Green Mountain RSVP

Green Mountain RSVP (GMRSVP) is a National Service, AmeriCorps Seniors program. GMRSVP matches people age 55+ to volunteer opportunities at local nonprofit organizations. We are sponsored by SVCOA and our service area is Bennington, Windham, and Windsor counties. Each county has a volunteer Coordinator - Lenora Volkmer (Bennington), Steve Ovenden (Windham), Corey Mitchell (Windsor), and the program is led by Director Cathy Aliberti.

GMRSVP manages their own budget, and the funding comes from AmeriCorps, the State of Vermont, town funding, small grants and donations. The fiscal year runs from 4/1-3/31, and it is currently year 2 of a three-year grant. The first year of the grant cycle was during COVID-19 and GMRSVP had to be creative and pivot the program to keep volunteers safe while continuing to serve their communities. 286 Volunteers donated 21,516 hours during this unsettled year which was more than the GMRSVP team thought possible.

GMRSVP supports a diverse group of nonprofit organizations, but federal funds are directed to support the efforts listed in the graphic to the left. Most of these activities serve seniors, therefore having SVCOA be the fiscal sponsor is a nice fit. Collaboration between GMRSVP and SVCOA has grown over the years.

GMRSVP organized two Sunshine projects, one for MLK Day of Service, with numbers in the above graphic and most recently, for Older Americans Month, numbers to the right. We were thrilled that SVCOA clients were recipients of the cheerful postcards.

We also appreciate working with Ellen and Aaron, Courtney and Anna when our paths cross, as we can help each other support seniors. Fiscally, Rosemary handles things to keep things in check.

What can get a little confusing is that our program does not cover Rutland County. Not all RSVP programs have a Council on Aging for a sponsor, and the counties do not align with the programs.

We report plenty of data to AmeriCorps each year. It helps tell the story of what Seniors are doing across the country. Here is the most recent data collected by AmeriCorps for the state of Vermont.

We have more information on our website (rsvpvt.org) and facebook page (www.facebook.com/GMRSVP.) Check them out and please let us know if you have additional questions.