DEPARTMENT:

Letter
from the Editor

RSVP to Help a Good Cause

Spending time helping others is beneficial to your health. So says Dr. Diane Thompson, Director of the Cancer Center Program at The Queen’s Medical Center and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine.

“Volunteering is a great way to boost our healthy brain chemicals such as endorphins,” says Thompson. “When we do something that feels good, our bodies release endorphins; it is a type of positive feedback. Studies repeatedly demonstrate that volunteers are healthier than non-volunteers. They have fewer physical and emotional concerns, including better mood, less pain and an overall improved sense of well-being.”

According to a recent survey conducted by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), an average of 244,000 Hawaii residents volunteer each year. The survey found that of those people, those aged 35 to 54 were more apt to volunteer than those in other age groups. Norma Koenig, project director of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), hopes to inspire more seniors to get involved.

“Seniors are such great candidates for volunteer service,” she says. “They have valuable experiences to share, many of them are financially stable and they have more free time on their hands.”

Launched in 1971, RSVP is a federal program whose mission is “to provide adults aged 55 and over with a meaningful volunteer experience while they make a contribution to their community.” Locally, RSVP receives 30 percent of its funding from Helping Hands Hawaii, an Aloha United Way agency. Monies from CNCS provide the remaining 70 percent of its operating budget.

RSVP offers a host of volunteer opportunities, matching individuals’ personal interests, skills and availability with more than 40 nonprofit organizations and public service agencies statewide. A few of these are Bishop Museum, American Red Cross, Hawaii Literacy, Meals on Wheels, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Department of Education. Volunteers serve from two to 40 hours per week. The hours are flexible, and responsibilities run the gamut, from answering phones to pet visitation therapy.

RSVP volunteer Coletha Yen works with Cody Marc Hoo-Candia (left) and Elayria Makalena (right) at the Head Start Center in Kalihi.

In the public schools (see related story on page 22), volunteers are needed to tutor children, help out in the library and assist in the office. Monthly reports are submitted to RSVP, including the number of hours volunteers have logged, what tasks they are doing and what other ways they could help the school. The information is then submitted to CNCS to ensure its funding is being used appropriately.

“Volunteers are encouraged to be clear on how they would like to contribute,” says Koenig. “We make sure they want to be at a particular school and that the placement matches their preferences and skills.”

To ensure compatibility, volunteers are carefully screened. Are they motivated? Are they qualified? Will they fit the need? Before they start serving at a school, they must pass a TB clearance test and a criminal background check. They also must complete a three-hour orientation session during which their specific role is outlined.

“You’re asked to focus on those tasks,” Koenig says. “That is the role of the volunteers—period. While they are respected and appreciated, they also must understand, accept and operate within the boundaries set by the teacher and the school.”

Koenig asserts the volunteer program in the schools is a win-win situation. “If you have free time, there’s so much you can give to Hawaii’s children,” she says. “Kindness, support, knowledge—that is your gift to the kids, the teacher and the school. In return, you’ll be able to engage in meaningful activities and have the satisfaction of knowing you’re being a positive influence in children’s lives.”
If you are at least 55 years old and would like to volunteer in the schools or another worthwhile organization, please call RSVP at 536-6543 or check out the Web site www.helpinghandshawaii.org/retired.htm.

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