Celebrating Service

CSC's RSVP program is celebrating its founding 40 years ago, and will honor its volunteers during Senior Corps Week. These honorees were recognized in the past for their community service.

National Senior Corps Week is September 19-23. For the past four decades, the three Senior Corps programs - Foster Grandparents, RSVP and Senior Companions - have engaged age 55-plus volunteers in service to meet critical community needs. Last year in America, nearly 500,000 Senior Corps volunteers provided 98 million hours of service estimated to be worth more than $2 billion.

The Foster Grandparent Program connects volunteers age 55 and over with children and young people with exceptional needs. Working with schools, libraries, Head Start, and Boys and Girls Clubs, volunteers help children reach life-changing goals.

RSVP offers "one stop shopping" for all volunteers 55 and over who want to find challenging, rewarding, and significant service opportunities in their local communities.
The Senior Companion Program brings together volunteers age 55 and over with adults in their community who have difficulty with the simple tasks of day-to-day living. They serve frail older adults, adults with disabilities, and offer respite for caregivers.

In 2010, 8,982 Oregon Senior Corps volunteers in 29 projects across the state contributed 1.7 million hours of service at an estimated value of over $61 million.

Locally, Community Services Consortium sponsors Linn-Benton RSVP. Signature programs include Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance, Senior Peer Counseling, AARP Tax-Aide and HandsOn Linn-Benton.

RSVP is celebrating its founding 40 years ago, and honoring its volunteers during Senior Corps Week with two separate Recognition Awards Luncheons in Lebanon on September 21, and Corvallis on September 22.

New On-The-Job program may help employers with new employee training costs

Community Services Consortium partnering with the Workforce Investment Board of Linn, Benton and Lincoln Counties are offering a new program that may help local businesses with new employee training costs.

This On-the-Job Training program puts dislocated (laid off) workers, Veterans and other job seekers back to work earning a wage while receiving training. Businesses participating in the On-the-Job Training (OJT) program can receive a cash reimbursement (not a tax credit) up to $5,000 to help offset the costs associated with training a new, permanent employee.

Highlights:
Receive a cash reimbursement for up to 50% of employee wages during training period
OJT representatives will offer support throughout the On-The-Job training process
The program will screen qualified candidates to your specifications at NO COST-you decide who to hire.
You will help reinvest in your business and community

To Apply or for more information contact Sharee Cooper at 541-758-2633 or scooper@communityservices.us

New coordinator to address housing and homelessness in Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties

Lauren Berentes, CSC Building Bridges' Regional Planning Coordinator

The CSC ‘Building Bridges’ program welcomes Lauren Berentes as a new participant in the AmeriCorps*VISTA program. She will be working with community leaders to coordinate a new Regional Task Force to develop a
10-Year Plan to address housing and homelessness in Linn, Benton, and
Lincoln counties.

The Regional 10-Year Plan will collaborate efforts of 'Building Bridges’ AmeriCorps*VISTAs Michael Spinello (Linn County), Jessica Stallings (Benton County), and Elise Jordan (Lincoln County) alongside regional community members to complete the project. The completed working document will identify service gaps, determine appropriate strategies to address housing and homelessness, provide timelines for implementation, and establish methods for evaluating progress throughout the region.

Berentes was formerly Grants Manager and Volunteer Coordinator for Horizon House, a homeless center in Indianapolis, Indiana.

For more information contact Lauren Berentes at 541-928-6335 ext. 328 or lberentes@communityservices.us.