FALL 2021 VOL.2 / № . 3
You’re Invited : RSVP
The Official Newsletter For Members of RSVP OF WESTCHESTER
PRINTED ON SUSTAINABLY SOURCED PAPER
Director’s Message fall 2021
Written by Members of RSVP for Members of
RSVP
Editor-in-Chief Lew Koflowitz Executive Editor Wendy Armstrong Newsletter Committee Advisors Thomasenia Myers Jacqueline Cannino PUBLISHER Volunteer New York! 220 White Plains Road Tarrytown, NY 10591 c/o Tony Fasciano vol@volunteernewyork.org 2021©All rights reserved READ THIS ISSUE AND ALL PAST NEWSLETTER ISSUES ONLINE AT: VOLUNTEERNEWYORK.ORG/RSVP
Hello, RSVP Members! Since the last issue of this newsletter, we enjoyed some bursts of encouraging news and hopeful thoughts. Most of us received a dose or two of a Covid-19 vaccine and felt fortified to return to some sort of normalcy: spending time with friends and family, shopping without worry, and the belief that we’d all be volunteering again before long. I felt a sense of glee! Then Delta came into town, and we had to rethink everything – how to stay engaged but in a modified way. The choices have been few compared to our pre-pandemic days. The RSVP stations long to have you return while having your health and safety as a priority. We are seeing some glimmers of normality – volunteer opportunities are tiptoeing back. In the meantime, we have remained connected. Many of you have joined us for our Zoom sessions; others have responded to community needs I have promoted via email; some have posted on our RSVP Facebook page. You should know, too, that you are always on my mind as you are so valuable to me and to RSVP. We are looking to the future with great optimism as 2022 is RSVP of Westchester’s 50th Anniversary! Expect to celebrate soon – together – in person (hopefully!)! Throughout the year, we’ll share highlights of the good work that RSVP members have accomplished over the years. Please share with me some of your success stories and favorite moments to add to the festivities, too. Keep an eye out for details early in 2022. Warm wishes,
RSVP of Westchester is a program hosted by Volunteer New York! that is an AmeriCorps Seniors grantee receiving funds through RSVP. Additional support for RSVP of Westchester is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, New York State Office for the Aging, and the Westchester County Department of Senior Programs and Services. To join RSVP of Westchester visit: volu nte e r ne w york . org/ a du lt s
Wendy Armstrong Director, RSVP of Westchester Volunteer New York! 914-227-9318
HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES TO ALL THE FALL AND WINTER BABIES
AND THE ZOOM BOOM CONTINUES BY WENDY ARMSTRONG
During this pandemic, I can’t think of a more consistently used tool than “Zoom!” I mean, how else can groups of people gather so easily? (OK, there are other platforms, but we have preferred to perpetuate the “Zoom Boom!”) Our programming would not be as engaging nor full of variety if it weren’t for RSVP member Sharon McKenzie, who continues to explore topics that lend themselves well to the Zoom platform. Sharon – Thank you for the ideas and for the fun!
HERE’S A LIST OF THE SESSIONS WHICH HAVE TAKEN PLACE SINCE OUR LAST ISSUE: • Chair Yoga with Haruko every two weeks » Due to popular demand, we have begun to offer classes regularly. • 2-session Improv class • Presentation by Project Hope outlining their pandemic supports • A wellness presentation by Sufi Chang • Ted (My Dad) Armstrong’s spring and fall piano concerts • RSVP member Bob Abate spoke about D-Day Veterans • Sharp Again Naturally invited us to another valuable presentation • More in the RSVP Movie Talk series: » Thick Dark Fog (a Native American story) » Race: The Power of Illusion, a three-part series, viewed over three sessions » A Day in the Life of a Minimalist
AND THERE’S MORE IN STORE! WE HOPE WE’LL SEE YOU ON ZOOM!! Have any programming suggestions or have a talent you’d like to share? If so, please do tell! Don’t forget! If you need assistance with Zoom, please contact our Tech-Savvy Teen volunteers: programintern@volunteernewyork.org or 914-227-9316.
