VOLUNTEERS: Downward spiral

In October 2016, 300 volunteers listened to the vice president of North Idaho College speak of the importance of the relationship of the RSVP Program to NIC. Now here we are 16 months later and unfortunately NIC is not renewing the grant. I do not fault NIC for this because the federal government has failed (once again) to increase the grants by not taking into account the increasing cost of utilities, rent and such.

What I do question is NIC must have been aware of the fact that the amount of the grant would have a shortfall and they were going to be unable to fund it in the future. Perhaps if the local RSVP Program administrators had been made aware of this sooner, they could of gone out and conducted fundraisers or found alternate sources to make up the projected short falls.

The RSVP Program is the umbrella program for many of the other programs such as: Tutoring, Friendship Corp, Senior Medicare Patrol, MIPA and numerous nonprofit work sites throughout the five-county area.

The sad element about this is the senior volunteers who have devoted countless unpaid hours to help in senior programs of this community and the five-county area in the various activities of the community were blindsided by this without recourse to find other ways to help these citizens.

The loss of the RSVP Program may impact other programs in the community by putting added expense and strain on their people and budgets, which will start a downward spiral of loss of service to the community and the five-county area.

The short-sightedness of the administration of NIC and the Area Agency on Aging may have a long-term effect on this community.

DOUG WHEELER

SMP Volunteer