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February 2009

Family Promise is a temporary shelter for homeless families with children.  They house up to 14 people at a time (usually 3 or 4 families) and assist the residents with childcare, transportation, job assistance, counseling, parenting and other services.  Family Promise partners with local congregations to provide over-night housing, meals and financial support for families who are  participants of the program.  Our families are drug-free, working and must have children in order to be in the program, and Family Promise has many opportunities for volunteers to help with homeless families.  Volunteers can teach a class such as parenting, cooking, sewing or other life skills; lead in arts and crafts projects with the children, read stories to children and help with homework.  Volunteers can serve on the Board of Directors, help with events, spend the night at a congregation, spend the evening with the families, cook a meal or provide a portion of a meal.  Volunteers can assist in the office by helping with mail outs, newsletters, placing phone calls and answering the phones.  Volunteers can assemble swing sets, hammer nails, change light bulbs and help with yard sales.  If you have a skill, Family Promise has the need for your skill.

Family Promise would love to visit with volunteers who desire to serve in any capacity.  If you are interested, please contact the RSVP office at 743-7787.

Family Promise has a free luncheon on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 1319 15th Street to present more in depth information about the agency and opportunities in which you can become involved.  Please call 744-5035 to reserve a place at the luncheon.

Volunteer Opportunities:

In 1977, South Plains Association of Governments was designated by the state of Texas as the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) for the South Plains.  The AAA provides services and programs for seniors, 60 years of age and older in a fifteen-county region.  Some of the services offered are:  information, referral and assistance, benefits counseling, care coordination, caregiver services and advocacy for long-term care residents (Ombudsman program).  The AAA contracts funds with a network of service providers, including local nonprofit agencies, senior citizen centers, and local governments.  The variety of services includes home delivered meals, transportation, health screenings, legal assistance and counseling, and recreational activities.

The AAA is seeking volunteers to provide clerical assistance and to serve as nursing home advocates.  The clerical volunteer will be assigned tasks dealing with filing and scanning of files.  The nursing home volunteer will receive extensive training to become a professional “troubleshooter”, assisting residents who, by law, are entitled to receive quality of care and quality of life services from the facility in which they reside. 

If you are interested in AAA opportunities, please contact RSVP at 743-7787, and we will put you in contact with the AAA Director.

A Matter of Balance:  Managing Concerns about Falls

This AAA program is designed to teach participants the concepts and skills to prevent falls.  The program is based on Fear of Falling:  A Matter of Balance, which is used and adapted by permission of Boston University.  The program was designed and modeled to have a Master Trainer provide training to a group of coaches who, in turn, will provide the training to participants/clients.  Coaches will complete the Matter of Balance program which is evidence-based and has a proven track record.  Sessions will consist of concepts and skills to prevent or reduce falls by senior citizens.  Physical exercises are an important part of this program.  Coaches will prepare by:

• Conducting session activities according the directions and support materials provided

• Promoting active discussions of the concepts and skills presented in the program

• Demonstrating all exercises, providing verbal cueing to group participants as they learn exercise techniques

• Promoting reflection by inviting participants to examine their own experiences

• Encouraging participation from attendees and reinforcing their contributions to the discussions

• Promoting socialization during sessions and during breaks – getting to know their fellow participants

To volunteer, or for more information about these or other volunteer positions, please call the RSVP office at 743-7787.

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 743-77873 and chat with Karon McDowell 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!