RSVP MEMBERS OUT IN THE COMMUNITY! Don’t forget you can always submit your own volunteer photos to be featured!
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The Editor’s Corner Dear RSVP of Westchester Members, We had hoped by now that volunteering would be getting closer to normal. But, to help fill the gap, RSVP Director Wendy Armstrong has continued to connect with you to keep you informed of the volunteer opportunities that are available here in Westchester, as well as programs that we have designed to keep our community engaged. And through this periodic newsletter, RSVP: You’re Invited, we bring you additional news from across RSVP of Westchester’s programs, volunteers and activities that impact the County. This sixth issue of our newsletter continues the effort to keep us connected and thinking about our volunteering potential going forward. In the pages to follow, you will find articles of interest to you and our volunteer community, as well as information about how you can be involved in future activities. This issue is packed with informative articles and important information about future RSVP events and activities: • An expanded partnership between RSVP and Volunteer New York!’s RISE program for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental issues, where RSVP members can volunteer.
• Coming back from the pandemic more hopeful about volunteering. • How we have been using Zoom to maintain contact and engagement with our community. • And the retirement of our long-time assistant to the Director, Linda Salamon, with whom many of you may have spoken or been interviewed by over the years. Other important items that are flagged in this issue are the coming celebration next year of the 50th anniversary of RSVP of Westchester and two volunteer opportunities where demand is currently high – driving for RideConnect and being an eTutor for JCY. I want to give credit to the RSVP members who have written articles for this issue: Jackee Cannino and Thomasenia Myers, in addition to Wendy Armstrong and myself. The more of you who are willing to write an article for this publication or bring ideas for articles to us, the better and more useful this publication will be for all of us. Please direct your interest to me: Lew Koflowitz, lewkof@hotmail.com, or Wendy, wendy@volunteernewyork.org. Until next time, Lew Koflowitz Editor-in-Chief
GOOD NEWS
RSVP OF WESTCHESTER RECEIVES ADDITIONAL FUNDING RSVP of Westchester receives most of its operational funding from AmeriCorps Seniors, a department of the Federal Government. In the fall of 2020, Volunteer New York!, RSVP of Westchester’s sponsoring organization, completed a grant application to continue the program for three more years. We are happy to report that we were awarded the monies to continue our work ! The grant cycle began in April 2021 and will continue through March 2024. Here’s a list of our stations – some new, most are old friends:
Big Brothers Big Sisters
Hugh Doyle Senior Center
Spellbinders
Carver Center/Caritas
JCY – WCP
VA Hudson Valley Healthcare System
Center for Aging in Place (CAP)
Montefiore, New Rochelle
Volunteer New York!
DOROT
Mt. Vernon Armory Senior Center Wartburg Adult Care Community
FSSY
Mt. Vernon Youth Bureau
Westchester Community College
FSW – RideConnect
NewYork-Presbyterian/Lawrence Hospital
White Plains Hospital Center
Greenburgh Evergreen Club
NYS Veterans Home
Westchester Library System (WLS)
Hospice Care in Westchester & Putnam
Open Book
Yonkers Partners in Education (YPIE)
Hudson River Museum
Saint John’s Riverside Hospital
Yonkers YMCA
Saint Joseph’s Medical Center Additionally, we received more good news just a couple of weeks ago! AmeriCorps Seniors released another notice of funding using monies from the American Rescue Plan. These dollars are earmarked for nonprofit work addressing issues caused by the presence of a pandemic during the past 18 months. We applied to engage volunteers in addressing “lost learning” in K-12 students in Westchester County. We are the proud recipients of these funds that must be used over the next two years. We have partnered with the following nonprofits to accomplish this work: • • • •
JCY Westchester Community Partners Big Brothers Big Sisters Mount Vernon Youth Bureau Lifting Up Westchester
If you’d like to know what volunteer opportunities each of these stations has to offer, please contact me at wendy@volunteernewyork.org.
