Mountain RSVP Volunteers Bob and Lucille Evens
Lucille and Bob Evens reside in Cavendish, Vermont. They moved here from Fort Ann, NY in 1992. After retirement, Bob and Lucille joined RSVP and began volunteering their time at various non-profit agencies, as well as numerous other projects over the past eleven years. They are remarkably dedicated. During their eleven years as RSVP volunteers they have contributed so much time and energy to helping others. They never say no when asked to help, no matter what the situation. They are truly selfless, and are outstanding role models for volunteers everywhere. Both Bob and Lucille take volunteering very seriously, and their promptness, generosity, impeccable work ethic and attention to detail are second to none! In 2006 they both received the Ludlow Rotary Club’s Community Service Award and it’s no wonder why!
Lucille has volunteered in so many different arenas. She spent four years as a library aide at the Cavendish Fletcher Community Library, and as a reader to children at the Cavendish Town Elementary School. She was a driver for the Meals on Wheels Program in Springfield, as well as a helper with clients’ paperwork for the Council on Aging. More recently, she has been a CRT driver who brings patients to medical appointments. She also shops and runs errands for those who cannot get out themselves. In addition, Lucille does household chores for those unable to do so. She has participated in Friendly Visiting at the Gill Home and in individuals’ homes. Lucille has worked on several RSVP mailings for various organizations. For the past three years, she has served on our Green Mountain RSVP Recognition Luncheon Committee, giving hours of her time helping to plan and execute the event. Each year she has personally made and donated unique decorations for the occasion.
One of her current assignments is keeping tally of grocery receipts forourShaw’s Rewards Program fund raiser. She always goes above and beyond what is asked of her and she does so with a smile. In fact, Lucille is always asking what else she can do to help. She is quiet and reserved, and does not seek the credit she so greatly deserves.
Bob also spends most of his waking hours volunteering. He is currently on the Board of Directors of Black River Good Neighbors in Ludlow. He serves as Treasurer, but he does so much more. He is a problem solver who helps this organization with computer issues, and is in charge of maintaining the physical plant of Good Neighbors. He is literally “on call” all the time. Bob serves as Chairman of the Cavendish Fletcher Community Library Board of Directors, Chairman of the Fletcher Farm Foundation Board of Directors, and Chairman of the Cavendish Fire District #2 Prudential Committee. Bob sits on the Green Mountain RSVP Advisory Board, and has been a member of the RSVP Recognition Luncheon Committee for the past three years. He has helped with RSVP mailings. Bob’s calm demeanor, diligent perseverance, and positive attitude make him such an asset to any
organization, as well as the entire community.
Green Mountain RSVP is so very fortunate and proud to have these two amazing, community minded people as volunteers. They embody the true volunteer sprit, and through their actions, spread kindness, caring and help so many others. Lucille and Bob Evens epitomize “service above self.” Thank you Lucille and Bob
Green Mountain RSVP & Volunteer enter Volunteer Maria Contro
Maria Contro is a model volunteer. She is kind, caring, open-minded, non-judgmental, dedicated, determined, and extremely positive. Her abundant contributions to her community have set high standards of excellence in volunteerism. She has lovingly given 10,600 hours of service for RSVP and her community. A native of Italy, Maria came to Massachusetts when she was 3 years old. She later worked for Smith & Wesson for 17 years. She has resided in Chester,Vermont for the past 22 years. In 2000, she won the Ms.Vermont Pageant.
For fourteen years, beginning in 1995, Maria has been an RSVP volunteer in Windsor County. In that time, she has demonstrated tireless energy while participating in a myriad of volunteer service activities such as creating children’s summer programs for the Springfield Family Center, working on special programs at Chester/Andover Elementary School, Riverside Middle School in Springfield, Cavendish Fletcher Memorial Library in Cavendish and the LEAP after school program in Springfield. She was Chairman of the Green Mountain RSVP Advisory Board (5 years), working diligently on fundraisers, mailings, and special events. Maria’s talents led her to sing and play the drum as a Songster at the Springfield Senior Center. As a part of that group she travels to nursing homes to bring entertainment to residents who wait in anticipation for the wonderful show they will see.
Maria continues to work at American Red Cross blood drives in Chester, as well. Although Maria has been an incredible inspiration in all of the above activities, there is one program that she has dedicated 10 years of her time to. The program is Meals on Wheels, official name-Meals & Wheels of Greater Springfield. Maria has been a hands-on pioneer of this program for the past 10 years. She has given hours and hours of her time as a driver of meals, a hostess at the congregate meal site 3-5 days a week, and as Advisory Board Chairman. She has also been a Board member on the Board of Directors for Meals on Wheels. She took on the role of Treasurer of the Board several years ago.
