An estimated 700 rsvp volunteers will serve in clark, floyd, harrison, jefferson and scott counties in south central indiana

The Corporation for National and Community Service awarded Hope Southern In Inc. a $501,364 Project Grant under the AmeriCorps Seniors Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP, CFDA 94.002) to support volunteer activities from April 1, 2021 through March 31, 2024. An estimated 700 volunteers in Clark, Floyd, Harrison, Jefferson and Scott counties in southern Indiana will serve in outcome-focused assignments providing services like meal preparation assistance, transportation for homebound individuals, wheelchair ramp construction, and hygiene education for young children. Key anticipated outcomes include 100 individuals reporting reduced social isolation, 30 families gaining independent living skills through accessibility ramps, $200k in tax preparation savings for 1,000 seniors, and improved food security for 500 community members. The grant aims to advance the RSVP program's goals of supporting volunteers age 55 and older in meeting community needs.

Of this number, 352 will be placed in outcome producing assignments. Some of their activities will include: working in pantries and soup kitchens; building wheelchair ramps; calling and transporting the homebound; providing weekly socialization and fresh flowers to hospice patients; providing integration for adults with disabilities; and teaching young children how and why to wash their hands properly. The primary focus area of this project is healthy futures with 4 outcome-based workplans for aging in place, 2 for access to care and 1 for obesity and food. At the end of the 3 year grant, 100 individuals will report increased social ties or perceived social support through dial a care or receiving transportation; 30 families will have improved capacity for independent living through ramps to freedom; 1,000 seniors will have saved $200,000 by having their tax returns prepared free; and 25 at-risk third graders will have maintained a c or above in language arts. In addition, 1,000 first-graders will have learned about proper hand-washing and of the thousands of people served through our pantries and soup kitchens, at least 500 of them will report an improvement in their food security. The cncs federal investment of $84,210 will be supplemented by $79,609 of local resources, which includes both the required match and 'excess' resources generated to sustain the projects described within this application.