By By Rob Paine, RSVP Marketing and Outreach Specialist
Happy New Year!
RSVP-Northern Virginia has put together list of volunteer opportunities and events for January 2020 provided by our partners and friends for our RSVP members. Most are one time events that we hope you will find to be convenient, fun and provide great opportunities to make new friends.
Not a member of RSVP-Northern Virginia yet? If you are 55 or better, please visit www.rsvpnova.org to find a schedule of our upcoming free volunteer info sessions including Wednesday, Jan. 15 in Falls Church and Feb. 3 in McLean.
Spaces still available for special RSVP Lunch & Learn, Jan. 9, sponsored by The Mather in Tysons Corner with Steve Gurney, founder of the Retirement Living SourceBook
Have questions about what is trending in senior living? You will not want to miss our free RSVP Lunch and Learn on January 9.
Steve Gurney, founder of the Retirement Living SourceBook, is our special guest. Sign up now at January Lunch & Learn
Pre-registration is required for this event. Register now at RSVP Lunch and Learn
Attendees must pre-register.
Lunch provided courtesy of our event sponsor, The Mather
RSVP-Northern Virginia and its partners have a variety of volunteer opportunities on the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service, Monday, Jan. 20
In Fairfax….
RSVP-Northern Virginia volunteers will again be providing support to Volunteer Fairfax’s annual Give Together: A Family Volunteer Day, taking place on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – January 20, 2020, at the Pozez Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia in Fairfax.
Give Together is designed to gather families with elementary school-aged children to work on service projects that support local charitable efforts. The event provides parents the opportunity to teach the values of volunteering and giving back to the community.
There will be two special volunteer shifts reserved specifically for RSVP Volunteers only, they are
Shift A : from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and
Shift B :from 11:30 a.m. and to 4:30 p.m.
To sign up for either (or both shifts) please click on the sign up link below
Click here to sign up now to volunteer with RSVP Volunteers at Volunteer Fairfax’s Give Together on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, January 20, 2020
The Pozez Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia if located at 8900 Little River Turnpike, Fairfax, VA, 22031
RSVP volunteers will work with Volunteer Fairfax staff in a variety of roles throughout the day including set-up, take down, registration, agency ambassadors, and helping run project stations.
Give Together is one largest annual volunteer events in Northern Virginia. We look forward to seeing you on Jan. 20, 2020. For more on Give Together, please. visit Volunteer Fairfax Give Together home page.
RSVP at Volunteer Arlington’s MLK Day Event, Jan. 20 : Realizing the Dream : Volunteering in the Spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.
When : Monday, January 20, 2020 – 10:00am to 12:00pm
Where : Washington Liberty High School 1301 N. Stafford Street Arlington, VA 22201
Sign up link :RSVP and Volunteer Arlington MLK
RSVP-Northern Virginia, the region’s largest volunteer group for those 55 “or better,” is proud to again take part in Volunteer Arlington’s annual MLK Day of Service event at 10 a.m., Monday, Jan. 20, 2020, at Washington Liberty High School in Arlington.
Join RSVP as it will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s ideals and vision for public service duing a speial edition of RSVP’s “Art of Volunteering in Retirement” seminar titled “Realizing the Dream : Volunteering in the Spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.”
The event is free and open to the public.
Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about why volunteering with RSVP is “healthy, social, and fun” and how volunteering is part of Dr. King’s vision for public service.
You will learn the benefits of volunteering not only for the people you are helping but for the volunteer. Learn how RSVP can personally help you find your purpose in retirement and how you can serve your community and have fun and make new friends at the same time. Several of RSVP’s Arlingtion Area partners will will talk about their volunteer needs. There will also be a short and fun service project you can take part in.
“Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve.” –Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
To register for this event or to get more information on RSVP, please call RSVP-Northern Virginia Volunteer Specialist Shannon White at 703-403-5360 or visit http://www.rsvpnova.org. RSVP-Northern Virginia is a program of Volunteer Fairfax, Volunteer Arlington and Voluntee Alexandria. You can register online for the seminar by visiting https://volunteer.leadercenter.org/civicrm/volunteer/signup?reset=1&needs[]=1544&dest=list
Volunteer Alexandria MLK Day activities
Martin Luther King Day of Service – Emergency Preparedness Awareness
Senior and youth volunteers are needed to assist with canvassing a local neighborhood in the City of Alexandria to raise awareness about emergency preparedness and distribute materials on Monday, January 20th from 9:30 am – 11:30 am. Lunch will be provided.
A mandatory orientation will be held on Saturday, January 18th from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm., and will include preparing materials for distribution on the day of the event.
For more information, contact Bill Albright, Emergency Preparedness Manager, at emergencyresponse@volunteeralexandria.org or 703-836-2176.
To reach Volunteer Alexandria’s MLK Day events page, please click here.
Help JA spread financial literacy at Finance Park ; Several volunteer shifts available in January and in February
It’s back to school at JA Finance Park in Fairfax this month.
As always JA has a variety of dates available for RSVP volunteers to help guide local eighth graders through JA’s innovative Finance Park in Central Fairfax.
