Grant lets RSVP expand to Carter County

The local Retired Senior Volunteer Program is enlarging its senior service area into Carter County with the aid of an AmeriCorps Senior expansion grant.

The three-year grant of $225,000 will allow the local RSVP to expand services dealing with financial literacy, food insecurity and stream remediation.

When the grant became available, RSVP Program Director Jennifer Rosener of Poplar Bluff knew the funding would create an opportunity to expand services.

“We competed and received it,” she said. “We wrote the grant last September. We received it the first of the year. We’re super excited because we get to do a whole new focus area with the Current River, the stream remediation. We’ve never done anything environmental. That’s exciting.”

Many of the services provided in Butler County will be offered in Carter County.

“What made us go for Carter County was seeing the needs of the people and the level of poverty compared to other counties,” Rosener said.

Waterways in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways are on America’s most endangered rivers list, Rosener said, and that is “one of the reasons we were looking into stream remediation. Big Spring is the National Park Service’s largest spring.

“As far as the (Current) River goes, our main focus area is going to be a 15-mile area from Pin Oak to Big Springs. The clean up will help all people, tourists, local residents, who live there and make the river look pretty, especially after the season when tourists may have littered. We can come in and help the National Forest Service and get the river cleaned up.”

In cleaning the river, “people can kayak if they want. They can bring their kayaks, go down the river and help clean up that way or they can walk alongside the river and help clean up. We’re hoping to have a huge crowd, party-type atmosphere, food and maybe some local bands to come out and play.”

The grant is designed with “our main focus to be stream remediation. We’re going to do a river cleanup twice a year,” she said. “Hopefully, once before tour season, and then after. We’re going to be doing our first one in September.”

RSVP is also helping with the Watercress Recreation Area.

“We’re recruiting volunteers and we can use volunteers from Butler County as well. They don’t have to live in Carter,” she said.

The majority of Butler County volunteers are generally 70 or older, but Rosener said, “our volunteers must be 55 and older. With a river cleanup we’re hoping to attract more volunteers who are in the 55 to 65 age group. This is something they can do one or two times a year. It’s not something they have to commit to long term.”

With the food insecurity, that could be every month someone could volunteer.

Rosener and her staff have been talking to home health agencies that serve in Butler and Carter counties.

“Without the agencies and the partnerships we develop with them, we wouldn’t be able to do half the activities we do,” she said.

Rosener hopes to expand the staff as well. She has worked 14 years with RSVP, having joined the staff in 2007. Alejandra Nobles, who has worked with the program for four years, will be moved from a program assistant to a program coordinator.

“We’re hoping to hire a part-time person,” Rosener said.

While the RSVP staff will continue to work from the Poplar Bluff office, Rosener and Nobles will visit Carter County.

“We’re going to Carter County to talk with people. This is brand new. We want to meet people and make the connections so they can start seeing our faces and learning about us,” she said.

Anyone from Carter County who wants to volunteer may contact 573-686-8624 or email jennifer.Rosener@ crc.org.