volunteernewyork.org 5
The Value of Volunteering . . . Coming Back Hopeful By Thomasenia Myers SENSORY PERCEPTIONS ON WAVES OF PANDEMIC
In the beginning, December 2019 – A virus? Corona virus? COVID-19? Shutdowns; exhausted doctors; pandemic; traumatized nurses; PPE; ventilators; fear; essential workers; fever; cough; curbside pick-up; social distancing.
have already issued their winter warning about another COVID “spike.” This may, in fact, be true, but I invite you to continue your volunteer efforts in new and different ways. FOUR VOLUNTEERS’ EXPERIENCES DURING COVID
I interviewed four RSVP member volunteers to ask about their volunteer experience during COVID and what they saw as the value of volunteering. Two have been able to continue volunteering, while two have not. Ann Kachmar, Joseph Rodriguez, Duke Searles, and Yvette Weiss have distinguished themselves through many years and the enormous number of hours they have volunteered at their sites. Collectively, they felt the value of volunteering was the joy of meeting new people, learning from them and helping them.
You: Zoom; quarantine; masks; temperature check; nose swab; sanitizers; remote learning. Me: Zoom; long-hauler syndrome; YouTube; deserted streets. We Volunteers: Zoom; work from home; isolation; dateshours-days-nights; time blur . . . Kachmar and Weiss, both hospital volunteers, have Undoubtedly, you have your own perceptions of the not been able to go back to their sites and are sorely first and second waves that you could write about. missing their work. They have each spent over twenty The torrent of information may have immobilized years volunteering at local hospitals – Kachmar at you, but we have been cautiously liberated from home St. John’s Riverside in Yonkers, and Weiss at White confinement by Pfizer, or Moderna, or Johnson & Plains Hospital. With the continuation of COVID, it Johnson. Still, the is unclear when ME M B E R S P OT L I G H T virus persists. they might return. Kachmar, who As volunteers, the has volunteered crises brought on in more than by COVID-19 one capacity at presented us with St. John’s, states, opportunities to “I would really seek and observe welcome going the needs of back to the others – a core A. KACHMAR J. RODRIGUEZ D. SEARLES Y. WEISS hospital.” element in our nature as volunteers. By contrast, Joseph Rodriguez and Duke Searles have Our involvement helps us recognize where we might been able to continue their volunteer work during offer assistance and relief. Our enforced “time out” has the pandemic. How and where they work, and their afforded many of us an opportunity for self- reflection individual life philosophies, enabled them to continue and decision-making about what we value in our lives. volunteering in crisis. So, we’ve got our collective COVID-19 experiences; Variety is the hallmark of Rodriguez’s volunteerism. we’ve got our “liberation” vaccination cards (or not: Rodriguez says, “It is gratifying to be a helper, your reasons, your business), and we’ve got big effects/ volunteering builds community. You learn from the problems brought on by this pandemic. Now what? people you meet.” YPIE, RideConnect, and Westchester Though COVID persists, and most of us are not yet back at our former volunteer sites, we can prepare for our comeback. Given the pandemic’s effects, there will be many places in need of our talents and skills.
Community College, which have remained open to volunteers during the pandemic, enabled Rodriguez to continue volunteering as an education mentor, driver, and conversation partner, respectively.
In the spirit of all that exists right now, let this article serve as a Reorientation Guide. The medical officials
Only a month-long shutdown of the Montrose VA Food Pantry during the pandemic kept Searles from his post
6 Yo’u er Ined:tvi RSVP
as Volunteer Supervisor of the food pantry. He worked first as a driver, and then supervisor for over 21 years. In the face of COVID, Searles said he now serves approximately 50 families. Pre-pandemic, Searles and his twelve active volunteers (now 8) served 150-200 families per month. Three days morning to noon, Searles is at the food pantry supervising the feeding of families. “We follow a strict protocol, to the letter. Having suffered myself, I am learning the value of feeding these families,” Searles says emphatically.
