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Tuesday, May 25, 2010

June Blood Bank

June 16 from 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
at Montour Moose Lodge, 2096 State Route14, Montour Falls


To make an appointment to donate blood, all current eligible and new donors may:

* Call the local Sullivan Trail Red Cross Chapter House at 734-3317 days
* Call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543)
* Email betsy@redcrosselmira.org
* www.donatebloodnow.org nights and weekends.


Anyone 17 years or older, weighing at least 110 pounds and in general good health may be eligible to donate blood. In New York State, 16-year-olds may donate blood provided they bring an original signed New York State Informed Parental Consent form for a 16-Year-Old to Donate Whole Blood. Appointments encouraged, walk-ins welcome and Identification is required.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

Volunteers Needed: Cooking Up Fun

RSVP is looking for one or two volunteers to assist Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County nutrition program educator Melissa Clary with her “Cooking Up Fun” classes. The volunteers would assist class members in answering questions about what they’ve eaten in the past 24 hours. Volunteers who like food, cooking and are detail-oriented will enjoy this opportunity.

Call or email Jen at JLG228@cornell.edu or 535-7105. 

Monday, May 24, 2010

Volunteer Photos Needed

Our database now allows us to link a photo to the volunteer's record.  For those of you we don't get to see on a regular basis, this feature helps us put a face to your name.  It's especially beneficial to Dick Evans, our new director, who is just getting to know all of our wonderful volunteers!  Below is an example of how it appears in our database:

(CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW)

If you have a photo of yourself, please email it to JLG228@cornell.edu, we'd really appreciate it!

Volunteer Needed: Web Site Designer

RSVP is looking for a volunteer to help design a new web site for their Schuyler & Yates office.  If you have experience in web design, please email Jen at JLG228@cornell.edu and provide any examples you may have. Thanks!

Volunteers Needed: Cardboard Boat Regatta

"Admiral Mike" and "Captain John" have been working hard to gather cardboard, carpet tubes, glue and tape for use in building an RSVP vessel for the upcoming Cardboard Boat Regatta in Watkins Glen.  With only four weeks left until the event, they are now in desperate need of design ideas.  They are also looking for 5 Schuyler Co. or Yates Co. volunteers to ride in the boat the day of the event.


Are you a former engineer or do you just have a knack for designing?

Are you interested in being part of the crew?

Do you have suggestions for a boat name?




Contact Mike Mize at concord@htva.net.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

American Mobile Dental

A mobile dental unit will soon be visiting the Schuyler County Human Services Complex in Montour Falls on a regular basis.  They accept most major insurance plans including Medicaid, Medicaid HMO's and most private insurances.  For more information, view their brochure or call them at 1-877-24-TOOTH (1-877-248-6684).

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Why Report Hours?

Reporting hours, along with other data collection is federally mandated. As a federally-funded program, RSVP must abide by the accountability and compliance guidelines and standards set by governmental agencies.

This data also represents a statistical snapshot of what we are accomplishing with regard to the mission of RSVP — which is to engage volunteers in activities that will make a difference in our communities by meeting the needs of nonprofits and the people they serve. The data we collect is sent to legislators and other funders and helps them to determine allocation amounts for our program.

Reporting hours also verifies RSVP-registered volunteers have been active over the course of the fiscal year. Only those volunteers who are serving in the current year are eligible to enjoy the benefits of RSVP, e.g., supplemental insurance coverage, recognition events, the newsletters, etc.

Reporting hours keeps RSVP volunteers insured. The hours reported and signed by the volunteer and/or the volunteer supervisor is the only documentation we have that an individual is serving at a site or participating in a volunteer activity. If we have no written documentation, our supplemental insurance policy does not cover that volunteer in the event of injury.

Reporting hours helps local nonprofits tell their story of service to the community and to funders. Accurate records about the volunteers that serve at local sites allow local nonprofits to highlight the fact that they are utilizing volunteers to help provide their services. This represents a cost savings to already tightly-budgeted organizations, as well as in-kind match for their budgets. This leveraging of funds is critical — and potential funders look positively upon this wise and creative fiscal management.

RSVP, through its national efforts and marketing tools, promotes an image of today's seniors as active and contributing members of their communities. This helps to dispel the myths held by some that older adults are a drain on society — financially and otherwise. As a national network of over 500,000 volunteers and 750 projects, the RSVP program promotes expertise and advocacy for volunteerism by older adults. The more we can track, on a local level (and, by extension, a national level) the reality of the contributions of today’s volunteers, the more we help dispel the stereotypes surrounding aging.

Tracking volunteer data is a valuable tool in detailing and highlighting how volunteers impact a community, what they actually accomplish, and just how valuable they are to the operation of hundreds of nonprofit organizations, schools, and health care facilities in communities and cities nationwide. Without the tracking done by RSVP, the efforts of volunteers remain unidentified in any comprehensive way.

Courtesy of:
Nan Hart
RSVP & The Volunteer Center/Green Mountain Foster Grandparent Program: One-2-One Program
Executive Director
6 Court St.
Rutland, VT 05701

Friday, May 14, 2010

Schuyler County Pharmaceutical Collection

June 12th from 8am-11am at the Shared Services Building. First Ever Schuyler County Pharmaceutical Collection: The Health Department along with the Sheriff's Department and the WG Village Police, are sponsoring a collection day for unwanted and outdated medications. Acceptable materials include prescription and non-prescription medications (pills, tablets, capsules, liquids, patches and ointments). Medications should be brought, when possible, in their original containers with the patients name blacked out. This event is being organized as part of the Department of Environmental Conservation’s “Don’t Flush Your Drugs” campaign. A nationwide study done in 1999 and 2000 by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) found low levels of drugs such as antibiotics, hormones, contraceptives and steroids in 80% of the rivers and streams tested. Several other studies show that when pharmaceuticals are flushed down the toilet they end up in our water supplies leading to impacts on aquatic life such as feminization of fish and frogs as well as reduced fertility in certain species, ultimately leading to decreased biodiversity. If you would like more information on the event please contact the Schuyler County Health Department at 535-8140.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010