RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program)

It’s Free!

Other reasons to join include:

• Connecting with your community
• Helping charities, non-profits and faith-based community organizations conserve funds by contributing your time
• Sharing your skills and learning new ones
• Developing self-esteem and self-confidence
• Meeting new people from all walks of life
• Enhancing your resume and making important networking contacts 
• Promoting a worthwhile activity
• Feeling needed and valued
• Experiencing something new
• Serving your country

As an RSVP volunteer, you also may receive:

• Quarterly Newsletter: The Volunteer Voice
• Supplemental auto insurance
• Mileage reimbursement upon request and the availability of funds
• An invitation to the annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon after serving just 36 hours in a year - that’s less than two hours a week!

• You need to be 55 or older
• You are responsible and reliable
• Have the desire to help others
• A schedule that is flexible
• On an annual basis we request the submission of a insurance form whether you are requesting mileage reimbursement or not. This form is usually sent out in December or January and due to the office in February.
• On a monthly basis, we request that you submit a time sheet that reflects the hours you served during the month

• Advisory Council (RSVP)
• Children’s Activities
• Computer/Data Entry/Internet
• Conversation Tutor-ESL
• Education
• Food Pantry
• Fund Raising/Grant Writing
• Hospice/Respite
• Library/Reading
• Marketing
• Office Aide/Clerical
• Reception/Hospitality
• SPOT Volunteer (Special Placement One Time)
• Tax Counseling for the Elderly
• Thrift/Gift/Resale Shops
• Tutoring/Mentoring
• Volunteer Recruitment

Volunteers have certain rights that help them to have a cooperative co-worker situation:

• Receive a suitable assignment
• Be oriented, heard and recognized
• Be provided with the necessary training, supervision and tools for your volunteer assignment
• Have available someone to discuss any problems or questions regarding assignments
• Be provided with a safe and accessible environment
• Be respected and appreciated
• Have available to you the RSVP Office to assist you with questions, concerns or needs you may have

RSVP is looking for volunteers who would be interested in meeting with English as a Second Language students who are about to complete the ESL program and want to practice their conversational English speaking skills.

RSVP’s Conversational English Tutoring Program pairs RSVP volunteers with two to three ESL students who meet once a week for one hour just to talk. ESL students in the program are eager to practice their conversation English skills with individuals who speak English. The meetings usually take place during the week on Triton’s campus, but may be coordinated to meet at a local library if both parties agree.

There are no requirements to volunteer with this program, just the desire to help someone out and the love of conversing in the English language.

For more information and/or to volunteer, call the RSVP Office at (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3835 or 3603.

RSVP Volunteer Program of West Suburban Cook and Southern DuPage Counties located at Triton College provides free tax assistance to individuals 60 years of age and older during the tax filing season.

To make the program a success and provide service to those in need, RSVP is looking for individuals interested in volunteering to participate in this free Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program.

TCE is a community based partnership managed by the IRS that provides free tax return preparation assistance to low-to-moderate income taxpayers who are 60 and older people, with disabilities and non-English speakers. If individuals are looking for a way to help in the community then consider becoming a volunteer with the TCE program.

Here are some things the IRS wants individuals to know about becoming a TCE volunteer:

• No previous experience is required
• Volunteers receive specialized training from certified TCE volunteers and can serve as greeters, reviewers or tax preparers
• IRS provides free tax law training, e-file training and all the materials needed to prepare basic individual income tax returns
• The hours are flexible. Volunteers are asked to serve an average of three to four hours per week from February through April 12 in 2014.
• Volunteer sites are generally located at community and neighborhood centers, libraries, schools and other convenient locations.
• RSVP’s TCE sites also offer free electronic filing of federal and state tax returns

Anyone interested in volunteering to provide this service can attend the free training sessions, which will be held 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for five consecutive Saturdays beginning in January in Room R-221 of Triton’s Robert M. Collins Center.

Volunteers will be taught how to assist adults in completing the 1040EZ, 1040A and 1040 federal and state tax forms. Materials are provided free of charge.

The tax counseling service is sponsored annually by RSVP.

For more information or to register for the training session, call (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3835 or 3603.

