[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 157 (Wednesday, October 17, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2157]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   IN RECOGNITION OF THE RETIRED SENIOR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM OF GREATER 
                               CLEVELAND

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 17, 2007

  Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Retired 
Senior Volunteer Program of Greater Cleveland (RSVP) on the occasion of 
their 35th anniversary of service to community non-profits and 
countless people in the Cleveland area.
  RSVP is part of the Corporation for National and Community Service, 
one of the largest volunteer efforts in the country. The Greater 
Cleveland chapter of RSVP opened its doors in 1972, back when I was a 
Cleveland city councilman, and it is one of the biggest--and perhaps 
the best--in the country today.
  Based on principles of giving back to a society which has given, the 
over 3,200 volunteers contribute over 400,000 hours of service to the 
community each year to more than 200 nonprofit agencies. Many of these 
organizations simply could not exist without the help of the RSVP 
volunteers, and none could provide the level of quality service the 
volunteers offer without them. The list of organizations utilizing 
generous commitment of RSVP volunteers is broad and ranges from 
hospitals, to museums, to hunger centers, and to schools.
  Meals are prepared and delivered to homebound residents that might 
otherwise not have access to this service. School children are helped 
with their literacy skills and provided with quality adult role models. 
New citizens are welcomed to the country. The bereaved and ill are 
counseled. Educational tours are provided to students and the general 
public at NASA, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Great 
Lakes Science Center, among many educational and entertaining outlets. 
And the list goes on.
  One of the great successes of Cleveland's RSVP program is the 
management of a tutoring program for children in the Cleveland 
municipal schools called Experience Corps. During this school year 
alone, 220 tutors mentored 1,400 students in 14 elementary schools, and 
the hope is to someday be able to provide quality tutors to all 
children that need help. Cleveland's Experience Corps program, part of 
a national effort, has been so successful that it was selected as one 
of four throughout the country to serve as a model for expansion of the 
program nationally.
  Community projects, such as festivals, fairs, walkathons and other 
civic functions, depend largely on volunteers for short-term or one-
time assignments, and RSVP comes through with a group called Team RSVP. 
This year, Team RSVP volunteers have already participated in more than 
100 community events, with many more scheduled through the end of 2007.

  A group of volunteers called the RSVP Players creates and presents 
educational and entertaining performances for audiences of older adults 
throughout Northeast Ohio. The troupe has also assisted with 
informational programs about Medicare information, prescription misuse, 
predatory lending, re-entering the job market and other issues relevant 
to seniors.
  Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring RSVP of 
Greater Cleveland, an organization with an extraordinary commitment to 
service in the Cleveland area, and its humble volunteers that fill 
numerous needs in Ohio's 10th Congressional District and beyond. Their 
footprint is large and deep, and their accomplishments will be felt for 
generations to come.

                          ____________________