RSVP of Lee County
Cause Area
- Community
- Education & Literacy
- Hunger
- Seniors
Location
2607 Dr. Ella Piper WayN. Fort Myers, FL 33916 United StatesWebsite:
http://www.drpipercenter.orgOrganization Information
Mission Statement
The AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP program provides grants to organizations with a dual purpose: to engage Americans 55 years and older in volunteer service to meet critical community needs, and to provide a high-quality experience for the volunteers. The RSVP mission is to provide meaningful volunteer opportunities for people 55 and better who bring vast experience, skills, and interest from diverse economic, educational and social backgrounds to serve on a regular basis at sites throughout Lee County.
Description
The "Retired Senior Volunteer Program" (RSVP) was authorized under the Older Americans Act of 1965 by the United States Congress. In 1971, funds were appropriated to the Administration on Aging to initiate RSVP projects nationwide. Later, RSVP was transferred to ACTION, the Federal Agency for Volunteerism, which also included programs such as the Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions, and AmeriCorps. Presently, there are RSVP projects in all fifty states, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. In Florida, over 27,000 volunteers are serving in RSVP programs.
RSVP is one of the agency’s most flexible grant programs. Organizations determine where the need is greatest and how volunteers can respond to the need as long as it falls within one of AmeriCorps’ six focus areas: Disaster Services, Economic Opportunity, Environmental Stewardship, Education, Healthy Futures, and Veterans & Military Members.