We have all seen the news and read the papers.  We know there are critical needs in our community that need our help.  Now is the time that we can help our fellow neighbor and take responsibility for making our community a better and safer environment for future generations.  The first area of need I’d like to address is EDUCATION.  In Texas, grade retention of kindergarten children has increased 32% this decade, suggesting a growing problem with school readiness.  Region 17 reports statistics for 2007-2008 that non-special education kindergarten had a retention rate of 4.4%, and non-special education first grade had a retention rate of 14.7%.  Region 17 high school graduation rates fell, and the 4-year dropout rate increased.  Region 17, eleventh grade reading comprehension level is below the Texas rate.  In Texas, 1 in 3 students will drop out of school.  Dropouts make up nearly half the heads of households on welfare.  In 2003, approximately 13% of Lubbock County residents were functionally illiterate.  Nearly 75% of Texas inmates have not completed high school. 

The second area of need is FAMILIES.  Poverty, hunger and homelessness are very much a part of our community.  In 2007, 20% of Lubbock County children and 16.4% of Lubbock county adults were living in poverty.  The occurrence of child abuse in our community is shocking:  in 2007, the rate of confirmed victims of child abuse in Lubbock County was 120% above the state rate.  In 2008, Children’s Protective Services served 762 children in foster care in Lubbock County.  In 2005, the percent of Teen Mothers (18 years and younger) in Lubbock county was 5.4%.

Our community is blessed to have non-profit agencies focused on meeting community needs head on, but they still need our help.  Lubbock RSVP collaborates with non-profit agencies by diligently seeking to match them with senior citizen volunteers, enabling the agencies to have a broader reach into the community.  Please consider using your skills, talents and knowledge to respond to the needs of our community.

Volunteer Opportunities:

The mission of La Paloma (A Program of all-Inclusive Care for the Elderly – PACE) is to provide full medical care and support services with the goal of ensuring persons who are older can continue to live at home and in the community for as long as possible.  Here are some of La Paloma’s volunteer opportunities:

Greeter/receptionist:  Be the first face of La Paloma to visitors, receive phone calls and route them to the appropriate person.

Transportation chaperone:  Accompany the elderly clients riding the transportation vehicle and assist them as they enter and exit the vehicle.

Client companion:  Be available to assist elderly clients as they participate in activities and play games/cards.  You will be an extra set of eyes watching over the clients in the activity room.

“Inside gardener”:  Once a week, a volunteer is needed to water, trim and prune the lovely plants that grace inside the facility.

If any of these volunteer opportunities interest you, please contact the RSVP office at 743-7787.

Remember:  Today is a good day to volunteer!

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!