By Northwest Community Action Partnership
After operating for several months without federal funding in the hopes that it would receive its new grant, the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) at Northwest Community Action Partnership (NCAP) was notified that it will not be funded. Operations will be wrapped up by the end of June and the offices in Chadron and Crawford will be closed.
"The impact of this program cannot be understated", said Rachel Johnson, Director of Volunteer Services at NCAP, "RSVP has been in Dawes County for over 50 years and volunteers have been involved in almost every aspect of the community from bell ringing and food outreaches to museums and cultural events. RSVP's efforts have made this a better place to live." Johnson said. Johnson has been the director of the RSVP program since 2013 and stated the program typically engaged almost 200 seniors age 55+ and annually they served approximately 24,000 hours. Johnson said "Volunteerism is not only good for the community, but it improves the health of the volunteer. We are encouraging our volunteers to continue serving, but the loss of an organized program will become apparent as the service of existing volunteers wanes and new volunteers are not recruited."
“Our staff have run a phenomenal program for decades with an impact that goes beyond what words and numbers can adequately describe. We are devastated about this sudden loss in funding. We hope that volunteers will continue to serve the community in whatever capacity is meaningful to each of them”, said NCAP CEO Brooke Smith.
Since the program began electronic record keeping in 2006, over 1,090,000 hours have been reported and nearly 1,300 seniors have been part of the program - many of them serving for decades. Independent auditors have valued the work these volunteers provide at approximately $750,000 per year.
“The time and effort members of RSVP have selflessly dedicated to Dawes County has made a tangible difference in the lives of so many, this loss will be heavy on our hearts”, Smith said.
NCAP will be hosting a farewell appreciation lunch at the Dawes County Fairgrounds on Tuesday, June 24 from 11:30- 1pm and the public is invited to come and celebrate the volunteers and their service to the community.
