Friends of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Suffolk County

I have been volunteering with RSVP for a couple of years now. I do Medicare Consuling. The organization has been so helpful and friendly. It has made my retirement fun and fullfilling helping other understand Medicare and Medicaid benefits that are helpful to them.

My experience has been so uplifting. When I retired from my career five years ago, I found myself wanting to do something that would benefit our community and those in need. RSVP has fulfilled that need beyond my expectations. I love working with the staff and all the other wonderful volunteers in this organization. Most of all, it is so rewarding knowing that I have helped a senior citizen understand Medicare and put them at ease with some of their needs. I do so little and yet the people I have helped thank me like if I gave them a million dollars. I love being a volunteer at RSVP in Smithtown.

I have been volunteering for nearly three years with the RSVP of Suffolk County. In that time I have enjoyed begin involved with the Community Computer Connection program which provides refurbished computers to veterans, seniors, those with economic needs. I also teach classes for the Living Healthy Program. A Matter of Balance has been offered in a variety of libraries and settings. This 8-week course has benefitted many seniors and has helped to provide ways to stay safe.
My experience with RSVP has been very rewarding. I'm very grateful for the opportunities the program has afforded me and for the many kind people I've met. RSVP allows me to enjoy retirement by giving back to our community.

I volunteer with RSVP of Suffolk, and I am part of the Telephone Reassurance Program. I call seniors and talk with them and see how they are feeling and what's happening in their lives, for some people I am the only person they talk to for the day. So many people are so appreciative of these telephone calls, sometimes I get them to laugh and get them to talk to me about what's important to them. Many recipients of these calls recommend this program through RSVP to their friends and neighbors.

I have been volunteering with RSVP for 7 years, and, today, I am just as motivated by, and excited about, the opportunities it offers me as I was when I started with this wonderful organization. The administrative staff is extremely welcoming and accommodating, and does everything they can to make each volunteer's experience a rewarding one. I am always so proud to let people know about RSVP and the amazing "little secret" that it is. Unfortunately, too few people in the community are aware of the help they could receive through the many outreach programs RSVP offers (medicare counseling, telephone reassurance program, computer refurbishing and donation, programs on senior health concerns, ...to name a few) . The staff is enthusiastic and always ready to assist in any way the can when someone calls inquiring about the services offered. I am extremely grateful that I stumbled upon RSVP, and I hope that this "gem" will be uncovered by many, many more in the near future - it is truly a treasure.

I’ve been volunteering with RSVP for almost 2 years. It has been a wonderful experience being part of this organization. They have amazing programs and are so dedicated to helping these people. It is very rewarding knowing you’re a piece to the puzzle.

I have been volunteering for RSVP for approximately seven months. I thoroughly enjoy going into the office and assisting with current projects that they have. The entire staff is amazing to work with. They are an invaluable agency who help countless numbers of individuals in many different settings with so many different needs. I am glad to be part of such a fine organization.

The entire staff at RSVP are an amazing group of dedicated and caring people to work with. I have had an excellent experience thus far volunteering for the senior call center reassurance program. I hope to continue for many years to come since I have recently retired. I highly recommend this program and the wonderful staff that runs it!

I have volunteered at RSVP Suffolk for 5 years. I find the work to be invaluable to me and to the people I serve by helping them with Medicare questions. The program also fulfills other needs to people in the community. First they helped me and now I help them.

I have been a volunteer with RSVP for the past 9 years. I am involved with Medicare and Medicaid counseling. Everybody involved with the RSVP programs are always professional, kind, caring and dedicated to all.

RSVP is a wonderful organization devoted to helping so many people. We are part of the Computer Community Connection Program and help those who can't afford it computers and the ability to connect to the world, a wonderful part of RSVP.

It has been a great experience being on the board of directors in this organization. The benefit to the volunteers is immeasurable. I look forward to volunteering in the future.

I have volunteered with CCCP and RSVP for about 4 years. I first worked with CCCP delivering computers to Veterans and individuals who requested a computer setup through their application with this group. CCCP is a part of RSVP. I delivered, set up, and installed the computers to about 12 people. However, when Covid hit, I stopped my deliveries and setting up and started working with RSVP. The group of professional individuals with CCCP is unsurpassed. No one gets paid. We were and are there to help people connect to the web and email. Also paying their bills online is a huge help for these individuals.

