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Greetings from RSVP

Posted on Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

Holiday Greetings from JoBeth Lewer-Director-RSVP

As we begin a new year I would like to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for the wonderful

RSVP Friendly Visitor Denise Poole with Jo Simmons, Betty Crawford and Ruby McPhail

contributions you made to the Fairfield community throughout 2011.  As of December 2011 RSVP has enrolled 75 new volunteers who gave over 1,000 hours of service!  The RSVP Friendly Visitors program is growing and now has over 25 volunteers serving seniors in Fairfield.  The RSVP Energy Savings Program finished the year Weatherizing 23 homes and more than 50 RSVP volunteers enrolled to serve!

Each of you make a direct and positive difference in the lives of others. I know you have made a difference in my life.  It is a great pleasure to serve as the Director for this program.  Each RSVP volunteer I meet makes me feel deeply satisfied knowing that together we are  indeed creating a better world for everyone, one person at a time.

I feel grateful that I have the good fortune to work with all the caring and kind-hearted people who make volunteering a part of their lives.  Thank you all for your ongoing volunteering with RSVP and for helping to make this program a vital service for those in Fairfield.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

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Inspiring Service

Posted on Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

We invite you to make MLK Day a day of service—”a day ON, not a day off.”     

In the spirit of service, consider taking the day off on Monday, January 16th and spending your time serving others.  If you would like ideas of how to get involved, contact the Volunteer Center ahead of time and we will help you find a good fit!  Cap the day off in the Community Room at the Fairfield Public Library at 7 pm where we cordially invite you to join us as we hear from Fairfield resident Patti Miller who was a civil rights activist who worked with Dr. King in the Freedom Summer of 1964 and went on to work with Dr. King as part of the Project to End Slums in Chicago. Now she is “Keeping History Alive” with inspiring presentations of her unique and personal story.

Her presentation challenges us all to take action today to create a more just and diversified society, while creating the history of tomorrow.  National Days of Service like this one are important reminders to get involved and serve to rally people together to make a difference…but what we hope they do most of all is to inspire ongoing service throughout the year.

*Admission to the evening’s events will be a non-perishable food donation to help stock the new food pantry at New Life Community Church in Fairfield.

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Fairfield Volunteer of the Year Award

Posted on Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

Dr. Larry Nash was honored with the Fairfield Volunteer of the Year Award on December 8th at the Fairfield Entrepreneur Association’s Annual Awards Banquet.

Dr. Nash received numerous nominations for the award based upon his work on two very significant projects in the Fairfield community. Larry has been a leader in accomplishing the Maasdam Barns preservation project and has also been significantly involved in construction projects for the Jefferson County Trails Council.

Larry, along with Dick Reed, initiated the first project at the Maasdam Barns and Larry showcased his skills in carpentry, painting, organization, leadership, fundraising and more.  He served as Vice Chairman of the Maasdam Barns Preservation committee from 2005-2009, and was then elected Chairman.

Larry has been a member of the Jefferson County Trails Council since it was formed in 1997 and became part of the core group that built the trails. His projects included calculating bridge materials from plans, as well as building the bridges, installing and repairing fences, clearing fallen trees on the trails and many other tasks.

Over the past 2.5 years alone, Larry has been the major force driving the Maasdam Barns project to completion. According to his logs in 2009 he volunteered 190 hours and in 2010, 230 hours.

Larry reminded the audience that projects on this scale only happen when a group of people pool their talents and give of their time. He graciously accepted the award on behalf of all of the volunteers that worked on the barns and the trails projects.

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Successful Raffle and Dance Fundraiser

Posted on Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

On December 10, FVC hosted a fundraiser event at Morningstar Studios.  The evening had a jump start with a swing dance lesson from Andrea and Jeffrey Smith who kindly donated their time to ensure dancers learned some fun, new moves.  More than 40 dancers turned out in support of the volunteer center and helped us share in a fun and festive evening.