Maria has a unique quality of making everyone around her feel special. She believes so wholeheartedly in this program that she will do anything to see that it continues to succeed. Along with working with other volunteers and staff on the Annual Appeal, which raises thousands of dollars for Meals on Wheels, she almost single-handedly raises hundreds of extra dollars by selling poinsettias in December, and Easter lilies in spring, as well as selling ads for a place mat campaign. She does not want a computer, but rather keeps all records by hand. She has the “old school” belief that hand-written thank you notes are important, and should be written for a number of different occasions. In this day of technology and emails, it is refreshing to see her beautiful handwriting displayed on these notes. She has often done up to 100 hand written notes after a fundraiser, and takes pride in them.
Maria has directly impacted so many Vermonters by finding ways to make the program sustain itself, and grow. Meals on Wheels is such a vital program that fills an ongoing need in the community. Within the past six months Meal on Wheels has realized a dream of finding unshared space for the daily Congregate Meal program in Springfield. Maria’s vision was largely responsible for this this. The program moved out of a church space, a few months ago, and into another building. Maria worked diligently for this to happen. The space has been painted and decorated by a number of excited volunteers. These volunteers were inspired by Maria to get involved in this project.
A huge gift to RSVP has been the way Maria recruits her peers to volunteer. She has recruited 15 new volunteers for Meals on Wheels and other RSVP programs. That is the most powerful way to get people involved. Maria is truly a special person, and a remarkable volunteer, who has many gifts of the heart that she readily shares.
Mildred Katz, Green Mountain RSVP Volunteer
1923 – 2009
Mildred “Millie” Katz volunteered in Bennington County as a member of RSVP for 20 years. She might even be remembered as a volunteer extraordinaire, because giving to others was always a part of her life. Before she moved to Bennington from Lincoln, NB, she was receiving awards for her volunteerism and wrote numerous articles on the subject.
Her time here in Bennington was spent with active involvement in whatever task she chose to take on. Back in the early ‘90s she was named a Paul Harris Fellow for her work with Mount Anthony Union High School students by coordinating the Student Community Volunteer Program. Under her direction, the program placed over 50 students in a variety of community agencies including hospitals, nursing homes, childcare facilities, and other non-profits. Many students were first time volunteers, some participating with a one-time commitment, while others continued to volunteer for a long time. The program’s overall success was measured by the positive response of agencies served and the overall enthusiasm of the students. Millie had a life long commitment both to students and community service.
She served on many boards in Bennington which include the American Red Cross, Council on Aging, Sunrise Family Resource Center, and Green Mountain RSVP’s Advisory Board. She was known as an active board member – one who went far beyond showing up for the meetings. When Sunrise needed to be accredited, it was Millie who stepped up to the plate and led them through the process. When they applied for funding from United Way, Millie attended the allocation interviews.
For the past 14 years, Millie volunteered for the Center for Restorative Justice as a Diversion Board member. The role of the members is to represent the community in the restorative process and to develop a fair, meaningful contract that best helps the offender repair the harm they caused to the victim, community, and themselves. The young people Millie helped number in the hundreds. The Diversion program really gives people a second chance, and she strongly believed in the phrase – a chance to start over.
Millie’s philosophy about volunteering stemmed from her belief that volunteers act as public relations people who understand the complexity of a community’s problems and whose work is essential in solving these problems. Volunteers like Millie Katz give hope and strength to our communities.
Green Mountain RSVP Volunteer Frances Hunt
Frances Hunt grew up in Shaftsbury, VT and graduated from Shaftsbury Depot School, a one-room schoolhouse. She and her husband Dick have 5 children, 12 grand children and 8 great-grand children. Fran worked for Eveready during the years she was raising her family, and retired in 1994.
By 1996 she had joined RSVP, and her volunteering hasn’t stopped since then. She began with bulk mailings and did a variety of other short-term projects – the Parking Meter Ambassador Program for the town of Bennington, Stark Hose Gallery greeter and she was an early volunteer at the Better Bennington Corp. She began her long -term commitment with the American Red Cross Blood Drives in 1997 and is now Chairperson of the drive that takes place at the Baptist Church every other month. She recruits and coordinates the work of 12 volunteers and sets up the room to prepare for the arrival of the Red Cross Bloodmobile from Burlington. The average number of pints collected at each drive is one hundred.