If you choose to go solo, do think about a singular project, or ways in which you might reach out to others in need at this time, via scheduled phone calls, Facetime, and yes -- cards and letters. SEEK INSPIRATION FROM THE PAST AND PRESENT
IN THE MEANTIME: ACTION PLAN FOR NEW WAYS TO VOLUNTEER
We live with uncertainties every day now, but it does not mean that we cannot move into action. Whether we find ourselves at in-person sites willing to open, or by necessity we must continue to shelter in place, we can still be of service. Remember that volunteering sets in motion a beneficial cycle of satisfying returns. We already know this because we are volunteers. There are over a dozen benefits associated with becoming and staying a volunteer. A short list follows. Keep these benefits in mind as you decide how you will “come back.” ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊
Being part of a community Taking on a challenge Meeting new people Combating isolation and loneliness Sharing and learning new skills Promoting individual and group creativity
I propose a very informal Reorientation Guide to serve as a refresher and starter-plan of ideas on how to continue the vital work we generously offer. Let’s form “think tanks” or focus groups to develop projects for volunteers. Establish a small network of volunteers (5-7 persons), identify an area of concentration for a project, e.g., aging in place or education. Many younger people have served in unique ways as volunteers during this pandemic. Consider inviting them into your groups. An intergenerational exchange can spark innovative ideas and establish opportunities for vital cross-mentoring.
1 91 8 F l u E pi d e m i c Vol u n te e rs
Read materials to inform and uplift you to help you think optimistically. For example, in preparation for this article, I read about volunteering during America’s deadly 1918 flu epidemic and “met” Ah Louie and Dorothy Starr for inspiration. (Ah Louie was the nickname of a Chinese immigrant who came to California; Dorothy Starr was the 22-year-old daughter of a mining executive.) Both volunteered for the Red Cross – one as a driver and the other a messenger. We can also be encouraged by each other. RSVP volunteers Duke Searles and Joseph Rodriguez struck the right tone for our coming back with hope. Searles speaks with fierce determination about his intentions regarding the Montrose VA Food Pantry: “We are going to keep on keepin’ on. Getting my numbers up for feeding more families is my concern and concentration. I will fight to feed others.” Joseph Rodriguez offers an easy, confident optimism: “I consider myself lucky. I’m looking forward to working with young people. Get those vaxes. People will come back. I am hopeful!”
Perhaps you’d rather do your preparatory work with a COVID persists, but we’re still here with our strong partner or by yourself. Are you a writer, visual artist, or photographer? How might you collaborate on a creative idea desire to create a better community. or project that might be of service now, or in the future? volunteernewyork.org 7
After Ten Years of Yeoman Service, Volunteer Linda Salamon Retires as Assistant to RSVP Director By Lew Koflowitz If you have ever dropped into the offices of Volunteer New York!/RSVP of Westchester in Tarrytown on a Monday in the past 10 years, you might have seen Linda Salamon at work on a myriad of RSVP projects. That would include such activities as conducting in-person interviews of potential new Advisory Committee members; helping to plan RSVP workshops and recognition events; reaching out to current and prospective RSVP volunteers; and contacting current and prospective RSVP stations. In other words, Linda has been the Director’s right hand for a multitude of internal and external assignments. “People have called me RSVP’s Girl Friday,” Salamon says, though the term might not fit today’s feminist lexicon. Beginning in 2011, Linda has been a consistent presence within RSVP. Indeed, she interviewed and recommended me for a position on our Advisory Committee back in 2017. Sadly for RSVP, Linda retired from her volunteer position this past summer. But she leaves all of us knowing how much she has contributed to this organization’s growth and development.
“People have called me RSVP’s Girl Friday,” Salamon says, though the term might not fit today’s feminist lexicon. professional who exercises her skills and talents with true dedication. The RSVP of Westchester program benefited from her recruiting experience and skills as she recruited the most talented volunteers for the RSVP program.” In a direct personal message, Samudio adds: “Linda, thank you for the imprint that you have created in the lives of many and especially mine. I’m forever grateful. ‘Congratulations!’ ” PROFESSIONAL SKILLS THAT LINDA BROUGHT TO RSVP
Linda Salamon came to RSVP with skills that were valuable to our organization. Early in her career, she was an elementary school teacher in Oyster Bay, Long Island, where she honed her presentation skills.
