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| RSVP-Northern Virginia Newsletter |
November 2017
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In This Issue:
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We need you to invite a friend! |
 November Group Service Projec
t
RSVP volunteers will make winter survival kits to gift to Fairfax County seniors during the holiday season. We need volunteers to assist with assembling kits. As the days get colder, let's spread the warmth in our community!
When: Wednesday, November 15 from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Where: Pennino Building, Room 503 (5th floor), 12011 Government Center Pkwy, Fairfax, VA 22035
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Holiday Project
Come out to the Burke Health and Rehabilitation center for our Holiday Project! We will be doing a Thanksgiving themed craft and visiting with the residents. We will be in the Day Room on the second floor.
Come join us!
When: Saturday, November 11 from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Where: Burke Health and Rehabilitation, 9640 Burke Lake Road, Burke, VA 22015
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Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program
Each tax season, VITA volunteers all over the country prepare federal and state tax returns for low-income families.
RSVP is partnering with VITA to hold a free info session about the program and
how you can get involved! Click here to sign up!
When: Wednesday, November 1 from 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Where:
Thomas Jefferson Library,
7415 Arlington Blvd,
Falls Church, VA 22042
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Celebrate Centenarians
Celebrate Centenarians is an annual luncheon event dedicated to recognizing and honoring those who have lived 100+ remarkable years in the Northern Virginia Region. Lunch and event is sponsored by Elder Tree. All Centenarians and their families are welcome. Tickets are free for the Centenarian and two guests.
Click here to register.
When: Tuesday, November 7 from 12 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Where: The Fairfax at Belvoir Woods,
9140 Belvoir Woods Pkwy, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060
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Capital Caring Passion for Gala 2017
Capital Caring is looking for volunteers for their 40th Anniversary annual fundraiser. Each year, the funds raised at the gala support their Patient Care Fund, bereavement program, TeleCaring, inpatient centers' expenses, and other innovative programs that make their care truly world-class.
Logistics, Packing, Materials Gathering - 2
people needed
These folks will assist staff in gathering/packing items to be transported to MGM.
When: Friday, November 10 from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Where: Capital Caring Merrifield Office,
2900 Telestar Ct, Falls Church, VA 22042
Auction Set-Up
- 10 people needed
Volunteers will arrive in advance of the event to set up auction displays for approximately 100 items. We are looking for folks who enjoy "staging" and are good with details (in order to match items with descriptions). The work entails set-up of items ranging from certificates to large items, so it would be helpful to have 1-2 people who can lift heavier things. The auction set-up crew will not attend the gala event later that evening, however the crew will be served light refreshments and lunch. Dress code: casual.
When: Saturday, November 11 from 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Where: MGM National Harbor Resort Hotel, Grand Ballroom, 101 MGM National Ave., Oxon Hill, MD 20745
Table Set-Up
- 8 people needed
We are looking for a team of people to organize items and place them on the dinner tables (goody bags, program books, etc.). We will be working around the schedule of the MGM Resort Hotel service staff, so part of the job will be to "hurry up and wait" until the place settings are out before moving to set up the items. Dress code: casual.
When: Saturday, November 11 from 2 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Where: MGM National Harbor Resort Hotel, Grand Ballroom, 101 MGM National Ave., Oxon Hill, MD 20745
If you are interested in helping with any of these events, please contact RSVP Volunteer Specialist, Carly Hubicki, at
[email protected] or 703-403-5360.
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Free Luncheon and Speaker with Shepherd's Center of Fairfax-Burke
Learn about serving older adults in our community, as a volunteer!
Join us for a free luncheon sponsored by the Shepherd's Center of Fairfax-Burke. There will be door prizes and a guest speaker from the Consumer Affairs Department of Fairfax County speaking on consumer fraud, scams, and other consumer issues. There is free parking. Please call
703-799-0505 or email
[email protected] to reserve your spot by November 8!
When: Tuesday, November 14 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Where:
Mt. Vernon District's Supervisor's Office, Community Room, 2511 Parker's Lane, Mt. Vernon, VA 22306
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Holiday Volunteer Opportunities 
We are in need of volunteers for a few events around the holidays.
When: November 24, December 14 & 17 at various times
Where: Various locations throughout Northern Virginia
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Tracing Your Family Roots through Genealogy
Have you ever wanted to know more about your ancestors and to learn how you can explore the exciting history
of your family tree?
Come join professional genealogist Sharon Hodges in a discussion on ways to explore and create your family history, including an interactive exercise on how to get started! Please RSVP here or by calling (703) 836 4414 ext. 110. This is a free event with a light breakfast.
When: Wednesday, November 15 from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Where: Beatley Central Library, 5005 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22304
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RSVP Workstation Close Up
Meet Danica Hawkins at United Community Ministries!
"The best part about the RSVP program is we have people who have worked and have these lovely hobbies, skills, activities and passions who have the time and motivation to really help out and give back," says Danica Hawkins,
Volunteer and Community Relations Coordinator for United Community Ministries of Alexandria, on why RSVP is such a good source for great volunteers.
Danica, who started working for UCM earlier this year, says about RSVP volunteers' strengths, "you are talking about people who not only have different work experiences that they can share but also life experience."
