RSVP Digest

Escambia County


March 2023

Volume 1: Issue 9


United We Serve

Janet McCoy, RSVP Manager

This month we are celebrating AmeriCorps Week which is March 12-18. This is a time to recognize and give thanks to AmeriCorps members including those involved with the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP).

AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP members raise their hands to help when the need arises. They are often the first on the ground and last to leave—making sure to leave their project sites better than they found them.

 

Service brings people together and builds bridges of hope. That is what our RSVP members and volunteer stations do each and every day! We are strengthening civic engagement, addressing some of the nation’s most pressing challenges, and improving our neighbors’ lives.

 

I am grateful for each and every one of our RSVP volunteers who mentor children, support soldiers and sailors, prepare taxes, greet clients, sort donations, deliver books, and so much more. You are making our community a better place to live. THANK YOU!

Upcoming Lunch and Learn

Prescription Drug Safety for Seniors


RSVP members and their guests 55 and better are invited to a Lunch and Learn event at CDAC Behavioral HealthCare on Thursday, March 30. The two-hour program will begin at 11:00 a.m. at 3804 North 9th Avenue.


Denise Manassa, Director of Community Prevention, will present a workshop on how to avoid becoming a statistic by safely handling your prescription and over-the-counter medications.


Click the button for more information and to pre-register for the event via Get Connected. Don't have a "Get Connected" account? Email the RSVP Manager.

Pre-Registration

Station Spotlight: USO Northwest Florida

Photo: March 30 at Pensacola International Airport

Left to Right: Tracey Castillo, Nicole Boonmast, and Luke Price - USO Northwest Florida


RSVP members and guests had an opportunity to meet staff members from the USO Northwest Florida at a recent Lunch and Learn event. The presentation focused on how the USO provides a "home away from home" no matter where service members are stationed.


Participants also learned about the three USO Service Centers in Escambia County. Each center is unique providing similar but somewhat different volunteering opportunities.


The USO is an official partner with Escambia County's RSVP. If you want to volunteer there, start by completing an online profile for your preferred USO location. Note: Select your preferred option but realize you can volunteer at all three sites after orientation and training.



After your profile has been submitted and reviewed, someone from the USO will reach out and invite you to a face-to-face orientation session. Then you will "shadow" an experienced volunteer to become familiar with a service center and your responsibilities. Also, please email the RSVP Manager so she knows you have applied to volunteer at the USO.

Volunteer Spotlight: Amy Miller

Meet Amy Miller who serves as an RSVP AmeriCorps Seniors member, the Board Chair for the United Way of West Florida, and a Deputy City Administrator for Pensacola.


Pensacola International Airport is in Amy's work portfolio for the city. When RSVP recently met at the airport, it was an opportunity to tell attendees about the numerous improvements being made to the facility. Thanks for the update Amy!

Upcoming Events

Fundraiser


Manna

Clover Pick A Bowl

Fill A Bowl


Friday, March 17

6 - 8 PM

PSC Lou Ross Center


Get a one of a kind bowl created by a local potter.

Sample some of the best soups in town,


Hurry! The event sold out last year!


More Information


March

National Reading Month


Celebrate with

ReadyKids!


Film yourself

reading your favorite children's book.

Then upload it HERE

or HERE.


Post to social media too.

Use hashtags:

#NationalReadingMonth

#ReadAcrossPensacola

#ReadyKids


Deadline: March 24

Free Family Fun

Kites on the Coast


Council on Aging of West Florida


Casino Beach

1 Via DeLuna Drive


Friday, March 17

4 - 10 PM


Saturday, March 18

10 AM - 4 PM


Bring a kite, buy a kite, watch the kites fly.

Kids' activities, vendors, and food trucks too!


Welcome Aboard

and Congratulations!


Julia Helton, a friend and supporter of RSVP, was recently hired as the Community Impact Coordinator at the United Way of West Florida. Julia just finished a year of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA.

During that time, she built infrastructure for the UWWF volunteer program. You may recognize Julia from an RSVP Lunch and Learn event or as the person who helped you learn how to use the “Get Connected” volunteer platform.


Let’s congratulate Julia on her new role at UWWF. She will be strategically developing, managing, and inspiring growth in volunteerism within Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties.

RSVP Website