story and photos by Lisa Davenport, PROVIDE-A-RIDE Outreach Coordinator
Celebrating the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr., RSVP of Central Oklahoma staff and volunteers visited with the older adults who attend the Lincoln Park Senior Center in Oklahoma City while serving them coffee and donuts. In addition, they presented each senior with a “Be Ready” disaster preparedness bag, which included a flashlight and blanket; two items needed in the event of an emergency or disaster. The insulated bags are big enough to hold other essential items, such as water, medications, a change of clothes, copies of important documents, a first aid kit, etc. The bags are great to have “ready” to use at home, or grab and take in case of the need to evacuate.
Beth Patterson, Executive Director, spoke about Senior Corps, which is made up of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, Senior Companion Program and Foster Grandparent Program. Each program connects older adults with rewarding and meaningful community volunteer opportunities.
Lisa Davenport, Outreach Coordinator, spoke about the Provide-A-Ride program, which provides free medical transportation for seniors, age 60 and older, living on limited incomes. She explained the program offers not only transportation, but also conversation and companionship, which is very important to the clients living in isolation with a limited support system. She invited the group to join RSVP in their mission to help seniors within our communities remain as independent as possible, and in their own homes for as long as possible, by volunteering to take them to their much needed medical appointments.
The event concluded with a question and answer period and each of the 40 participants pondering the question presented by Dr. King years ago, “What are you doing for others?”
For more information about RSVP of Central Oklahoma, call 605-3110, or visit www.rsvpokc.org. To become a volunteer driver or register as a Provide-A-Ride client, call 605-3106.
RSVP of Central Oklahoma, Inc. is a part of the Corporation for National Service and a proud United Way of Central Oklahoma partner agency.
