February
2006
In 1993, two retired Texas Tech
University computer science professors, Marilyn and Len Weiner, walked
into the RSVP offices at Tech and asked if we thought older people might
be interested in learning how to use computers to enrich their lives. We
used our newsletter to inquire and the response was an overwhelming
“Yes”. By the end of the year, the Weiners were writing handbooks to
teach basic information to those who previously had no knowledge of
computers. As you might imagine, the instruction had to be very
different from teaching college students who had worked with computers
most of their lives. The Lubbock Senior Computer Education Program (LSCEP)
was born when space was provided for the classroom at the 19th Street
Senior Center.
LSCEP started
with ten donated, obsolete IBM Dos 2.0 computers, Microsoft Works 2.1,
and ten students from the center. Word spread, and by the end of the
first month there was a waiting list of over 200 seniors who wanted to
learn to use computers. Over the next twelve years, the waiting list
grew at times to as many as 600 with a 3-year wait to get into a class.
During the intervening years, the hardware and software were updated and
expanded twice (through grants and support from the City of Lubbock) and
the number of classes being taught, the number of students, and the
number of teachers and administrators of the program have increased,
meeting the needs of the senior population. Currently, six classes are
being taught each 10 week term at two sites. A second site, sponsored by
UMC at its HealthPoint facility on 82nd Street, was opened about two
years ago. The classes accommodate a total of 91 students each of the
three terms each year and the waiting list is now only four to five
months. The staff has grown to 40-45 active volunteers, all of whom have
gone through the courses and been trained to teach classes or maintain
the labs when classes are not in session.
If you want to
keep your mind working by constantly learning something new, consider
signing up for a course with the LSCEP. Word processing, spreadsheet and
internet courses are all available to expand your horizons. And after
you learn, you can volunteer to teach! For more information, give the
RSVP office a call, 742-2423.
OTHER VOLUNTEER
OPPORTUNITIES:
COVENANT
MEDICAL and COVENANT MEDICAL LAKESIDE CENTERS both have a lot of
openings for new volunteers. They especially need Escort Messengers
(delivering flowers, mail, etc.) and volunteers in both the Surgery
Waiting Rooms and Labor and Delivery Waiting areas. Volunteers in the
waiting areas serve as liaisons between the hospital staff and the
patient’s families. If you have ever been in that situation, you know
how valuable a volunteer can be to make you feel you have the
information you need to make the wait a little easier.
THE BRIDGE
OF LUBBOCK, in the former Posey Elementary school (1301 Redbud), is
a relatively new program which reaches out into the community to help
restore hope to those who need it. They have several opportunities for
volunteers to serve: assisting recipients with filling out food
vouchers, helping to sort and arrange clothes for the Clothes Closet on
your own schedule, assisting with serving Second Helping lunches on Mon,
Wed, or Fri from 11:30-1:00, and helping with a Tues-Thurs after school
program (3:30-5:00 p.m.) for elementary age children. If you want to
help those who need you the most, try The Bridge.
To
volunteer, or for more information about these or other volunteer positions, please call the RSVP office at 742-2423.
HOW do I join RSVP?
Becoming a member of RSVP is simple as long as you are at least 55 and have some time to volunteer. Just call the office at 742-2423 and chat with Ronda Casey or Bonne Phillips about your interests. If you are not certain what you would like to do, we can mention several current volunteer opportunities and send you a list of the sort of jobs which RSVP members are presently doing to whet your appetite. If you have a special skill or talent that you would like to utilize, we will search to find just the right job for you. Just mail in the
enrollment form
(requires Adobe Reader) and we will call you!
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