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About Us  OUR SPONSOR WestArk RSVP is sponsored locally by Western Arkansas Counseling and Guidance Center (a community mental health provider for a six county area). WAC&GC's sponsorship provides employment structure for RSVP staff, program supervision, program funding, accounting oversight, IT support and use of the RSVP Center. Sponsor direction is provided by the Center through direct oversight by its Center's CFO, Gary Luedloff. RSVP CENTER We are very fortunate to be housed in the RSVP Center on the corner of North 13th Street and Grand Avenue in Fort Smith. This 2,700 square foot, free-standing building is handicapped accessible and has meeting space available which will accommodate up to 50 people at a time (or 30 seated at tables). The building has a full kitchen, three restrooms, three offices, a large meeting room and a computer lab. Ample space is available to host volunteer trainings and recognition events. STAFF WestArk RSVP is staffed with two positions: Program Director and Volunteer Manager. Susan Reehl has served as Program Manager since June of 2000. Trish Walker has served as Volunteer Manager since February of 2003. Both have extensive backgrounds in non-profits management and are Certified Volunteer Managers Two AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) members, Euba Winton Harris and Chuck Gartner serve as stipend volunteers working with RSVP Community Outreach programs. FUNDING Since 1974, WestArk RSVP has been partially funded by a federal grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). Continuation of the federal CNCS grant from year to year has always been contingent upon grant compliance. The State of Arkansas, Department of Human Services, Division of Aging and Adult Services also financially support WestArk RSVP. Additional support is received from donors and grants which support specific programs such as the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) which has been funded with a grant from the IRS and private foundations. SERVICE During 2009, WestArk RSVP members volunteered over 155,000 hours of service. The number of volunteer hours is a testament to RSVP member's generosity. There are many ways to look at statistics-consider this: RSVP provided the equivalent of 78 full-time workers-free of charge- who worked for the betterment of our community. Using Independent Sector's value of volunteer time - $20.85 per hour, RSVP members' volunteer service for 2009 is equal to just over $3,244,000! That generous donation was a big boost to the "quality of place" we hear so much about from our community leaders. HISTORY Nationally, RSVP is an outgrowth of efforts by private groups, gerontologists, and government agencies over the past decades to address the needs of retired persons in America. The White House Conference on Aging in 1961 called attention to the continuing need of older people for useful activity. One of the outcomes of the Conference was the passage of the Older Americans Act of 1965, which was amended in 1969, creating RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program). RSVP launched eleven projects in the summer of 1971 and expanded nationally to a total of 590 RSVP projects by June 30, 1973. In 1974, WestArk RSVP began operations under the leadership of Vivian Yoes. Western Arkansas Counseling and Guidance Center became the sponsoring agency for WestArk RSVP in 1976. The RSVP program was housed in donated space at the Beckman Center. WestArk RSVP was well received by the community and membership grew to 900 volunteers. In 1990, construction of the RSVP Center was completed with funds from a Community Development Block Grant from the City of Fort Smith and donations from the community and the Western Arkansas Counseling and Guidance Center. Construction occurred inside the shell of what had been known as the Newton House. The building was occupied in September of 1990. In 1993, the Corporation for National and Community Service came (CNCS) into being when the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993 was signed. This new Act lowered the age for participation in RSVP from 60 to 55, eliminated a requirement that volunteers no longer be in the work force and gave CNCS oversight responsibility for the RSVP programs. Vivian Yoes retired in 1996 ending an amazing 23 year career and the position of WestArk RSVP Program Director was filled by Julia Bryant. Julia Bryant served until her death in 2000. Susan Reehl became the third program Director of WestArk RSVP on June 1, 2000. In 2001, a computer lab was housed in the RSVP Center for the use of RSVP members. The computers were acquired through a grant from IBM. Barbara Holcombe, an RSVP member was the author of the grant and the lab was named in her honor - Barbara's Computer Lab. In 2006 the RSVP Center was renovated and modernized. Currently RSVP included 741 local projects with nearly 500,000 RSVP volunteers contributing over 78 million hours of service to their communities through a network of 61,500 local nonprofit and community-based organizations. RSVP volunteers continue to make a difference in the lives of those they serve and their communities, while enriching their own lives through service.
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