Community Services
Medford, Oregon • 541-857-7780

Like all other PRS affiliates, Community Services, PRS’s not-for-profit division that provides volunteer opportunities for seniors, couldn’t exist without the talent and the hard work provided by the staff. As Becky Snyder, Executive Director of Community Services, says, “Of course, the heart of our organization consists of the many seniors who volunteer their time, helping hundreds of organizations throughout the southern Oregon community. But the staff members here in the office, along with the administrators and the teachers at the various organizations we work with, also have a huge role in the success of Community Services.”

Staff involved in the Foster Grandparent Program (FGP) are in close contact with supervisors at the various sites where these individuals volunteer their time. Because the program requires a larger time commitment than most, the Foster Grandparents really do become an integral part of the activities at these sites, so FGP staff work hand-in-hand with staff at these organizations to ensure that the experience is a good one for all involved.

Even though the structure of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) is somewhat different from that of FGP, the conscientious dedication of the staff to ensure the success of the program is not. Staff members work with representatives of the organizations with which it is associated not only in the placement of its volunteers but also to measure satisfaction and offer further assistance if needed. Staff involved in the direct service programs overseen by RSVP work closely with volunteers and clients alike; additionally, they have become actively involved in groups and organizations that can potentially have an effect on these programs’ activities (e.g., the Commission on Children and Families, the Special Transportation Advisory Committee, the United Way, and the Money Management Program for Seniors).

Community Services’ outreach programs include the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and the Foster Grandparent Program. RSVP places volunteers at 98 non-profit organizations throughout Jackson County. It also directly oversees eight separate programs: Call A Ride, a medical transportation program; the Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance program, which trains volunteers to assist seniors with Medicare issues; the Caring Assistance with Resourceful Experience program, through which volunteers mentor family child-care providers; the Respite Care program, where volunteers provide relief for people who are primary caregivers of seniors; the Lunch Buddy program, a mentoring program designed to reach at-risk children; TransMed, a medical transportation program primarily for child Medicaid clients; and the information booths at the Medford Airport and the County Courthouse.

The Foster Grandparent Program trains low-income seniors to work with at-risk children in schools and other supervised settings. The program provides volunteers to more than 79 sites, including area public schools, Head Start, day care centers, the Jackson County Juvenile Detention Center, and other organizations that provide services to children in the community.

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