Volunteer Opportunities

The Cortland County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) recruits individuals 55 and older to perform volunteer service through local non-profit organizations.

The Cortland County Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP)

The Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal funding source for RSVP, requires that recruitment efforts be focused in 6 priority areas. Following is a list of our 6 focus areas and example jobs:

• Disaster Services

  
  Some of the goals of this focus area include increasing preparedness of individuals. Such volunteer jobs include:
  
  • Disaster Drills
  • POD for the Health Department
  Helping individuals recover from disasters, such volunteer jobs include and helping individuals mitigate disasters:
  
  • Red Cross Disaster

• Education

  
  The goals of this focus area include school readiness for economically disadvantaged children. Such volunteer jobs include:
  
  • Headstart
  • Mentoring
  • Educational and behavioral outcomes for students with special needs.
  • Preparation for success in post-secondary education for economically disadvantaged students or students with special needs.

• Economic Opportunity

  
  Some of the goals within Economic Opportunity include:
  
  • Improving access to services and benefits aimed at contributing to their enhanced financial literacy, such volunteer jobs include:
    
    • Adult Literacy Program
    • English as a Second Language
  • Improving employability leading to increased success in becoming employed, such volunteer jobs include:
    
    • Mentor Program with Access to Independence

• Environmental Stewardship

  
  In this focus area, some of the goals include:
  
  • Decreasing energy and water consumption.
  • Improving at-risk ecosystems, such volunteer jobs include:
    
    • Drug Take Back Day
  • Increasing behavioral changes and lead directly to decreased energy and water consumption or improve at-risk ecosystems.
  • Increase green training opportunities that may lead to decreased energy and water consumption or improve at-risk ecosystems.

• Healthy Futures

  
  Some of the goals in this focus area include:
  
  • Increasing seniors' ability to remain in their own homes, such volunteer jobs include:
    
    • Transportation
    • Friendly Visiting
    • Respite
    • Meals on Wheels
    • Shopping Assistance Program
  • Increase physical activity and improve nutrition with the purpose of reducing childhood obesity and increasing access to nutritious food, such volunteer jobs include:
    
    • Food Pantries
    • FoodSense
  • We also aim to improve access to primary and preventive health care, such volunteer jobs include:
    
    • Bonesavers Exercise Program
    • Help with the Health Insurance Information Counseling and Assistance Program
    • Immunizations
    • CDSMP

• Veterans and Military Families

  
  Some of the goals of this focus area include:
  
  • Serving veterans or military service member families through CNCS supported programs.Such volunteer jobs include:
    
    • Food Pantries
      Transportation to help them remain living at home (VA van driving)
  • Assisting veterans in pursuing educational opportunities