Linda has worked with two RSVP Directors over the past decade, who have truly appreciated her dedication to the organization and its mission of directing volunteers to many nonprofits in Westchester County.
She also worked for the Westchester County government, in the Consumer Affairs unit, where she worked on legal and regulatory issues to help consumers deal with, for example, auto dealers and insurance issues. Many times, Linda had to seek assistance from the New York State Superintendent of Insurance in dealing with fraudulent actions.
“I could not have done my job without the help of Linda, along with the assistance of our Advisory Committee,” says Wendy Armstrong, current RSVP Director. “She has been a lifesaver in many instances. She recognizes talent and makes the perfect match for volunteers. I will also miss her company in the office.”
To top off her career, Salamon was for two decades a senior recruiter at a staffing firm in Stamford, where she helped place job seekers in positions best suited to their experience and capabilities. There, she further developed interview skills that have been extremely valuable for her volunteer work at RSVP.
And Rosie Samudio, who preceded Wendy as RSVP Director, adds: “It was a true pleasure working with Linda Salamon during my tenure at VNY! She’s a true
At the recruiting firm, she honed her skills in interviewing, understanding job candidates’ strengths and weaknesses, and referring them only to positions where their backgrounds and inclinations were a match
8 You’re Invited: RSVP
with the job description. “I wouldn’t send someone out to an interview where I thought there was a bad fit,” she says. “That would be a waste of time for both the candidate and the employer. It would also reflect poorly on our staffing firm.” To assist job candidates, she often ran resume and interview workshops. LINDA’S EXPERIENCE AT RSVP
When Salamon retired from paid work, she sought out volunteer opportunities in the nonprofit sector. She interviewed several nonprofits before selecting RSVP, which she found the most attractive because of the work we were doing and continue to do, and the community of volunteers we represent. With all her previous experience, Linda was extremely well prepared to work with the volunteers and nonprofit organizations that are a part of the RSVP of Westchester’s community. In particular, she loved interviewing prospective volunteers and placing them in the most appropriate nonprofit opportunities available, just as she had done in her private sector recruiting position. Linda appreciates the time she has spent at RSVP of Westchester. “When I volunteer at an organization, I want to know I am having an impact. RSVP has given me that sense of accomplishment,” she says.
Urgent Community Needs
“The work we’re doing here is real,” she adds. “From a volunteer’s perspective, you’re doing substantial things. For example, if you’re a reading mentor to young kids, you’re having a big impact on their lives. You can see the results.” “Working with the senior community is another area where you’re accomplishing something real,” Salamon says. “We’re making a difference in people’s lives.” Overall, Linda knows that her time at RSVP was well spent. And she recommends that those 55-andolder consider volunteering with this community. “As a volunteer, it’s important to know that you’re doing something substantial, that your skills are being effectively utilized. RSVP of Westchester accomplishes these goals,” she says. Further, “because our volunteer hours are counted, and we’re funded by federal and other public grants, we know that we’re supporting goals of the country and of our community.”
Be a volunteer driver with Ride Connect! Be an e-tutor for JCY Westchester Community Partners!
CONTACT: Marietta Manoni mmanoni@fsw.org (914) 242-7433
CONTACT: Madeline Finesmith mfinesmith@jcy-wcp.com (914) 963-5118 Tech lessons availabile
So, as we say farewell to Linda Salamon in her volunteer position, we want you to know how much we appreciate your work over the past 10 years. Please keep in touch. volunteernewyork.org 9
ALL RISE!! By Jackee Cannino When hearing the words “All RISE,” my thoughts automatically go to an austere courtroom and the entrance of a presiding judge...well, that’s not what this RISE is all about! Volunteer New York!’s “RISE” Program (Readiness through Integrated Service Engagement) provides volunteer placements for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The expected outcome is that skills gained through volunteering will lead to better employment opportunities for these individuals. Furthermore, successful experiences are achieved through the provision of additional support to RISE members. Although there is no “judge” in this RISE scenario, there is Patti Colombo (MS, CTRS), RISE’s Program Manager. Patti has held this position since the program’s inception five years ago. She has the responsibility of establishing, creating, guiding, supporting, and evaluating viable programs between agencies, corporations, community entities, and the members of RISE. Patti is a bundle of enthusiasm, knowledge, experience, kindness, fortitude, and determination. Her 30+ years of experience as a Recreation Therapist with adults with developmental disabilities has been a perfect fit for RISE. Through her leadership, RISE’s original grant has been renewed several times.
