Ozarks Profile: Margaret Geiger

Tell us about the program.

RSVP is a project of the Council of Churches of the Ozarks. We are funded by the Corporation for National and Community Services Senior Corps, which is a government program. We also get United Way funding and (money from) donations, fundraisers and so forth. Our purpose is to recruit and place individuals 55 and older in the various nonprofits in the community and the proprietary hospitals to allow them the opportunity to use their talents and capabilities for service to the community. We have approximately 1,500 enrolled volunteers.

How do you find opportunities for volunteers?

Usually when someone calls us, they are looking for volunteers. We just take their information and then if we have some volunteers that have called usually that's how we do that. Usually the folks that are already enrolled with us on a daily basis already have their volunteer jobs assigned.

Do retirees who have to return to work affect RSVP and available volunteers?

We have seen it more so lately. We have a Reading Buddies program that RSVP itself supports, and we have seen a few of those (who) had to leave the program because they needed to return to work. Our average age of volunteers in this area runs about 83, so you're not going to see too many of those going back to work. But we have found that there's been some of our younger ones who have returned to work.

How did you end up in this position?

My predecessor (Rowena Jones) had been here for 10 years when she looked at retirement. At that time, I was working at one of the local senior centers for the Southwest Missouri Office on Aging and found out that (Jones) was leaving. My degree is in gerontology. I like to work with seniors, so I thought that this would be a different avenue that I hadn't pursued a whole lot, except for working in the senior center.

Why is it important for retirees to volunteer their time?

It has been statistically proven that individuals who volunteer after retirement (that) their health stays better. Staying more active keeps them not only physically but mentally healthier. I think it gives them a great deal of satisfaction not only for themselves, but what they do for the community.

What are some of your biggest challenges?

As an organization, always recruitment. No matter how many (volunteers) we have, you always need more. Where I see my biggest challenges is in (RSVP's) own programs, where we have volunteers like we have the van service, providing transportation finding the volunteers for our own initial programs is probably harder than the ones out at the various work sites. And, of course, funding.

What's the best part of your job?

Working with the seniors. I regret that I don't get to visit with them more often, because they just provide so much for us. Their service and their knowledge is just tremendous.