Congratulations to RSVP's 2011 Gold Presidential Volunteer Service Award Winners

Rebekah Lonon began teaching 2nd grade at Nathaniel Alexander Elementary in 2010 with the firm belief that you can never spend too much time reading with a child. She recognized quickly the need to have special “buddies” in the classroom who could regularly share the excitements of reading and writing in their own lives.  That’s when Ms. Lonon reached out to RSVP. RSVP paired Ms. Lonon’s class with several volunteers, including Kay Hubbard, who is now lovingly referred to as Grandma Kay by the students.  Grandma Kay volunteers weekly as a Classroom Buddy, working with children individually and in small groups to improve their reading skills.  Her time with the children, she says, is like a “shot in the arm of energy!”  Their class motto is “Whatever you do...work at it with ALL your HEART!” and Grandma Kay has done just that.  Ms. Lonon says Grandma Kay has been “influential in teaching the students that you must work with all your heart, for your whole life, to become great readers and writers.”  Leading by example, Grandma Kay, with help from her daughter and grandsons, collected over 500 books this summer to share with Ms. Lonon’s students this year.  Asked about her partnership with Ms. Lonon, Kay says, “Ms. Lonon and I are exactly 50 years apart in age– I’m 73!  Generation gap? What generation gap?  We love working together!”

Did you know that the Mecklenburg County Courthouse has a Self-Serve Center where individuals can go to get information and paperwork about family court issues like divorce and child custody? One of our wonderful RSVP volunteers, Pat Kunder, serves every Tuesday and Thursday morning in the Self-Serve Center helping those who come in to get the information they need. Pat has always had an interest in the legal field. She spent her career as a paralegal. Volunteering at the courthouse was a natural fit to utilize her knowledge and skills. She does some general volunteer work like copying papers and making packets of information, however; she also serves the people who come in the door and line up to ask their questions. Pat says every time she volunteers she learns something new. Originally from a small village near Manchester, England, Pat moved to the United States in November of 1963. She's lived in New Jersey, Georgia, and North Carolina and raised four children. She has one grandchild who lives in California and two small Malti-Chin dogs. Her hobbies include knitting, reading, and taking classes in literature and liberal arts studies at universities. She lives uptown and rides the trolley to the courthouse to volunteer. Pat says she enjoys volunteering at the Courthouse because it gives her an opportunity to serve the people and it's nice to feel she is helping someone. She noted that volunteering is especially important for retired individuals because it gets them out of the house and gives a sense of purpose to the individual.

Sheila Cabral been volunteering with RSVP Charlotte since the summer of 2009. She volunteers at the Tyvola Senior Center, is a Senior Disaster Registry Ambassador and also is on the RSVP SWAT Team.

Sheila was born in Connecticut. She spent time in Florida and Nantucket, and lived on Cape Cod for 23 years. In Cape Cod she volunteered with the Council on Aging and Elder Services of Cape Cod and the islands. Her volunteer work there gave her a great appreciation for the work that volunteers do in cities and towns. She moved to Charlotte to be near her daughter and grandsons.

Sheila worked in bookkeeping and administration for most of her career. She has three children and three grandchildren. She loves to read and to travel. When she was 69, she embarked on a trip around the world!

Her favorite volunteer experience with RSVP Charlotte was helping with a Fall Carnival at a Senior Living Facility. Sheila helped make cotton candy and other treats! She remembers, "you could really feel a spirit of joy in the air."

Through her volunteer work she now realizes, "towns and organizations would not be able to function without volunteers. Volunteers are so alive!"