Rogue Valley Manor Community Services (RVMCS), a non-profit organization, provides a variety of opportunities for seniors to fully participate in the life of the community through volunteer service. RVMCS community outreach programs include the (1) Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and (2) Foster Grandparent Program (FGP). Both RSVP and FGP are federally funded; they also receive matching local funding. Both organizations are sponsored by Pacific Retirement Services, and they are member agencies of the United Way of Jackson County; FGP is also a member of the United Way of Josephine County and the United Way of Klamath County.

Each year, the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) sets a goal for volunteer service hours they want to meet or beat. In 2002, RSVP's goal was to top last year's record-breaking 117,146 hours, which it did: over the course of the 2002 fiscal year, RSVP recorded a total of 119,099 volunteer service hours. Using the federal government's guideline of assigning the value of $16.05 to each volunteer hour, the RSVP work force contributed $1,911,538.95 in services to the residents of Jackson County.

"Currently, the volunteer program has more than 800 registered volunteers that provide services to over 100 non-profit organizations," says RSVP Director Becky Snyder. "Anyone 55 years of age or older is eligible to become an RSVP volunteer, whatever their level of experience, education, or income."

In addition to placing its volunteers with more than 100 non-profit organizations and programs in Jackson County, RSVP coordinates the volunteer activities of four other programs. These include the Call-A-Ride medical transportation program; the Senior Health Insurance Benefits Association (SHIBA), in which volunteers are trained to assist seniors with Medicare issues; the Respite Care program, which provides relief for people who are primary caregivers for seniors; and the CARE program, which won the AAHSA 1998 award for Community Service for Youth at Risk.

The Foster Grandparent Program (FGP) is another arm of RVMCS. The program places low-income seniors, 60 years of age or older, in settings throughout the community where they work directly with children. The program provides volunteers for many of the area public schools, Head Start programs, day-care centers, the Jackson County Juvenile Detention Center, and other sites providing services to children in the community. During the 2001-2002 school year, Foster Grandparents invested 86,327 volunteer hours toward southern Oregon's children in Jackson, Josephine, and Klamath Counties. The federal government assigns a monetary value of $15,660.00 to the care that each Foster Grandparent provides yearly. For the three-county area the program serves, that translates into a total service value of $1,225.575.00 each year.

George Gilman, FGP's Director, says, "The program creates a 'win/win' situation for everyone involved. The children benefit from the experienced, compassionate care they receive, and the Foster Grandparents benefit by gaining personal fulfillment."