RISE volunteers be “with” the community but not “in” the community. A NEW PARTNERSHIP SOLVES THE CHALLENGE Program Director Colombo put her knowledge and resources to work...and found a corporate sponsorship with Verizon. The grant from Verizon included recovery preparedness (in this case, recovery from Covid) and mental health. In Zoom meetings with Verizon and RISE participants, Patti discussed ways of maintaining well-being and mental health during the pandemic – for example, connecting with others, being active despite the pandemic’s physical limitations, and giving to others. Patti believed that Verizon’s emphasis on emergency preparedness and mental health, Volunteer New York!’s recovery during Covid, and RISE’s stress on renewal and mental health for its volunteers, blended well together. In looking for community volunteers to join the Verizon Project, Patti reached out to RSVP’s Director, Wendy Armstrong. Patti was confident that RSVP volunteers would bring their maturity, dedication, life experience, and commitment to the table. I speak from first-hand experience as an RSVP volunteer that the collaboration between RISE members, Verizon employees, and RSVP volunteers has been engaging, meaningful, and fun! The online activities have included videos on well-being, calming techniques via breathing exercises, and social skill development as participants share their thoughts about related topics.
In addition to our Zoom calls, volunteers from Verizon and RSVP create Calming Kits. Among the activities included in the kits are breathing activities, mindfulness Since the start of the Covid pandemic, the RISE program, like most community volunteer organizations, activities, affirmation quotes, and a fidget tool. The kits come complete with materials, supplies and explicit has had to pivot so that its members could stay directions, including color photos. Once completed connected and continue their collaborations. Prior to and returned to Volunteer New York!, the kits will be Covid, individuals in the RISE program would be out distributed to various agencies that support individuals in the community from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday through Friday. During Covid, however, all in-person community with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Spearheaded by Volunteer New York!, the Calming Kits volunteering ceased. The challenge became how could
10 You’re Invited: RSVP
will assist RISE volunteers to transition back into community and/or work settings, post-Covid. The partnership between RISE and RSVP will continue to grow and thrive. Their latest project involves creating birthday cards to be sent to RSVP volunteers. Although sending cards has been a long-standing RSVP tradition, RISE is just now beginning to add this to its activities. RISE birthday cards are handmade with love and care by the RISE volunteers and continue the goals of community engagement and inclusion.
ATTENTION: BENEFIT ALERT As a member of RSVP of Westchester you may be eligible for travel reimbursements up to $40 per month! To learn if you qualify and if so, how to start taking advantage of this program benefit visit: volunteernewyork.org/travel-benefits
We salute all Veterans and thank them for their sacrifice and service! Two of our RSVP stations support local Veterans year-round, The New York State Veteran’s Home and the VA Hudson Valley Healthcare in Montrose. Reach out today to learn more about how you can help support local Veterans!
In this and every partnership RISE volunteers participate in, Patti Colombo hopes to inform, educate, and enlighten all participants. She wants to increase awareness that ALL individuals are to be valued for their skills and abilities. Patti believes, and has seen proof, that if a task is broken down into small steps, everyone can do something. So, to Volunteer New York!, RSVP volunteers and community partners who value inclusion, community engagement, collaboration, volunteerism, and skill development –All RISE!!!
Help pay it forward! Remember, you can support RSVP of Westchester every time you shop, just by selecting Volunteer New York! as your choice nonprofit at: smile.amazon.com volunteernewyork.org 11
Get ready! We can’t wait to celebrate the 50th anniversary of RSVP of Westchester with you in MAY 2022. Thank you for being part of the rich history of our RSVP of Westchester program and helping to bring out the best in America! STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFO. RSVP . . . You’re Invited!