• A-Abiding Care, Inc.
• Animal Care League
• Arthritis Foundation/Illinois
• Aspire of Illinois
• Cadence Health/Central DuPage Hospital
• Cadence/Central DuPage Hospital’s Wise Penny Resale Shop
• City of Northlake
• CNN of Franklin Park
• CNN - Meals on Wheels - LaGrange
• Community Nurse Health Association
• Cook County Sheriff’s Police
• DuPage County Animal Control
• DuPage Convalescent Center
• Elmwood Park Senior Center
• Forest Park Public Library
• Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust
• Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory
• Giving DuPage
• Gottlieb Adult Day Care Center
• Gottlieb Memorial Hospital
• Graue Mill & Museum
• Harbor Light Hospice
• Heartland Blood Centers
• Heartland Home Healthcare & Hospice
• Hephzibah Children’s Association
• Hillside Historical Society
• Hines VA Hospital
• Historical Society of Forest Park
• Junior Achievement
• Leyden Family Services
• Leyden Township
• Lifesource Blood Services
• Loyola University Medical Center
• MacNeal Hospital
• Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital
• Melrose Park Public Library
• Melrose Park Safety Department
• Metropolitan Family Services
• Oak Park Township Senior Services
• Prairie State Legal Services, Inc.
• Proviso Township Senior Services
• Rush Oak Park Hospital
• Senior Assistance Center of Norridge
• Senior Home Sharing
• St. Paul Lutheran Church
• Ten Thousand Villages (in Oak Park)
• Triton College
• Veterans Park District
• West Suburban Medical Center
• West Suburban PADS
• Wonderworks Children’s Museum

• RSVP can assist in recruiting skilled, talented and interested volunteers for your agency
• RSVP can assist in recruiting volunteers for special projects
• RSVP can offer benefits to volunteers working for your agency (i.e., recognition, transportation reimbursement, and supplemental auto insurance)
• RSVP provides an annual recognition event for volunteers
• RSVP helps strengthen the public’s awareness and understanding of your mission and impact in the community
• RSVP acts as an ambassador for your agency
• RSVP broadens your potential funding base
• RSVP provides feedback to your agency regarding the impact your volunteers are accomplishing
• RSVP assists your agency with technical support in volunteer management
• RSVP enables you to demonstrate your resourcefulness to your supervisor, administrator and community

Your organization must be:

• A Public Agency
• Secular or faith-based private non-profit organization or proprietary health care organization
• Have volunteer opportunities that do not displace paid employees
• Sign a Memorandum of Understanding with RSVP
• Located within west suburban Cook or southern DuPage Counties

RSVP volunteers serve in 57 municipalities in west suburban Cook and southern DuPage counties, including:

West Suburban Cook County
Bellwood*
Berkeley*
Berwyn
Broadview*
Brookfield**
Cicero
Countryside
Elmwood Park*
Forest Park*
Forest View
Franklin Park*
Harwood Heights**
Hillside*
Hines*
Indian Head Park
LaGrange
LaGrange Park**
Lyons
Maywood*
McCook
Melrose Park*
Norridge *
North Riverside*
Northlake*
Oak Park*
River Forest*
River Grove*
Rosemont**
Schiller Park*
Stickney
Stone Park*
Westchester*
Western Springs 

*   = Indicates these communities are located within Triton College District

** = Indicates only portions of these communities are located within Triton College District

Southern DuPage County
Aurora
Batavia
Bolingbrook
Burr Ridge
Clarendon Hills
Darien
Downers Grove
Elmhurst
Glen Ellyn
Hinsdale
Lisle
Lombard
Naperville
Oak Brook
Oakbrook Terrace
Saint Charles

Before we can begin to recruit volunteers, we need to know about the tasks that need to be accomplished, where the participant will serve, and other important details of the position.
A properly prepared position description will aid us in:

• Crafting a recruitment message to target potential members who possess the skills your program needs
• Determining whether a person is qualified to perform the essential functions of the position
• Identifying reasonable accommodations to enable a person with a disability to perform the essential functions

The best position descriptions are concise, use action verbs, and avoid jargon.
Include these seven elements, and you'll be on your way to attracting the right members for your program:

1. Ensure an accurate service assignment title is included
2. Write a one to two sentence summary of the assignment's general purpose and primary service assignment functions
3. List five to eight essential duties in descending order of importance
4. Identify skills, interests, methods, and tools volunteers will need or use to complete the work
5. Explain the position's relationship with others in the organization; address supervision and collaboration with partners
6. Provide other pertinent facts, such as required travel, physical requirements, working conditions, etc.
7. Include other responsibilities or requirements, such as mandatory training, hours of service, etc.