Raffle tickets were drawn and prizes went to 9 different supporters.  Many thanks to our sponsors and donors:

-Verizon                                -Chief Appanoose Popcorn

-Yummy’s                              -Breadtopia

-Terry Baker                         -Brown’s Shoe Fit

-Morningstar Studios           -Fairfield Arts and Convention Center

Keep your eye out for our next dance event to come later this winter!

We greatly appreciate all of the support from the community so that we can continue to radiate that support to others.

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Shoveling Snow this Winter

Posted on Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

The Fairfield Volunteer Center helps seniors and those unable to shovel their own walks by maintaining a list of volunteers willing to shovel for others.  If you are looking for a way to reach out to others, please let us know and we will get in touch with you after a significant snow event.  Some individuals seeking assistance have their own shovels so all you have to do is show up…others do not so you would need to bring your own along…please let us know if you have your own when responding so we can better serve those needing help.

Please share this with friends you think might be willing to help out and together, we can make things a bit easier for our fellow residents.

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Volunteer Appreciation Event Thursday, October 27, 7:30pm at Cafe Paradiso

Posted on Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

Attention: All Fairfield Volunteers-Please join us for an evening of celebration Thursday, October 27 from 7:30-9:30 at the lovely Cafe Paradiso.  The evening will feature entertainment, snacks, merrymaking, and good company.

The community of Fairfield is a richer, more vibrant place because there are so many people who reach out to others; looking beyond their own daily lives for the betterment of others.  We want to celebrate you and all that you do!  Please join us.

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Non-Profit Summit in Ames November 15 &16

Posted on Wednesday, October 5th, 2011
Iowa Nonprofit Summit 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 9:00 AM -
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 4:15 PM (Central Time)
Iowa State University / Scheman Building
Lincoln Way & University Blvd
between Hilton Coliseum and Fisher Theater
Ames, Iowa 50011
United States

Don’t miss this exciting, educational and invaluable conference for Iowa nonprofits and volunteer management professionals!  Use their website to view the evolving agenda, access award nomination information, and find lodging information.  Download the schedule and workshop descriptions here!

REGISTRATION DEADLINE/FEES
Online “early” registration is available just through November 1, so don’t delay!  After November 1, you may still attend this conference, but must register at the door at the on site rate).  A great value for a 2-day conference: $160 ($180 on site) – includes breakfast, lunch, and a break.  Can’t get away for two days?  One-day registration is also available for $90 ($100 on site) – includes breakfast, lunch, and a break.

GET MORE INFORMATION
To ensure you get conference details and information about registration, please visit www.iowalifechanging.com and use the “register” link to sign up for the Iowa Nonprofit Summit e-mail list or follow conference news on Twitter at #INPOS11

WORKSHOP TOPICS INCLUDE:

  • Disaster preparedness
  • National service
  • Effectively operating a nonprofit
  • Communications/social media
  • Resource development
  • Grant management
  • P&P training (Iowa Principles and Practices for Charitable Nonprofit Excellence)
  • Service-learning
  • Volunteer management
  • Risk management and legal issues
  • Days of Service
  • Building community partners
  • Special sessions for AmeriCorps directors and members
  • Workshops of interest to youth, mentoring programs, and Senior Corps directors
  • … and MORE!

Local agencies interested in attending can contact the Fairfield Volunteer Center to arrange possible car-pooling to the conference.  Several scholarship opportunities also exist to help support attendance.  See the website for more information.

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Round Two of Weatherization a Success

Posted on Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

Saturday, September 24 the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), sponsored by the Fairfield Volunteer Center (FVC), organized a weatherization project where more than 80 volunteers from various parts of the community came together to weatherize 11 homes of eligible Fairfield residents.

The RSVP Weatherization Program is funded by several grants and numerous in-kind donations from throughout the Fairfield community.  Scott Timm, Fairfield’s Sustainability Coordinator, facilitated a training session prior to event day to ensure project participants had the basic skills needed to complete project tasks.

