RSVP volunteers meet pen pals

FAIRFIELD — Members of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program in Jefferson County finally got to meet their pen pals whom they had been writing to since last fall.

On June 21, the six senior volunteers in the pen pal program visited the kids at Community Child Care in Fairfield. The two groups had been writing letters back and forth since November, but hadn’t met in person until then.

Coleen Bates, the center’ director, had children try to guess who their pen pal was, but no one was able to guess correctly the first time.

The seniors enjoyed a brief dance demonstration by a couple children, and then everyone worked together on assembling wall hangings for the seniors to take home.

One senior pen pal, Rosemary Weiss, remarked, “What a welcome we got from the children and Coleen. I was truly inspired.”

RSVP of Jefferson County Director John Miller said this pen pal program began in the town’s elementary schools, with third-graders at Pence Elementary School and with third- and fourth-graders at Maharishi School. However, the schools shut down their programs during the pandemic when they had too much on their plate.

“We’re hoping we can return to the schools this fall, but it’s up to them to approve it,” Miller said. “Hopefully COVID is down enough that we can start it again.”

Miller said the pen pal program is “definitely” among the most popular programs RSVP offers, with 30 of its 64 volunteers having participated in it at some point.

For those who are interested in volunteering in other ways, Miller recommends they call the Fairfield Volunteer Center, or stop by its office at the Fairfield Public Library.

In 2021, Fairfield Mayor Connie Boyer spearheaded the effort to resurrect the Fairfield Volunteer Center after the group went defunct sometime around 2012. The organization ran into problems finding grants to pay its director and eventually dissolved.

Now with a brand-new board of directors that includes Shanaz Kreider, Jan Larson, Cole Fishback, Tony Webb and Jeff Wilson, the center hopes to once again “bring volunteers to projects and projects to volunteers,” as Boyer said.

Earlier this year, the center began staffing its library office from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Miller said it’s been a tough go in these first few months since reopening the center, and he hopes that, over time, the public will learn that the group is active once again and that more people will sign up to volunteer.

There is no age limit to sign up through the Fairfield Volunteer Center. RSVP, on the other hand, is intended for individuals 55 years old and older.

To learn more about the Fairfield Volunteer Center, call its number at 641-209-9044. To learn more about RSVP, call Miller at 641-919-4242 or email him at j.miller@wapellocouw.org.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com