Working with RSVP I create and email electronic newsletters to several contact lists. I am very knowledgeable with computers and computer software. Creating these newsletters is easy for me. These emailed newsletters convey various volunteering opportunities for individuals to apply and work throughout Suffolk and Nassau Counties. The professional group of individuals that work in the RSVP office is unsurpassed. Their dedication to providing information to whoever is looking for volunteer work is relentless. I love working with these professionals. It gives me great satisfaction knowing that they and I are helping individuals help with their livelihoods and wellbeing.

I have been volunteering over 15 years, 8 with the RSVP HIICAP. I really enjoy helping and interacting with clients on current Medicare related issues. It is a wonderful organization and I love giving back.

I have been volunteering with RSVP Suffolk for over 7 years and it has been an excellent organization to work with. They have placed me in assignments that are rewarding and that I enjoy. It is great to be a volunteer with RSVP.

For more than a year, I continue to work in the Computer Connections Program that is a part of RSVP. With each time I am there, this organization regularly demonstrates dedication to their volunteers. The kind and caring manner just radiates. It benefits not only the volunteers but also those community members that may be in need. This is such a rewarding way to enjoy some time you have in retirement. There are so many opportunities in many different areas of the community. It just feels so good to do something that is "so good".

I'm a volunteer for HIICAP (Health Insurance, Information Counseling and Assistance Program) one of the programs sponsored by the Friends of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Suffolk County (RSVP Suffolk). I get so much satisfaction helping people to understand Medicare and easing their concerns about how to navigate this very complex system. HIICAP is only one of the many important programs RSVP Suffolk oversees. All programs provide satisfaction to program volunteers and program participants in Suffolk County.

This is a wonderful non-profit that finds interesting and stimulating volunteer work for seniors. In addition, it offers much needed services to seniors. I would recommend it to any of my friends.

RSVP has a special place in my ❤️. For over 15 years I had the pleasure and honor to work with so many volunteers with this organization. All the seniors were as different as the next, their main love of community bonded all of them together. What RSVP has is a dedicated staff that thoughtfully places each prospective volunteer into community site that suits their interests. RSVP creates a win/win situation that benefits the giving volunteers bring to community volunteer sites that strengthen our neighborhoods. I’m honored to be a part of RSVP!

Shortly after I retired my wife suffered a major stroke that sadly took her life several years later. During that time I wrestled with a myriad of medical doctors, hospitals and nursing homes. What I experienced convinced me that I would try to help others experiencing medical tragedies. I found the Senior Volunteer Program of Suffolk County and have been volunteering for this organization. I have met many caring dedicated people that has created an environment that brings me back every year. I would recommend this organization without any reservations whatsoever. LarryMascola

I have been volunteering with the Computer Connections Program at RSVP since I retired in 2007. RSVP has become my "home away from home." Such good work is being done here, both for the volunteers and for the recipients of all their good works. .

Wonderful organization serving the seniors in Suffolk County New York.

I have been volunteering at RSVP Suffolk as a HIICAP counselor for about 3 or 4 years.
From the moment I entered the office, I have felt at home.
It has been a pleasure knowing and working with each and every one of the women in the office.
Notably, Maryflorence Brennan, Denise Passarelli, Terry Catania, Betty DeSimone, and Peggy Orsini who has since retired.
All of these women are hard working and so wonderful.
I look forward to going into the office.

I retired in 2006 and started volunteering at RSVP, August of that year. It was the best thing I could have done. I volunteer with the Community Computer Connections Program, twice a week (and more) and I find it very rewarding giving computers to Veterans, Seniors and families in need. Volunteering keeps my mind alert! Irene G.

RSVP Suffolk has been a savior in my retirement. Wondering how I would manage to fill my days, it has given me opportunities for giving back to my community in ways that take advantage of my interests and abilities. Staff at RSVP Suffolk are kind, helpful, and knowledgeable – all of them responsive and hard-working. I feel very fortunate to have discovered RSVP Suffolk.