Volunteers worked in teams with experienced RSVP captains leading the way and teaching new skills to community members and students.  Basic steps like caulking around outdoor window casings, installing weather stripping around doors, filling cracks in the foundation with expandable foam, wrapping water heaters and applying plastic film to windows can make a big impact on the efficient energy usage of a home, thereby reducing heating costs over the winter.

According to Molly Reiff, Director of the Fairfield Volunteer Center, “new skills gained by volunteers can be applied to their own homes creating a ripple effect that reaches further than just the primary homes weatherized on Saturday,”.

Following the weatherization efforts, the volunteers gathered together for a luncheon at the First Christian Church to celebrate the successes and share experiences of the day.  JoBeth Lewer, Fairfield’s RSVP Director said, “Fairfield is fortunate to have an ongoing RSVP Weatherization Program established in our community that connects a diverse group of volunteers benefitting our local residents”.

We will be following up with homeowners to quantify actual savings and will report back here when that info is available.  We thank all involved…we couldn’t do it without you!

To lower utility bills and a more comfortable winter!

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Thanksgiving in July Totals

Posted on Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

Thanksgiving in July, a community-wide food drive, was created thirteen years ago by Mercy Iowa City and Hawkeye Foodservice Distribution in Tiffin. The six tons of food and funds collected the first year went to the Johnson County Crisis Center Food Bank. Since then the food drive has continued to develop and expand. The 2011 food drive included food pantries and food relief agencies in Iowa City, Coralville, Tiffin, North Liberty, Fairfield, Muscatine, and Essex Iowa. The food and funds collected went to nine different non-profit food relief organizations.

Several of the food pantries have planned and organized their own food drives. Some communities collected food for one week and some for the entire month. There have been grocery store food collections, traveling trophies, parade floats, comedy night fundraisers, business food drives, and much more. The web site www.thanksgivinginjuly.org was recently added to promote and share the success of the individual communities participating.

Each dollar donated was used to purchase approximately four pounds of additional food. The combined food and funds for 2011 is 86,685 pounds (43.3 tons)!! It is the direct result of countless volunteer hours by caring individuals making a difference in their communities.

Thanksgiving in July has proven to be a valuable hands on resource for food pantries. If you know any individual, organization, or business interested in hosting a 2012 food drive in their community please get in touch. Our food pantries are struggling to meet the increased demand for food assistance and need our support.

Warmest Regards,

Chef Ron

Coralville Ecumenical Food Pantry 7,576 pounds

North Liberty Community food Pantry 9,500 pounds

Crisis Center Food Bank 46,874 pounds

The Lord’s Cupboard of Jefferson County 9,602 pounds

Shenandoah Community Food Pantry 2,900 pounds

Pearl City Outreach, Muscatine Community Food Pantry, Salvation Army of Muscatine, Loaves and Fishes 9,976 pounds

Clear Creek Amana Schools and Grace United Methodist Church 257 pounds

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Silent Auction to Benefit FVC @ October Artwalk

Posted on Monday, October 3rd, 2011

This Friday, October 7, the Fairfield Volunteer Center will host a silent auction during the Oktoberfest Art Walk on the downtown square.  Numerous local businesses have donated items to be auctioned off for the benefit of the volunteer center.  Items to look for include:

  • A free spin or yoga class for you and a friend at Open Space Studio
  • A tote and gift certificate from Revelations
  • Handmade jewelry by Livia Cole
  • Hand-knit hats for winter knit by our own director, Molly
  • 2 gift certificates from Fairfield Nutrition
  • a gift basket worth $80 from Natural Selections
  • 2 tickets to a production at the Sondheim
  • Gift Certificate from Everybody’s
  • 1-hour Swedish massage with director, Molly, also a licensed massage therapist
  • Plus, more items continue coming in!

We will be posting on Facebook as the week goes on, so check for more items.

While you are there, check out the Oktoberfest Parade, the Running of the Wiener Dogs and more.  Volunteer opportunities abound!  Hope to see you there!

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