May is Older Americans Month. A special month for older individuals to celebrate aging with dignity, liveliness and boldness doing the things they love. Check out an article featured on The Westerly Sun's website featuring Debra Tanner, SRIV's Executive Director and long-time office volunteer Eileen Kelly:
Southern Rhode Island Volunteers’ mission is to enhance lives by inspiring, creating and supporting a lifelong culture of service through our volunteer members and affiliates across Southern Rhode Island.
Here are some highlighted offerings and needs for April, 2024:
Narrow River Preservation Association is currently looking for volunteers. If you are interested in conservation, watershed education, and coastal clean-ups then this might be for you.
Contact Megan for more information at mcorey@southernrivol.org.
LINKS North Kingstown Mentor and Academic Guide Program is currently looking for volunteers to work with students in the North Kingstown Elementary Schools.
Academic Guides work in the classroom for an hour or more once or twice a week to help students with subjects directed by the teacher.
Mentoring offers one on one support with students. Mentors are asked to commit to spending 40-50 minutes per week with a student for at least one school year. All mentoring meetings take place on school grounds and during school hours.
Contact Megan for more information at mcorey@southernrivol.org
Our senior neighbors need your help. Opportunities include:
CRITICAL NEED: Transportation to and from medical appointments, dentists, therapies, pharmacies and the similar independent aging support appointments. This is a very flexible opportunity. You can choose the geographic communities/area you wish to serve, days, times—there’s no schedule. When a need arises, you’d get a call based on your preferences and if you’re available, great-if not, we’ll call you another time.
Delivery of groceries once a week is another way to help a homebound senior. Thursday mornings is delivery day from some major markets when our volunteers deliver to 3 or 4 senior homes their weekly groceries; other times include individual pick-ups and deliveries which work the same way as medical transportation scheduling does.
Before delivery of groceries, our volunteers take orders over the phone at the office. We are looking for a volunteer interested in coming in on Tuesday mornings from 9:30 to noon. Your task would be to call seniors who are ordering from Stop & Shop and Shaws markets on that day. You help them with their online order. These orders are added to ones from other grocery stores and Thursday delivery is then scheduled.
Companionship is a way to brighten the day of an individual homebound senior or disabled person. There is a great need in the Westerly, Hopkinton, and Hope Valley areas.
Southern RI Volunteers has opportunities for volunteers on our Development & Marketing committee. Our team meets by zoom (the first Wednesday of each month at 5:30 pm for 1 hour) to discuss, develop and work on two events each year and to discuss ways to share SRIV’s mission, volunteer and client stories to educate our neighbors across our southernmost 13 communities in RI.
Members of our Development team as well as all volunteers also support community events like the Washington County Fair and Charlestown Sea Food Festival among others if they are interested. These are seasonal community events that support local nonprofits and more. These opportunities are open to individuals 13 plus years of age.
Join our dedicated and fun Development & Marketing committee—to learn more, contact Deb at SRIV. Leave your name and number at 401-552-7661 or email info@southernrivol.org.
Maybe you’d like to help seniors register for assistance through SRIV. SRIV is looking for the right volunteer to assist with client intake conversations for our seniors who need assistance to age-in-place. We are also looking for volunteers to answer the phone and help our seniors to access services and to be in-touch with seniors for safety check calls from our office in Charlestown. We are searching for those empathic individuals who have a desire to help our older citizens. Openings are available Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday from 9:30 to noon and noon to 2:30. If you’d like to visit with and help seniors access assistance to age in place, this might be your perfect opportunity. Call SRIV today to arrange an appointment to speak with Megan about these important and meaningful opportunities.
How about being a volunteer “sub”. Be on our call list to see if you might occasionally be available to deliver meals on wheels in the South Kingstown, Narragansett and Exeter areas. This is only an occasional opportunity or a sub opportunity for a regular volunteer who is away for any length of time.
Hoping to meet you soon and call you one of the team!
Call SRIV at 401-552-7661 Monday through Friday between 9 am and 3 pm for info.
*Southern Rhode Island Volunteers is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization. Your generous donation helps us support hundreds of people throughout Southern RI.
Main Office: P O Box 1047, 100 Park Lane, Charlestown, RI 02813
Hours: 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Monday-Friday
Phone: (401) 552-7661
Fax: (401) 552-7663