Established in 1971, RSVP has given adults over 55 a chance to "give back" with more than 150k of volunteer hours in 2012. The agency coordinators offer candidates a diverse range of activities which make a measurable impact while serving within their communities. The activities include calling & visiting homebound seniors, refurbishing computers that benefit the financially challenged as well as training to be a presenter for a worthwhile program called Living Healthy.

I've known RSVP for their good works for many years. They helped me get a daily phone call for my elderly aunt throught their Telephone Reassurance Program. Then when a student of mine was in desperate need of getting a computer for homework assignments, RSVP provided a refurnished one from their Community Computer Connections Program. All the RSVP volunteers seem like they are enjoying themselves as much as the people they are serving. GO RSVP!

I volunteer at RSVP in Smithtown and find the staff friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. They try to fit the person with their interests. They participate in many worthy causes to make the volunteering experience satisfying.

I live in the Smithtown area and always hear wonderful things about the work of RSVP. I donated my "old" computer to them so they could refurbish it and give it a second life by giving it to a low-income family in Nassau or Suffolk counties. Keeping seniors involved keeps them here in our area which is so important for everyone: the children they interact with, the seniors themselves to stay focused and involved and the organizations they assist with their manpower through their volunteerism. Keep up the GREAT work!

RSVP is a dedicated organization to helping seniors stay active. They provide excellent services, programs and resources to the seniors of Suffolk County. Everybody should experience for themselves an exciting opportunity to either volunteer or take advantage of this excellent organization.

RSVP matches volunteers with volunteer opportunities, and in doing so provides retired persons with meaningful (volunteer) jobs while saving the organizations they work for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The greatest benefit is to the volunteer. I have seen older relatives become depressed after retirement, and I have also seen active seniors living happy, fulfilled lives. The best cure for the boredom and subsequent depression of seniors is to let retired professionals perform a valued service.
RSVP facilitated just this, and very successfully.

My experience with RSVP of Suffolk began in 2006. For three months I had been searching (unsuccessfully) for a not-for-profit which would sponsor a program to provide free computers to low-income families on Long Island. A mutual friend introduced me to Pegi Orsino, the Executive Director of RSVP. After some serious probing, Pegi enthusiastically endorsed the concept and we set up the Community Computer Connections Program (CCCP) for which RSVP provided financial resources, office space, support personnel, professional contacts and, most important, a group of dedicated volunteers. In seven years, a group of volunteers (now grown to over 40) has provided over 2800 computers to low-income families and individuals. Pegi and her staff have been unwavering in support of CCCP and its volunteers.

I have been involved in many volunteer activities over my adult years (I am 79) and have never found an organization as dedicated as RSVP in providing meaningful volunteer opportunities for seniors. This is a resource which I believe is greatly underutilized these days. RSVP Suffolk deserves special recognition for its effectiveness in advancing its mission on Long Island.

I am a volunteer for RSVP and deliver and install computers to those that cannot afford to buy their own. Our clients are most appreciative and cannot thank us enough for allowing them to have a computer and connect with the world. Many have gotten jobs through the use of a computer. There is much satisfaction in seeing how the people are so thankful. I also tutor, giving lessons to seniors at 2 senior centers. RSVP has made a difference, through the volunteer program, in peoples' lives and should be commended for making this possible.

RSVP Suffolk County services many disadvantaged people in Suffolk and Nassau County. My group refurbishes and distributes computers to those in financial distress. We try to ensure that all needy persons have access to the web, with the rich source of information. Our clients use email to communicate with friends and relatives. A great group.

rsvp is very helpful in orgainizing and assiting all volunteers in making a differance in people who need help--i assist at the Long Island Veterans Home in Stonybrook .
i would recommend anyone who has some time to call rsvp for help with your interest and they will
be there for you all the way

I have attended a number of programs RSVP has offered at my local library. Their Living Healthy 6 week Program was a wonderful reminder of all the tool I need to better manage my chronic condition. The Senior Scams Program saved me.....the knowledge they provided me with new scams seniors face helped me avoid being a victim. I can not thank RSVP enough for the wonderful services they provide.

