Runningwater Draw Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) held their 50th Anniversary Volunteer Recognition Banquet on March 23, 2023. During the banquet, RSVP Coordinator Charlotte Schumacher presented Plainview Mayor Charles Starnes with a check for $1,236,154 representing the value of RSVP volunteer’s service in 2022.
There were 282 volunteers who served 41,273.92 hours in Hale, Floyd, and Lamb counties in 2022.
Recognition awards were given for the 2022 year of service.
Littlefield Volunteer of the Year: Gayle Heckard Sudan Volunteer of the Year: Patricia Beireman Olton Volunteer of the Year: Alan Debman Thirty-one Years of Service: James Belk of Plainview Twenty-Five Years of Service: Elsa Cooper of Lockney Twenty-Five Years of Service: Helen Liptham of Floydada Newcomer of The Year: Janie Garza of Plainview Abernathy Volunteer of the Year: Pat Danford Floydada Volunteer of the Year: Sheryl Back Hale Center Volunteer of the Year: Jimmy Cameron Lockney Volunteer of the Year: Ethelyn Vernon Petersburg Volunteer of the Year: Angie Murillo Plainview Volunteer of the Year: Evelyn Ball Outstanding Community Service Award: Beverly Wall of Plainview Outstanding Community Service Award: Steve Polizzi of Plainview Outstanding Service to Veterans: Jana Cannon of Plainview Service With a Smile: Daryl Dixon Lifetime Achievement of Community Service: Ruth Naron of Abernathy and Wanda Swart of Sudan RSVP began as an outgrowth by private groups and government agencies to create opportunities of engagement, activity, and growth for older Americans. One of the earliest programs, the Community Service Society of New York, began in 1965 on Staten Island. The project involved a small group of volunteers who were dedicated to serving their communities in a variety of ways. Because of their successful efforts, an amendment to the Older Americans Act was passed, creating a nationwide RSVP program in 1969.
The Retired & Senior Volunteer Program began in Plainview in 1973 through the efforts of Dr. Mary Bublis and Judge C. L. Abernathy. Judge Abernathy served as the first RSVP director from 1973-1976.
RSVP engages people 55 and older in volunteer service to meet critical community needs by providing a high-quality experience that will enrich the lives of volunteers and those we touch volunteering. Floyd and Lamb counties were added at a later date.
Through the years RSVP has been a vital part of the 15 communities within the three counties that we serve. With volunteers serving at thirty-three different locations, our job is to connect a volunteer with an area of service that they wish to serve.
RSVP is open to anyone 55 years of age or over with 33 different locations within our area. Any one is welcome to volunteer - you don’t have to be retired or consider yourself a senior to volunteer. For more information, contact our office at 806-291-1223.