfield, Va., resident who turned 72 in August, says he had no experience working with
There is still time to register to support the largest annual senior event in the area, the 2019 Northern Virginia Senior Olympics. There are about a dozen opportunities available for the NVSO’s opening day on Sept. 14 and several spots open for its swimming event the following Friday. All volunteers will receive a free event
Volunteers are needed for the annual Virginia Native American Festival held at RSVP-Northern Virginia partner Riverbend Park in Great Falls,Saturday, September 7th. It is Riverbend’s biggest event of the year and volunteer support will be essential. To volunteer, register here! https://volunteer.fairfaxcounty.gov/custom/1380/#/opp_details/179833 The park will again be providing a shuttle from Colvin Run Mill to the
The RSVP-Northern Virginia Monthly e-news update for September has been published. If you did not receive your copy in your email, you can view it right here The RSVP Update is one of the best ways to keep abreast of everything RSVP! This month’s issue includes a quick click list of volunteer opportunities, the
RSVP-Northern Virginia is still seeking volunteers for several events at the 2019 NVSO
RSVP-Northern Virginia partner Green Spring Gardens is seeking volunteers to support the park’s annual Fall Garden Day, taking place Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019.
Last year Doris Woodring was the NVSO’s oldest competitor and oldest gold medal winner at 108. She turned 109 in June and is currently honing her game to repeat her gold medal performance in Mexican Train Dominoes, September 19th, in Falls Church. Click photo for full story.
Photos by RSVP-Northern Virginia Volunteer Engagement Leader Lou Coglianese Thank you to the two dozen RSVP volunteers who filled the halls and conference room of Volunteer Fairfax in Fairfax City Saturday morning, packing backpacks for local school children during RSVP’s monthly group service project performed in support of RSVP partner FACETS’ Back to School
Story by Rob Paine This story originally appeared in the Senior section of the Fairfax County Times, July 26, 2019 A bocce bug leads a former Capitol policeman to six gold medals Retired U.S. Capitol policeman Nick Garito of Fairfax first caught the bocce bug at a festival in Rockville twelve years ago. Upon his
Have you just retired or about to retire and wondering, what am I going to do with the rest of my life? RSVP-Northern Virginia can help you find the answer. RSVP-Northern Virginia will hold a free seminar on volunteering in retirement at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 14, at the Charles E. Beatley Library in Alexandria.The
RSVP-Northern Virginia would like to extend its deepest condolences to the family and friends of James MacKenzie,Jr., who passed away July 5, 2019, at the age of 65. Several staff members from RSVP as well as many of our volunteers had the incredible good fortune and pleasure to work with Jim who was chair of
Where were you on July 20, 1969? This weekend (along with everyone) RSVP-Northern Virginia celebrates the 50th anniversary of one of the crowning achievements in history, putting a human on the moon. During President John F. Kennedy’s famous speech at at Rice University, September 12, 1962, when he said the U.S. would put a man
July may be almost half over, but RSVP-Northern Virginia still has a variety of opportunities available for you before August begins. In case you may have missed it, here is a link to our July RSVP e-news . This month’s edition not only has features on the great work our volunteers have done but includes a
With heavy hearts, the staff and volunteers at RSVP-Northern Virginia, Volunteer Fairfax, Volunteer Arlington and Volunteer Alexandria and its partners, sends its deepest condolences to RSVP volunteer Carol Campbell and her family and friends. Carol’s husband Gene Campbell of Alexandria, also an RSVP volunteer, passed away July 1, 2019, at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington,
In case you were not up early Sunday morning listening to iHeart’s radio’s great line up of community programming, here is your chance to listen to a replay of the show that features Nick Garito, a gold medalist with the Northern Virginia Senior Olympics and RSVP’s and the NVSO’s Rob Paine being interviewed by Bernie
RSVP-Northern Virginia and The Northern Virginia Senior Olympics are again partnering to offer Northern Virginia seniors an outstanding opportunity to make new friends and stay both mentally and physically active while inspiring others to lead a healthy lifestyle. RSVP volunteer and NVSO gold medal diver Carol Mackela is featured in a new Fairfax County Channel