UCM is a community-based, non-profit organization that provides comprehensive social services for Mount Vernon's vulnerable children, youth, and families in southeastern Fairfax County, mostly along the Route 1 Corridor, which runs from Alexandria to Fort Belvoir.
UCM offers a wide range of opportunities for RSVP volunteers who have a variety of interests, skills and schedules. Danica points to needs at the UCM early learning center as an example.
"We have an early learning center with kids six weeks to five-years old," she says. "Volunteers can come in for only 20 minutes or for the entire day, holding our kids, interacting and helping implement some of the teaching plans." She says UCM also has more long term volunteer commitments as well.
The holiday season is a busy time at UCM. In addition to its ongoing programs, UCM also runs an annual Holiday Gift Room. Last year, donations of nearly 10,000 toys, books, games, clothing, and other gifts ensured a joy-filled holida
y season for
more than 1,200 area children.
Address
ing fo
od in
security is a major component of the UCM program.
"We serve 80-100 families and individuals eve
ry single day. We ser
ve thousands every year." In addition to looking for volunteers at the food bank, Danica says s
he is always lookin
g for people to organize more food drives, especially after the holiday season is over, when activity may slow down but the need does not.
76,000 people
are food insecure in Fairfax, Danica says. "Food Insecurity is a huge issue, not just in Fairfax County, but w
e have the highest concentration here in the Route One Corridor." Danica shared that 30,000 of them (the 76,000) a
re kids that don't know where their next meal is going to come from. "If you want to help out in the UCM food pantr
y, the only requirements are that you have some time and a pair of sneakers," Danica says.
To learn more
about UCM volunteer opportunities available through RSVP Northern Virginia, please visit the
RSVP Northern Virginia YouTube page
on Tuesday, Nov. 7 to hear a podcast interview featuring Danica. You will also find the podcast on the RSVP North
ern Virginia Facebook page starting the same day.
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RSVP Podcast
RSVP Northern Virginia is proud to present its very first Podcast!
Go to our website to check them out!
Every Tuesday there will be a new RSVP Podcast. Our first three focus on details about the RSVP program and our next three will be interviews with RSVP volunteers and workstations. Do you have a suggestion for an upcoming Podcast? Do you have a question about volunteering that you would like to hear answered during a Podcast? Please be sure to email all your Podcast suggestions and questions to RSVP Outreach Assistant, Rob Paine, at
[email protected]
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| Timesheet Submissions
Please remember to submit your October 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. We have deactivated all access to the Volunteer Information Center page as we are working to be in compliance with our new policies. Please continue to submit your volunteer hours by email. Thank you for understanding. If you have any questions, please contact Carly Hubicki at [email protected] or 703-403-5360.
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Welcome New RSVP Volunteers!
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Invite a Friend or Group!
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Corinne Mertes
Yvonne Evans
Paul Myers
Elise Cutler
Helen Kinlan
Sara DeWalt
Christine Gill
Angeline Barnes
Nancy Dungan
Patrice Keegan
Barbara Seva
Margaret Ream
Andree Nam
Denise Groppe
Kathryn Campbell
Alexandra Roncal
Alice Ess
Vicki Nashwinter
Lanteta Hunter
Nancy Jo Nelson
Buzz Guroff
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Help us grow our volunteer community. Invite friends and neighbors to get involved with RSVP!
Did you know?
RSVP has added a service component to our orientations. We'd love for you to come to an orientation and share your experience while participating in a selected quick service project. If you are interested in participating outside of the orientations please contact us at
[email protected]!
Upcoming Lunch & Learns:
For those who volunteer, research shows that there are health benefits to the person helping, as well as the person being helped. Join RSVP Northern Virginia for a lunch and learn on how volunteerism benefits the 55+ population and local resources available in our community. The event is free, open to the public, and lunch will be provided.
Know an organization or club that would like an
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Policy Update
Thank you again for all that you have done for our community through your dedicated service!
As you may already know, RSVP-NV recently completed a federal compliance visit. As a result, we have been asked to implement a couple of new policies in order to comply with federal grant regulations:
1)
All RSVP volunteers will need to have their age verified
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To comply, an RSVP staffer needs to view an official ID. None of your private information will be publicly shared in the process.
2)
All RSVP volunteers will need to provide car insurance and beneficiary information.
RSVP is required to provide insurance coverage to volunteers while traveling to/from our workstations and while serving. To comply with this regulation, we will need to see proof of car insurance (if you are a driver) and document the name of your selected primary beneficiary.
To accomplish the above, please visit RSVP at 10530 Page Avenue in Fairfax, Monday through Friday,
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. OR, attend an upcoming RSVP event and request that the RSVP staff person verify your information on the spot. If you require alternate arrangements, please contact us directly.
Please remember you will need your state issued driver's license/ID or passport, as well as car insurance information.
To continue as an RSVP volunteer, please plan to become verified by December 31, 2017. Thank you to all who have already done so! And, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.
Thank you again for your service and for your help with compliance!
Nadia Hoonan
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Want to stay connected with the RSVP-Northern Virginia community? "Like" us on Facebook to get the latest on upcoming service projects and to show your support for volunteer impact!
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Don't forget to visit your local volunteer center's website for additional opportunities!
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Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved.
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