RSVP has given my life purpose and fulfillment. I have received so much satisfaction from working with children at the place at which I have been volunteering. I think, and hope that I as well have made a difference in their lives .I would not of had this wonderful opportunity had I not decided to go to RSVP to help fulfill my lonely days. RSVP not only helped to find me a great job to do, but also gives me recognition for all my efforts. I also had the opportunity to meet so many new and wonderful people. I recommend every senior who is just sitting home feeling sorry for themselves to contact with this amazing organization, and begin a great "New Chapter" in their lives.

As a health care professional serving the senior popoulation on Long Island for over thirty years, I've witnessed first hand the enormous positive impact the programs and services provided by RSVP have had on seniors throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties. From telephone communications with those at risk to practical information on healthy living and instruction on the use of computers, the dedicated voluteers at RSVP have enhanced the lives of many of our elderly citizens here on Long Island. Keep up the excellent work RSVP!

As a former Volunteer Coordinator, I can say that the work this agency does for the senior population in Suffolk county is priceless. The quality of care that is given to local nonprofits has helped better the lives of those they service. RSVP has contributed to strengthening the mission and philosophies of such agencies by providing quality volunteers who give tirelessly of themselves for the sake of others. Kudos to a dedicated staff and the work they do!

RSVP is an excellent organization for retired seniors. This program provides retired seniors like me a new lease on life after retirement. Through the many programs, RSVP connects seniors with other seniors with much needed social contacts. This organization facilitates retired seniors to serve their community in numerous ways that utilizes their expertise and experience, including, telephone contacts of home bound seniors as well as friendly visiting. RSVP volunteers facilitate workshops on healthy living for chronically ill seniors, information on medication usage, senior scams, de-cluttering to name a few.
RSVP volunteers serve at local Parkinson therapy center as well as nursing homes and hospitals. in various roles. RSVP reaches out and touches so many lives in so many ways that is irreplaceable.
This organization and the staff are beyond comparison in their commitment and dedication to the numerous seniors they serve. They treat their volunteers with dignity and respect that is unlike other organizations.

I volunteer with the Community Computer Connections Program. I work in the RSVP office and handle al Client Requests for computer. We have given computer to 2600 low income families. We have given to families, seniors and many homebound individuals. We have changed their lives and they have been very thankful. I have found working with this group of refurbishers, installers and office help very rewarding. As a retired senior this has kept my mind alert and I have had the opportunity to get involved with some very appreciative people.

RSVP connects active seniors with volunteer opportunities in Suffolk County. The assignment stations benefit enormously, and the volunteers can keep their skills sharp in a way that helps their community. Programs supported by RSVP, such as the telephone reassurance program, provide priceless benefits to homebound seniors.

I am a life-long volunteer - starting when I was not yet a teen. My experience volunteering for RSVP Suffolk at two of their host sites and for their own Speaker's Bureau have been among the most interesting and fulfilling of my volunteer experience..

I am a client in the RSVP Telephone Reassurance Program and so sincerely appreciate the TR volunteers who call me each morning to check on my well-being. Living alone, I love the brief chat I have daily with one or the other friendly volunteers there. Its a wonderful way to start my morning and gives me such peace of mind knowing someone is checking on me. I love this program! More seniors should know about it.

Having been in many public places, and not-for-profits where there are RSVP volunteers doing their community work, I've always been impressed by the positive attitude toward their service and RSVP as the organization where they began volunteering. Seems like a good idea to have one place acting as a sort of clearinghouse for opportunities. This way you aren't spending all your time looking for an opportunity, the staff will assist you in finding one right away.

I love being with RSVP. I have volunteered at a number of not-for-profits and really like the promptness with which the RSVP coordinators get back to you if you are having issues or concerns about a site. The staff act as strong advocates and liasions between the program and your volunteer site. Its like one stop shopping in that there are so many opportunities in your own community that you might not be aware of., that RSVP is knowledgeable about. Great organization, and they have a wonderful lunch for their volunteers annually.