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September 2008

Lubbock RSVP recently established a partnering relationship with the Volunteer Center of Lubbock.  Our common focus is to grow the volunteer spirit of our citizens and, thus, enable the non-profit agencies to meet the deep, core needs of the Lubbock Community. 

The Volunteer Center of Lubbock is a non-profit organization which connects people to volunteer needs and empowers non-profit organizations by promoting volunteerism, recognizing volunteer accomplishments, supporting youth volunteerism and providing training and support to non-profit organizations for the goodness of our community.  To connect volunteers to the many opportunities in the Lubbock community, the Volunteer Center of Lubbock is offering Get Involved:  Connecting to Volunteering in Lubbock, new volunteer orientations three times per month.  These free one-hour orientations are open to any individual or group in the community who would like to learn more about how and where they can serve.  If you are interested in the Get Involved training, please contact RSVP at 743-RSVP (7787), and we will put you in contact with the Volunteer Center of Lubbock for dates, times and location.
 
Volunteer Opportunities:

“Education Matters”

Education matters in our community.  In fact, it matters more than you may think.  Many people don’t know:  (1.) Lubbock County has one of the highest rates of low birth weight babies in the state; (2.) 22% of our county’s adults 25 years and older don’t have a high school diploma; (3.) 54,000 adults in our area are functionally illiterate; and (4.) 22% of children and 16% of adults in our county live in poverty.  The Lubbock Area United Way’s “Education matters” initiative addresses these startling statistics by tackling the root causes of these issues to create lasting, positive change through opportunities for people at every stage of life.  Local agencies provide services to clients affected by these statistics, but they require volunteers to meet these needs!

Here are some specific agencies that are in great need of volunteers:

Early Learning Centers of Lubbock provides low-income families with accessible, educational childcare at five centers.  Volunteers are needed to read books and play games with children, assist in the classroom or lead a cultural or artistic project of their choice.  Male volunteers are particularly needed.  New Directions, a location designed for teen parents, especially needs volunteers who can hold and feed babies.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters provides an adult mentor relationship to children ages 5 – 15 who are growing up in low-income, single-parent families.  Currently 100 boys and 30 girls are on waiting lists to be “matched” to a big brother or big sister.  Volunteers can mentor as a couple, participate in a lunch buddy program, mentor in high schools during or after school, mentor children of prisoners and mentor children in surrounding rural communities.  Male mentors are particularly needed.

Communities in Schools meets the needs of at-risk students in schools by improving academics, marketable skills, attendance and behavior through the partnership of school, home and community so that young people stay in school, learn successfully and prepare for life.  Volunteers’ interests and talents are matched to a student or group of students who share the same interests.  Examples of volunteer activities include leading dance, music or art classes; eating lunch with a student; assisting with homework and other academic areas or speaking to students about your career.  Male volunteers are particularly needed.

Literacy Lubbock teaches adults how to read or improve their skills to get into a GED program.  They also provide English as a Second Language (ESL) to speakers of other languages, including reading, writing and speaking.  Through this one-on-one relationship, adults learn to read, write and speak English, obtain a GED or secure a more self-sustaining job.  Volunteers are needed in a number of capacities, including tutors for reading, writing and speaking; tutors or classroom leaders for GED courses; and ESL tutors.  Multicultural and male volunteers are especially needed.  Volunteers do not have to be bilingual to tutor ESL adults. 

If you are interested in discovering how you can become involved in any of these opportunities, please contact the RSVP office, 743-RSVP (7787), and we would be delighted to introduce you to the Volunteer Center of Lubbock, Early Learning Centers of Lubbock, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Communities in Schools and Literacy Lubbock.

To volunteer, or for more information about these or other volunteer positions, please call the RSVP office at 743-7787.

HOW do I join RSVP?

Becoming a member of RSVP is simple as long as you are at least 55 and have some time to volunteer. Just call the office at 743-7787 and chat with Karon McDowell about your interests. If you are not certain what you would like to do, we can mention several current volunteer opportunities and send you a list of the sort of jobs which RSVP members are presently doing to whet your appetite. If you have a special skill or talent that you would like to utilize, we will search to find just the right job for you. Just mail in the enrollment form (requires Adobe Reader) and we will call you!