TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo police, along with the Area Office of Aging, will be hosting a volunteer patrol training course for retired senior citizens to find new volunteers! Any senior in the Toledo community can help out.
R.S.V.P. has been in existence for 23 years. Their mission is to check on the safety and well-being of clients, assist in providing any immediate health needed within program guidelines, provide compassion and conversation – which may include a trip down memory lane and getting to know clients during visits.
The City of Toledo will provide a car for when volunteers are visiting clients.
Some requirements you need to know to become a volunteer:
- You must be a fellow senior citizen (age 55 or older.)
- Have a valid drivers license.
- Successfully complete a background check.
- Be physically able to perform the duties.
- Volunteer a minimum of 12 hours per month.
- Successfully complete the R.S.V.P. training program recently with the City of Toledo.
- Be familiar with the City of Toledo and be able to read a map.
Since the pandemic, the number of volunteers has gone down. Florence McLennan, the office manager at R.S.V.P, says it’s a great program for both the client and volunteer.
“To see these people light up when we come in to visit, we have several clients that are over 100 years old and we have many veterans in their 90s. The volunteers benefit as much as the clients do, actually, because we just get attached to these people and they become like family,” said McLennan.
If you are interested in volunteering training classes start May 1 and ends May 5. You do not have to be a Toledo resident to volunteer.
You can call (419) 936-3720 or (419) 936-3811 to apply, or click here for more information.