RSVP Fixit Corps receives grant to help local seniors
Manchester, NH —Southern New Hampshire Services’ Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) Fixit Corps will help seniors 60 years of age or older and persons living with disabilities remain independent in their own homes by addressing the minor maintenance and repair projects that they are unable to do through a grant received from the Home Instead Foundation. The grant funds the program in Hillsborough County.
The RSVP Fixit Corps volunteers will be available to respond effectively to requests such as repairing leaky faucets, installing a grab-bar, repair switches, outlets or sockets and other minor requests for home maintenance assistance. All labor is provided free of charge by volunteers; clients are asked only to cover the cost of materials.
The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program is a 39-year-old nationwide organization that provides an organizational framework through which community needs and senior volunteer resources come together to benefit the entire community.
The RSVP Fixit Corps was developed to increase the reach and efficiency of the volunteer home maintenance program by harnessing the volunteer resources available through the RSVP program. The move combines the strengths of two successful and highly regarded programs.
“This funding will allow the Program Coordinator to focus on the recruitment and training of volunteers and with repair requests received from clients. Support provided by the Home Instead Foundation will also allow for the purchase of supplies in those cases when the client is indigent and unable to cover the costs,” said Dee Martin, volunteer services director. SNHS’ RSVP Fixit Corps is one of 13 organizations awarded grant funding from The Home Instead Senior Care Foundation in 2012. The grant from the Home Instead Foundation allows the RSVP Fixit Corps to continue its support of seniors in Hillsborough County communities.
(L-R) Lisa Byrne, Owner, along with Pattie Hayes, Director of Community Relations, present the check for $15,000 to Dee Martin, Volunteer Services Director for the RSVP Fixit Corps.
“Our missions are very similar to the RSVP Fixit Corps, as we both help enhance the lives of aging adults and their families,” said Roger H. Baumgart, Executive Director of The Foundation. “We are pleased to provide grant funding to The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program Fixit Corps for making a positive difference in the safety, well-being and independence of seniors,” Baumgart said.
In 1994, Lori and Paul Hogan founded Home Instead Senior Care, an international company of independently owned and operated franchises, to provide non-medical care for seniors. As a means to enhance the lives of older adults, going beyond the scope of this organization, The Home Instead Senior Care Foundation was established in 2003.
The Home Instead Senior Care Foundation has awarded more than 100 grants throughout the United States and Canada since 2004. To learn more about The Foundation, visit www.homeinsteadseniorcarefoundation.org.
