Older Adults
AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP – Greater Twin Cities
Your invitation to volunteer
About
AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP program recruits and matches volunteers who are age 55 or older with volunteer opportunities in their communities. Service opportunities are located across the greater Twin Cities area, specifically in Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Pine, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington counties.
Eligibility
Ages served
55+
Genders served
All genders
Payments accepted
Services are free to participants
Referral needed?
No
Joining a National Movement for Change
Building Positive Relationships
Putting your passion to work
Giving back creates an unparalleled sense of purpose and being part of a thriving community benefits everyone. The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) matches older adults with opportunities to enrich their communities, utilizing their individual skills, interests, and availability to put their passion to work. Our team provides volunteers with the tools, resources, and connections they need to invest in themselves and the future of their communities.
AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP is a national program sponsored locally in the Greater Twin Cities area by Volunteers of America Minnesota and Wisconsin. RSVP members are eligible to receive supplemental insurance and other benefits. Being a RSVP member normally means participating in on-going volunteer opportunities. However, there are also one-time volunteer opportunities, and our team communicates about one-time, special event opportunities in a monthly email. To join the mailing list, please contact Dagmar Koch: 612-704-6114 or dagmar.koch@voamn.org.
There are a lot of areas where you can make a difference, such as:
- Independence and well-being for older adults and people with disabilities
- Literacy and education
- Employment and job skills
- Veterans and military
- Families
- Housing
- Hunger
AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP Special Projects
CarFit promotes driver safety for older adults through a fun public educational event with quick, comprehensive checks of how well drivers and their vehicles’ safety features work together. People from the community are invited to drive their cars up, where a trained RSVP volunteer goes over a 12-point safety checklist with them, covering important points like airbag and seat belt adjustment. The entire process takes about 20 minutes.
RSVP members can train as a CarFit technician and choose which events they attend.
RSVP Wellness offers two free exercise programs: Fit & Strong! and Stay Active and Independent for Life (SAIL). Both classes use weight training and balance exercises. These are the core components to prevent falls and strengthen bones and joints. Both exercise classes are taught throughout the counties we serve, often taking place in senior housing properties, churches, and community centers. RSVP members can train to become a leader, co-leader, or substitute leader. Short-term and long-term positions are available.
Fit & Strong!
This 8–12-week fitness class utilizes weight and resistance training, balance exercises, and low-impact aerobics to benefit people with lower extremity osteoarthritis. The program was designed by the University of Illinois and the Center for Research on Health and Aging to promote fall prevention, exercise, and self-management.
SAIL
This exercise and education program meets twice a week for 12 weeks or as an ongoing program and includes a combination of aerobic conditioning, progressive strength training, and balance exercises shown to impact the risk of falling. The program was developed with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through public health efforts in Washington state.
The Pretty Good Players are a group of RSVP members who use true stories, original skits, and humor to address a variety of issues about getting older. RSVP’s Pretty Good Players give honest, upbeat presentations that entertain and educate audiences about diverse issues of aging. The group performs for community groups, organizations, businesses, schools, and senior housing communities. Performances seek to educate the public about aging issues, reflect the diversity of older Minnesotans, promote vital aging, and present positive attitudes about growing older.
RSVP members can participate with the group through either backstage support or help create and perform skits. Backstage support can involve promotion, scheduling, office help, transportation, audio, and/or photography. Creative and performance opportunities include acting/singing, writing, directing, storytelling, and public speaking.
Contact Jyni Koschak to get involved at 612-704-6116 or jkoschak@voamn.org.
The RSVP Ambassador Program utilizes enterprising volunteers who create their own unique recruitment strategies, with the support of RSVP materials and staff, to promote RSVP membership in communities. Outreach may include tabling, presenting, phone calls, and social media. RSVP members can train to become a RSVP ambassador and choose their schedule and preferred outreach method.
AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP Member Benefits
RSVP staff work with volunteers to match their unique interests, needs, schedule, and geographic availability with the right opportunity. Staff remain available to provide ongoing information and support as needs evolve.
RSVP members are covered by supplemental insurance while they volunteer. In the unfortunate event that a volunteer is injured while volunteering or traveling to or from a site, the insurance will help cover deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses related to the accident.
Adults 55 years and older are giving thousands of hours daily to positively impact the communities they live in.
The monthly RSVP newsletter informs members about issues affecting volunteers and provides updates on how volunteers are impacting their communities.
RSVP gathers once a year to celebrate the accomplishments of members. These events are a wonderful opportunity for members to meet each other and offer staff an opportunity to honor the work they do.
RSVP may help cover the cost of traveling to and from a volunteer site for current members through travel reimbursement. Reimbursement can only be provided to cover the cost of traveling to and from sites that have a partnership with RSVP. Parking expenses are not eligible for reimbursement.
Travel Reimbursement is calculated and paid quarterly using a method that depletes the allocated funds for the quarter. All requests must be submitted by the 10th of the month and late requests are not eligible for payment.
Travel Reimbursement Request forms are to be submitted with Hours Reports and any additional forms required by the site. All forms must be signed by both the volunteer and the site supervisor. A separate form is required for each volunteer site.
If a volunteer does not wish to receive Travel Reimbursement, they do not need to include mileage or bus fare on any forms submitted to the site supervisor or RSVP.
Car
Drivers may claim up to 100 miles per month. Volunteers who carpool should not request reimbursement for the same mileage. The mileage reimbursement rate is calculated each quarter by dividing the quarter’s budgeted funds by the number of eligible miles submitted for reimbursement.
Bus or Metro Mobility
Volunteers may claim up to $35 per month for bus fare or Metro Mobility reimbursement.
A 1999 study by the University of Michigan identified health benefits to individuals who volunteered just one hour per week.
Health benefits include:
- Increase in self-esteem
- Lowered blood pressure
- Protection against social isolation
- Reduction in the impact of stress
- Strengthening of the immune system
Forms
