
Want to Make an Impact in Our Community? Join RSVP.
The RSVP 55+ Volunteer Program is a national service program for volunteers (age 55 and better) who want to make a difference in their community. RSVP volunteers serve at a variety of non-profits, health care facilities, and governmental units, leveraging their experience and knowledge to leave a legacy for future generations.
RSVP staff can assist you in finding volunteer roles based on your unique interests, talents, and availability. RSVP also celebrates your service, and demonstrates its power by sharing our collective volunteer impact with national, state, and local agencies.
If you are currently an active volunteer, you can register with RSVP without taking on additional volunteer responsibilities. When you are registered with RSVP and report hours, we include your service in the data that we share, to focus attention and important resources on the areas where we have the greatest impact.
The RSVP Office Provides
- Information about volunteer needs in the area
- Personalized suggestions for volunteering based on your background
- Weekly Volunteer Center for drop-in volunteering (see details below)
- Email notices of one-time special events
- Supplemental insurance while volunteering
- Annual awards luncheon to celebrate volunteerism
- Monthly potluck to promote social connections
Healthy Futures
- Supporting seniors who are aging in place
- Promoting healthy living
- Serving those facing end-of-life through hospice
- Collecting food for families facing emergency situations
Education
- Tutoring, Teacher’s aids, School libraries, Helping with events
Capacity Building
- Raising funds through thrift shop sales to support childcare scholarships
Veterans
- Helping veterans access VA benefits
- Supporting veterans living at home as long as they are able
Community Priorities
- Using volunteer expertise and talent to meet needs in the community
Caring Companions
Caring Companion volunteers make friendly visits to isolated people who are older and/or have a disability. A wide range of services is offered, from housekeeping to conversation, based on the needs of the neighbor and the interests of the volunteer. Thoughtful matches are made based on the abilities, preferences, and home locations of both people.
Knit–n-Stitch
RSVP volunteers knit, sew or crochet a wide variety of items for those in need: stuffed hug-a-bears, lap robes, hats, mittens for children in crisis, patients undergoing chemotherapy, premature newborns, and elders. Much of this creative work is completed at home, but weekly gatherings provide a time for socializing, if desired.
Bulk Mail Team
RSVP’s bulk mail team provides services to local nonprofit agencies. They help with stapling, folding, labeling, and sorting bulk mailing of all varieties. Led by an RSVP volunteer who is retired from the bulk mailing department of the post office, this group is a treasured community resource for a wide variety of agencies.
Opportunity House
Opportunity House, located at 907 W. 11th Street, is a thrift store run nearly entirely by RSVP volunteers, from the management to the cashiers. In partnership with Monroe County United Ministries (MCUM), Opp House serves the community by promoting environmental sustainability through repair, re-purposing, and re-use of all types of household items and clothing. Opp House is open to anyone who wishes to shop there, but is proud to reach out to those who are in financial crisis or who have experienced a personal disaster, by providing household items and clothing to them without charge.
Intergenerational Project
Working in conjunction with The Campus Children’s Center at Indiana University, RSVP volunteers visit and regularly interact with infants and preschoolers who attend the childcare center. In doing so, the volunteers provide these children with access to and companionship with an age group that the children often are lacking in their daily lives. Volunteers assist with classroom activities, read books, tell stories, and rock babies, developing friendships with the youngsters that strengthen their knowledge of the past and their awareness of the importance of diversity. Occasionally, volunteers are needed as interviewees to measure the importance of intergenerational relationships.
RSVP 55+ Volunteer Center
Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1010 S Walnut St., Perry Township Public Meeting Room
Every Tuesday, RSVP holds a day for “tabletop” volunteer projects for local nonprofits such as assembling packets, sorting materials, arts and craft work, shredding documents, stuffing envelopes, etc. Enjoy coffee and the company of other volunteers! Join us for a couple of hours, or bring a sack lunch and stay the day.

RSVP is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency for volunteering, service, and civic engagement. CNCS engages millions of Americans in citizen service through its AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs and leads the nation’s volunteer and service efforts. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.
Links
RSVP 55+ Volunteer Center
Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1010 S Walnut St., Perry Township Public Meeting Room
Every Tuesday, RSVP holds a day for “tabletop” volunteer projects for local nonprofits such as assembling packets, sorting materials, arts and craft work, shredding documents, stuffing envelopes, etc. Enjoy coffee and the company of other volunteers! Join us for a couple of hours, or bring a sack lunch and stay the day.