The Northern Virginia Senior Olympics, a partner of RSVP-Northern Virginia, is seeking more than 100 volunteers (ages 16 and up) to support the 2019 games which run Sept. 14-28. The NVSO takes place at 25 venues located across Northern Virginia. More than 800 competitors (who are all 50 or better) will take part in more
Want to see public health emergency response in action and help your community? Want to see public health emergency response in action and help your community? Volunteer to participate in Capital Fortitude, a full-scale emergency exercise designed to evaluate the National Capital Region’s ability to dispense medication quickly in response to an anthrax attack. To
In our newest RSVP podcast, RSVP-Northern Virginia volunteer Mike McLaughlin of Fairfax Station, VA., talks with Rob Paine of RSVP about how RSVP helped him make the transition from the corporate world to volunteering in retirement. Photos and story by Rob Paine, RSVP-Northern Virginia To listen to short RSVP podcast featuring Mike talking with Rob
RSVP-Northern Virginia will hold a seminar on volunteering in retirement, Tuesday, July 16, at 10:30 a.m., at the American Red Cross National Capital Region office in Fairfax. The one-hour event is free and open to the public. To sign up for the July 16 info session, you can sign up online by clicking July 16
Seventeen enthusiastic and energetic RSVP-Northern Virginia volunteers hit the ground digging Thursday morning, June 6, at the Fairfax County Park Authority’s Green Spring Gardens Park, located between Annandale and Alexandria in Fairfax County. Story & photos by Rob Paine, RSVP-Northern Virginia Outreach and Marketing Specialist The volunteers spent three hours clearing brush and weeds from
RSVP honored its volunteers on Tuesday at the beautiful Burke Lake Park where RSVP held its annual Volunteer Recognition event. Thirty volunteers who donated a grand total of 4,000 hours of their time and talents over the past 12 months were recognized with The President’s Volunteer Service Award. Congratulations to all of our President’s Volunteer
RSVP-Northern Virginia would like to congratulate the OLLI-Mason photo club for winning the Adult Volunteer Group Award during the 2019 Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards breakfast held, Wednesday, April 24, in Springfield. The Photography Club at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at George Mason University provides free services to nonprofit community organizations and events
Photos and story by Rob Paine, RSVP-Northern Virginia You don’t have to sell Shelley Brosnan on the concept that volunteers make a difference. She’s seen it first-hand. Shortly after becoming a member of RSVP-Northern Virginia three years ago, the retired senior business administrator was staffing an outreach table at the annual 50+ Expo held in
RSVP-Northern Virginia would like to welcome The American Red Cross of the National Capital Region as its newest work station partner! Based in Merrifield, Va., The American Red Cross of the National Capital Region offers a variety of volunteer opportunities to RSVP members including those that support the Red Cross’ disaster response work, its administrative
RSVP-Northern Virginia would like to thank all of the members of The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at George Mason University who attended “The Value and Benefits of Volunteering in Retirement” held last Friday at OLLI’s Tallwood campus in Fairfax. This special seminar hosted at OLLI-Mason was a joint project produced by RSVP-Northern Virginia and Fairfax
Story and Photos by Rob Paine, staff, RSVP-Northern Virginia When Beverly Ritz retired, she says, “I found I needed something, I need to do something.” Throughout her career, working most recently with Delta Airlines, the Arlington resident discovered she enjoyed working with seniors, but beyond work and raising a family, “there just did not seem
Welcome to our newest RSVP-Northern Virginia podcast featuring an interview with Kristen Suthers Rumrill, PhD, MPH, (shown in photo above) who is the project coordinator for the Mason Music and Memory Initiative at George Mason University in Fairfax. You can listen to the entire podcast by clicking here. The goal of the Mason Music & Memory
Photos and story by Rob Paine, RSVP-Northern Virginia RSVP-Northern Virginia is partnering with the Giant at Penrose Square in Arlington, to present a free nutrition seminar for seniors, Tuesday, March 26, 2019, at 10:30 a.m. The store is located at 2501 9th Road South, Arlington, VA, 22204. Free parking is available. RSVP (Retired and Senior
March offers many opportunities for RSVP-Northern Virginia volunteers to support the great work being done at Finance Park in Fairfax. Junior Achievement, an organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy, has just released its list of volunteer openings for March at Finance Park, conveniently located in Central Fairfax. If you have
