ERIK SANZENBACH / L’Observateur / February 16, 2000

LULING – On an invitation, RSVP stands for repondez s’il vous plit, or please respond.

Well, the governments of the River Parishes would like to extend an invitation to anyone who is 55 years old or over, retired and still wants to do something for their community. The RSVP on this invitation stands forRetired Seniors Volunteer Program.

RSVP is a federal grant program under the Corp. for National and CommunityServices, the federal agency for volunteerism. In this area, the program isfunded by St. Charles Parish, St. John Parish, the State of Louisiana, theGovernor’s Office of Elderly Affairs and the United Way.

The purpose of RSVP is to enable older Americans, ages 55 or over, to contribute their experience and time to their communities on a volunteer basis.

For the past 22 years RSVP has played a vital role in the River Parishes.

Volunteers work in agencies as varied as the Agency for Retarded Citizens to the YMCA Educational Services and everything in between.

Overseeing all these volunteers is Kay Caire, who directs RSVP out of an office in Luling.

She has worked with the program since 1994 and says, “I just love it. It’sgreat to work with people who really care for their parish.”For Caire, retired people are a great asset to a community.

“They have so much to offer,” she says. “People are living longer, and theywant to stay involved.””You gotta keep going,” agrees Inez Duhon Blank, who runs the RSVP program in St. John Parish.She should know. Inez is 75 years old and volunteers between 16 to 20 hoursa week while overseeing the other volunteers in the parish.

Inez usually volunteers at St. Hubert’s Church, cooking for the three yearlybazaars and sewing baptismal clothes for the new babies.

“I like to give,” says Inez, “and I get to meet a lot of new people.”St. John Parish President Nickie Monica is asking volunteers from RSVP tohelp out in running the day-to-day affairs of the parish government. Parishofficials are looking for retirees who have experience in the legal profession, accounting, administration and human resources.

“We have lots of retired professionals,” says Caire, “teachers, nurses, lawyers, policemen and doctors.”Even though RSVP volunteers get no money for their services, they are provided with supplemental accident and liability insurance, travel reimbursement and meals.

Caire says volunteers usually turn down the mileage reimbursements.

They are also recognized for their efforts. Every year the RSVP throws ahuge banquet to honor all the volunteers and award gifts and plaques. Thebanquet for 2000 will be held sometime in July and will have a country and western theme.

Sometimes, RSVP gets calls from schools to send over “substitute” grandparents. On Grandparents Day not all the kids will have theirgrandparents available, so RSVP volunteers so everybody has a grandparent.

Inez, mother to 12 children, has 57 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren really likes this duty.

“Seniors love this as much as the kids.” Inez says, laughing.And if you think you are too old to volunteer, well, just look at 100-year-old Lena LaCroix who volunteers at the St. Charles Hospital or 92-year-old ClaraEnglade of St. John Parish who works at area hospitals and enters the SeniorOlympics.

“She wins the Olympics every year,” claims Inez.

Since the end of 1999 806 RSVP volunteers have logged 119,205 hours of volunteer service in the River Parishes area.

“This saves the parishes a lot of money,” says Caire. “When you multiply allthose volunteer hours by what you would have to pay others, that is a big savings.”RSVP volunteers also help the Red Cross by going to disaster areas and helping those in need.

“Those are our hardest working volunteers,” says Caire. “They are verydedicated and very involved.”For those who don’t think they can do such physical and strenuous work, there is “telecare.. These volunteers call up the infirm and house-boundmaking sure they are OK, and provide companionship and someone to talk to.

Other volunteers go to places like Twin Oaks and Place DuBourg and do hairstyling, call bingo games or drive people to the doctor and the store.

Caire says, “These people really give back to the community.”If you are retired, 55 or over and still want to help out your community, call 652-9569 in St. John Parish or the main RSVP office in Luling at 785-1037for more information.

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