We recently had the opportunity to sit down with two Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) volunteers and talk about their experience of volunteering in our community.
Ron and Jim are known as the "dynamic duo" by Volunteer Center staff. They have been completing volunteer assignments together for many years for Helping Hands Senior Home Repair. Ron and Jim have been neighbors, friends, workout partners and volunteers together for over 13 years. Together they have installed over 500 grab bars and given well beyond 2,200 hours of service to low-income seniors who need home repairs and modifications in order to remain safe in their homes. Collectively, they have given over 30 years of volunteer service to our community.
Ron started out as a board member for the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County. After he retired, he knew he wanted to continue to contribute to the mission of the Volunteer Center and found a perfect match with Helping Hands. Ron eventually recruited Jim to volunteer on days he was not involved with Kiwanis Club projects.
"I think there's a lot of people out there that want to do something to benefit other people but they don't know how to get involved in the community. I tell people about what I do and let them decide if they want to get involved." Ron went on to say that, "The Volunteer Center has a whole range of programs that will suit just about everyone. It's kind of nice they are all under one umbrella." He invites anyone who is interested in volunteering to check out all the opportunities through the Volunteer Center.