Our RSVP-Northern Virginia volunteer photography corps swung into action again on the Martin Luther King Jr., National Day of Service. Our volunteer photographers (consisting mostly of RSVP volunteers who are members of the photo club at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at George Mason University) did another fantastic job of documenting volunteers making a difference at
Story and Photos by Rob Paine, RSVP-Northern Virginia “The reason I love RSVP volunteers is because you guys have the work ethic and you have the life experience and the understanding; you know that everything is not black and white, there is a lot of grey. You bring that welcomed experience and knowledge from not
Story and Photos by Rob Paine, RSVP-Northern Virginia RSVP-Northern Virginia would like to thank Giant in-store registered nutritionist Marissa Donovan, MS, RD, LDN, for the informative seminar she lead earlier this month at the University Mall Giant on Braddock Road in Fairfax for RSVP volunteers. More than a dozen current and prospective RSVP volunteers took
RSVP-Northern Virginia, and The Northern Virginia Senior Olympics would like to thank everyone who took part in our joint volunteer info session, this morning at Oak Marr RECenter. More than 20 people took part in the event which highlighted volunteer openings at the NVSO, which will tentatively open its 2019 games, Saturday, Sept. 14. Roger
Thank you to all the wonderful RSVP-Northern Virginia volunteers who helped make events taking place in and around Monday’s Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service a big success. As RSVP-Northern Virginia is a program of Volunteer Fairfax, Volunteer Arlington and Volunteer Alexandria, our volunteers and staff were mobilized to MLK Day weekend projects
RSVP-Northern Virginia and the Northern Virginia Senior Olympics will hold a joint volunteer info session, Tuesday, Jan. 29, at 10 a.m., at the Oak Marr RECenter in Oakton, to recruit volunteers for the 2019 senior games planning committee. To sign up for the Jan. 29th orientation, email RSVP Volunteer Specialist Carly Hubicki at chubicki@volunteerfairfax.org or
RSVP teaming up with Chesterbrook Residences in Falls Church to spread love to local seniors for Valentine’s Day RSVP Northern Virginia is excited to announce the date for its 2nd annual Valentine’s Day Meet & Greet, titled “Spread the Love with RSVP,” which will take place Tuesday, Feb. 12 at Chesterbrook Residences in Falls Church. Check out
It’s awards season! From the Golden Globes to the Oscars, outstanding artists are being recognized for their great work. Locally, RSVP-Northern Virginia sponsors’ Volunteer Fairfax, Volunteer Arlington and Volunteer Alexandria recognize those who excel in the art of making a difference: our volunteers. This week Volunteer Fairfax opened nominations for the 2019 Fairfax County Volunteer
RSVP-Northern Virginia is offering a free seminar titled “The Art of Volunteering in Retirement,” Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 10:30 a.m., at the South County Government Center in the Alexandria Area of Fairfax. The one-hour event is free and open to the public. You can register for this free event online by clicking RSVP Dec.
RSVP-Northern Virginia is offering a free seminar titled “The Art of Volunteering in Retirement,” Thursday, Dec. 5, at 2:00 p.m.,at the American Red Cross National Capital Region Building in Fairfax. The one-hour event is free and open to the public. You can register for this free event online by clicking RSVP Dec. 5 Art
By Rob Paine, RSVP Marketing and Outreach Specialist There is still a good part of November remaining and RSVP and its partners have plenty of social and convenient volunteer opportunities available. Below are a list of some of these offerings. Not a member of RSVP-Northern Virginia yet? If you are 55 or better, please visit
With respect, honor and gratitude: Thank You Veterans! An extra special thank you to our fire and rescue department personnel, career, volunteer and civilian staff that are military veterans. via Thank You Veterans! —
Today RSVP-Northern Virginia would like to salute all of our veterans and their families who have sacrificed so much to keep our country safe. An additional tip of the hat to all the veterans who continue to serve our country as volunteers including the many veterans who are members of RSVP-Northern Virginia. RSVP offers volunteer opportunities
Are you 55 or better, living in Northern Virginia and looking for volunteer experiences that are healthy, social, fun and convenient? Take a look at this 60 second video and find out why so many seniors and retirees in Northern Virginia are joining RSVP. For more info or to sign up for one of
