The National Association of RSVP Directors is interested in promoting and advancing RSVP   as an organizational structure that is well developed and quite experienced in engaging seniors and boomers in National Service. Matter of fact, a recent study conducted by CNCS demonstrated that boomers serving in RSVP are very satisfied with the volunteer opportunities available and with the managed and individual support that RSVP offers.

As agendas are being developed for The ServiceNation Campaign, NARSVPD is currently pursuing three specific areas where we believe RSVP can play a significant role in which older citizens unite and take responsibility for the nation’s future. These include:

• Falls Prevention Programming - RSVP are located in every state and reach thousands of seniors each year through programming and volunteer opportunities. Healthy lifestyle programming is a natural draw for the baby boom cohort, especially for volunteer opportunities. Bringing these two together is a natural fit. Falls are a big problem for the elderly. More than one-third of adults 65 and older fall each year in the United States, and falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalization. There are more hospitalizations due to older adult falls than hospitalizations to motor vehicle occupants injured in crashes - for all ages combined! Most of us know someone who has experienced a fall and understand that it often leads to costly hospitalizations and long term care stays. RSVP with a network of 758 programs and more than 430,000 volunteers are capable of making a significant difference.

• Energy Conservation Corps - RSVP volunteers working to promote clean energy use and preserve protect and sustain the environment. While activities would vary from program to program, they would include improving the energy efficiency of housing for elderly and low-income people; building energy-efficient “green” housing for elderly and low-income people; provide environmental education and energy conservation education for elementary and secondary school students and the public; reusing and recycling including deconstruction; repair, renovation, or rehabilitation of an existing infrastructure facility including, but not limited to, rail, mass transportation, ports, inland navigation, schools and hospitals; transportation enhancements; recreational trails improvements; tree planting and reforestation; renewable resource enhancement; and assisting with emergency operations. RSVP has a long history of involvement in Environmental protection and Energy Conservation…from the east to the west coast programs have been restored endangered habitat, worked with local and national park agencies, and handed out compact fluorescent light bulbs.

• Seniors Against Fraud - Investment and Mass Marketing frauds, estimated to cost 60-100 billion dollars each year, harms the economy and the well-being of the seniors that are impacted. Everyone wants to invest wisely in the marketplace today, but unfortunately, many criminal efforts are aimed at the elderly who are often devastated by the financial losses. And with volatile markets, the problem can only get worse, as greedy con artists target seniors living on fixed-incomes and looking for a higher rate of return on their investments. Numerous studies have shown that older persons are disproportionately victimized by fraudulent businesses. While those 65 and older are 12% of the population (and growing), it is not uncommon to see 75-80% of the victims in fraud cases in this age group. Research conducted by AARP based on a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Justice has shown that consumer education can reduce an older person’s likelihood of being victimized by over 50 percent. This study also found that peer to peer counseling is more effective than general public service announcements in reducing the rates of victimization. Please see the attached policy paper developed to detail this program.

NARSVPD believes RSVP is a strong model to engage boomer and older volunteers and that there are important and meaningful issues where these volunteers can make an impact.