Below is a current list of openings. To sign up for a shift, please contact Patti Senft, Manager, Program Engagement at 703-425-1563 or you can email Patti at patti.senft@ja.org
Opportunities with RSVP partner Fairfax County Volunteer Solutions
Fairfax County Volunteer Solutions has a wide array of volunteer opportunities. Please see a list of current needs below
- Medical Appointment Drivers
- Male respite companion – Saturdays -(Burke) to read to 87-yr-old man from India.
- A female in Fairfax , near Government Center, in her 70’s would like some one to grocery shop for her. More info to come next week.
- A female in her 80’s in Fairfax City would like a friendly visitor once a week.
SENIOR and ADULT DAY HEALTHCARE CENTERS:
Little River Glen Senior Center (4001 Barker Ct, Fairfax)–Flexible schedules
- Entertainers/Musicians – Do you have a talent to share? Want to practice for an audience? (weekdays)
- Gardening volunteer- to help in patio garden. Provide guidance on what to plant/where. Assist center members to plant, other projects as needed. More hours needed in spring/summer. Flexible- weekdays.
- American Sign Language (ASL) instructor- 1 hour/week or less- weekdays.
- Bridge instructor- 1-2 hours/week (or every other week) to teach beginners how to play- weekdays
Pimmit Hills Senior Center (7510 Lisle Ave., Falls Church 22043)
- Zumba Gold- Mondays, 11am-Noon
- Entertainers/Musicians- Do you have a talent to share? Want to practice for an audience? (weekdays)
Sully Senior Center (14426 Albemarle Point Pl, Chantilly, VA 20151)
- Basic Spanish, French and Italian instructors –12:30-2pm (3 instructors)- 1.5 hrs./wk- weekdays.
- ESL instructors- 1-2 hours, weekly, for different levels of ability (beginner, intermediate, etc.), weekdays
- Certified Personal Trainer – 1.5 hrs./wk. to work one-on-one or with group to show how to use equipment in fitness room, weekdays.
Wakefield Senior Center (8100 Braddock Road, Annandale)
- Front desk Greeter- check-in participants. Mon., Tue., Wed.- 9:30-12:30.
- Knitting/Crochet Group leader- Monday, Wed. or Friday, at 10:30 or 1pm, 1-2 hours/week
- Crafts/Jewelry Making Group leader- Weekdays, 1-2 hours/week. Materials provided by center.
- Interactive Game Host- Energetic, fun personality to engage participants in games such as Family Feud, Taboo, Headbandz and more. Weekly or monthly (weekdays).
- Sing-Along Leader- to engage participants in songs. There’s a piano onsite if the volunteer can play. Not a requirement. 1 hour/month (weekdays).
- Fitness instructors- various types, flexible (weekdays).
For more information on volunteering with Volunteer Solutions via RSVP, please contact Shannon at 703-403-5360.
Love nature? Become a volunteer Roving Trail Naturalist at Huntley Meadows Park
Huntley Meadows Park, part of the Fairfax County Park Authority, is beginning to recruit for its new Roving Trail Naturalist volunteer positions. The volunteer Roving Trail Naturalists will be out on the park’s trails and boardwalks for several hours at a time with bio-facts, binoculars or scopes and will be engaging visitors with current events and wildlife sightings in the wetland.
A full description can be found at Huntley Meadows Park Volunteer Opportunities.
For more information please contact Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator Halley Johnson at 703-768-2525.
Volunteer at Fairfax County Park Authority’s Green Spring Gardens
For more information please contact, Loredana Calin, the parks’ volunteer coordinator, at 703-642-5173 or you can email her at Loredana.Calin@fairfaxcounty.gov
New Hope Housing Urgent Volunteer Need
The First Christian Church on Leesburg Pike runs a drop-in program for those in need every Thursday from about 9am-2pm. It’s called Safe Haven and New Hope Housing collaborates with the church to put it on.
Safe Haven has a need for more volunteers to help out in the kitchen and with their clothing closet. It is a good group of people with a very friendly, service-oriented atmosphere. To volunteer with this project, please contact Leo Patrician at lpatrician@newhopehousing.org
More about RSVP-Northern Virginia
RSVP-Northern Virginia, the largest volunteer group for seniors and retirees in the region, offers more than 300 meaningful, fun and social opportunities that include helping seniors age in place, assisting local food pantries, supporting local parks and teaching financial literacy.
RSVP also recruits volunteers for various community events including the annual Northern Virginia Senior Olympics.
RSVP volunteers have more than 300 opportunities to choose from including supporting the Northern Virginia Senior Olympics each September.
RSVP volunteers enjoy flexible schedules, free accident and liability insurance while serving, optional mileage and meal reimbursement and are also invited to monthly volunteer group service projects, free training and enrichment classes and social gatherings.
To learn more about RSVP, please visit http://www.rsvpnova.org or call Shannon at 703-403-5360. RSVP-Northern Virginia is a program of Volunteer Fairfax, Volunteer Alexandria and Volunteer Arlington.