Each month Fran goes to the Second Congregational Church and packs boxes of food for Self Help and Resource Exchange (SHARE). This work assists those in Bennington who are less fortunate and need help to feed their families. She also collects birth certificate data for the Windham County Department of Health. In between these “permanent” jobs, she always says yes when called to register patients at the Department of Health for flu and shingles clinics or take part in bulk mailings for the Chamber of Commerce, Bennington College, United Counseling Service, and the Better Bennington Corporation. Fran is a regular volunteer at the Bennington Car Show each Fall that brings thousands of visitors to the area. She is busy every week with all of her work. of generous volunteer time to her community. Our database indicates that Fran has donated close to 4,000 hours of generous volunteer time. If those hours were translated into a salary, Fran has saved local non-profits approximately $60,000.
She has loved meeting all the people with whom she’s come in contact throughout her years of volunteering. She enjoys being with people, talking, laughing and doing important work while having fun. She is a precious gem to the Bennington community.
Green Mountain RSVP’s Volunteers Gil and Nina Rodriguez
Gilbert and Antonia Nina Rodriguez (Nina and Gil) began their volunteer work through Green Mountain RSVP in 1995. When Gil retired in 1993, he and his wife moved from Long Island to Bennington, VT. It soon became apparent to them that they had a lot to offer their new community, and so they joined RSVP and began their new “careers” at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center. They are so recognized in the hospital corridors now, that most people think they are employees.
Gil has worked in multiple departments, starting with the Medical Office Building delivering mail. He then moved on to Materials Management, Oncology, Engineering, and the Hospital Mail Room. For a while he delivered Meals on Wheels, and installed Personal Emergency Response Systems for the elderly living alone.
During the past several years he has stayed with his permanent job as assistant to the Director of Volunteer Services. He is the one who enters all the volunteer hours into the computer and faithfully delivers them to the RSVP office. He continues to pester his “boss” for a raise, and she keeps promising she’ll work on it.
Gil is known for the colorful characterizations he draws and passes around the hospital to folks who have caught his eye. One day a lady in a wheel chair made it all the way to his office in the basement of the hospital to tell him how much his cartoons had cheered her. She had had a doctor’s appointment that was difficult for her, but when she saw all of his drawings hanging on the wall behind the receptionist, it gave her the strength and comfort she needed to get through her visit.
Nina has remained in the same job she started 13 years ago, which is working in the hospital mailroom sorting and delivering mail. She loves her work and knows all the employees, who let her know of their appreciation on a daily basis. Nina is satisfied to know that she is helping others and giving back to her community. Between the two, they have donated 10,500 hours of volunteer service. They have saved the hospital $157,500!
Their friend and fellow volunteer, Rudy Bondone, who passed away last spring, summed it up by saying, “Isn’t this what we’re supposed to do? We’re here for a purpose.” With smiles on their faces, Gil and Nina travel the 25 miles from Cambridge, NY (where they found a town house that fits them to a tee) to the hospital twice a week, to do “what they’re supposed to do.”
Green Mountain RSVP Volunteer Nina Fersen
In the early spring of 1991 RSVP became the proud recipient of the membership application of Nina Fersen, former glider “co-pilot” and skydiver. In the early days Nina volunteered at the Solomon Wright Public Library near her home in Pownal. After that, the work became more serious, and continues to be so.
Nina then began volunteering for the Council on Aging, with the State Health Insurance Program. Her training began with a series of classes offered by AARP that gave her all the information about Medicare that anyone would want to know. For many years she shared that information with folks covered by Medicare who needed assistance in wading through the maze of guidelines, requirements, and coverages available. It was especially comforting to those who were just turning 65 and had no idea where to begin. She also served as a board member for the Council on Aging for 8 years,and as chair for 2 of those years.
Not to be intimidated by one challenging volunteer job, Nina also prepared taxes for community members who needed help with that chore. For 2 years she volunteered with IRS-AARP as a certified Tax Aide. This service is free to the public and takes place from February to April 15th each year. The process to become certified by the IRS is no picnic, but Nina took it on and triumphed!
She continues to give her time to worthy and important organizations. In 2007 she began volunteering at the Center for Restorative Justice as a panel member and is now a Board member, as well. This group of citizens listens to the stories of youg people who have broken the law but have been chosen by the judge to work in the community rather than go to jail.The panel determines appropriate work for the offenders, and then follows them through the process. Many youth offenders who made mistakes, have come through the process and turned their lives around, thanks to the good advice and guidance from Nina and people like her who give time and energy to their communities through volunteering.