MASON CITY – Volunteers in North Central Iowa give back to their communities in a variety of ways every day. RSVP of North Central Iowa is honored to recognize its members during this year’s National Volunteer Week, April 6-12.
National Volunteer Week has been proclaimed annually since 1974 as a way to honor volunteers across the country who commit themselves to taking action to address problems and fulfill needs in their communities. The week is a celebration of ordinary people who accomplish extraordinary things through service to their communities.
Volunteers with RSVP of North Central Iowa focus their efforts primarily in elementary and middle schools across the area, tutoring and mentoring students in reading. Volunteers also serve as leaders for the Walking School Bus Program in Mason City, sponsored by the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health; as readers for the Iowa Radio Reading Information Service for the Blind and Print Handicapped program at KCMR radio station in Mason City; and with the International Friends program at North Iowa Area Community College, which sponsors RSVP.
“RSVP volunteers have a huge impact on their communities,” RSVP Director Molly Anderegg says. “The positive effect these individuals have on the students and adults they serve is unbelievable. They are helping students improve their reading, providing a safe walking route to school, and reading the newspaper to the sight-impaired, just to name a few. We hear from students, parents, teachers, school administrators and community members about how much they appreciate RSVP volunteers. And the great thing is, the volunteers enjoy the experience as well. It’s a positive program for all involved.”
This school year, RSVP has 351 volunteers serving in its literacy programs in Cerro Gordo, Hancock, Winnebago and Worth counties. The volunteers have been working with 413 students in reading and mentoring programs in 17 schools, plus another 282 students in Pen Pal programs in seven schools. The reading and mentoring programs include Reading Coaches (volunteers who tutor and mentor middle school students), Reading Buddies (volunteers who work with elementary school students as they learn to read) and Breakfast Buddies (volunteers who meet with students while they eat breakfast at school).
“Our RSVP volunteers are wonderful,” says Cindy Yakel, principal at Garner-Hayfield Elementary School in Garner. “The students at G-H Elementary build special relationships with their volunteer while working on their reading skills. It’s a win for both the student and the volunteer.”
“We also have fantastic Breakfast Buddies who go above and beyond working with our students,” she said. “Each morning they are having good discussions, eating nice breakfast and then play board games after they are finished eating. I would encourage schools that do not work with the RSVP volunteers to do so in their future. It is a great program!”
In addition to its volunteers in area communities, RSVP applauds its 15 Advisory Council board members, also volunteers, who help shape and strengthen its programs throughout North Central Iowa. RSVP salutes its council members and all of its volunteers:
Advisory Council – Britt: James Becker, Brenda Hanson; Buffalo Center: Joe Angstman; Clear Lake: John Severtson; Forest City: Tony Coloff, Mike Ebaugh; Garner: Sue Bruxvoort, Joan Hanson; Manly: Marilyn Pinta;Mason City: Adriana Attleson, Tim Fleming, Sharon Steckman; Northwood: Bob Perry, Verla Perry; Thompson: Larry Hill;
Volunteers – Britt: Neva Beech, Myra Bowman, Judy Brumm, Imogene Burgardt, Hugh Carter, Nancy Carter, Jan Charbonneaux, Lois DeLeon, Dorothy Denny, Beverly Diemer, Judy Eckels, Wayne Eckels, Laurie Eden, Judy Fox, Kathy Gabrielson, Marlene Gray, Brenda Hanson, Becky Haxton, Esther Higdon, Vicki Kahlstorf, Don Kopacek, Kay Kopacek, Teresa Leerar, Leola Nedved, Beverly Nelson, Joan Nielsen, Carolyn Ostercamp, Carole Penning, Marlys Perkins, Irene Raber, Carol Rork, Darrell Schaper, Judy Schaper, Jean Sheets, Marlene Smith, Shirley Tegtmeyer, Carol Thompson, Marilyn Tjaden, Elaine Weiland, Beverly Wilhite, Nancy Wilson;
Buffalo Center: Joe Angstman, Pam Angstman, Betty Coxson, Linda Friesenborg, Lynn Greimann Hassebroek, Dolores Griffin, Roderick Hansen, John Laflen, Alice LaMont, Glenda Sapp, Roz Swanson, Arlene Thorland, Ruth Winter;
Clear Lake: Deborah Abplanalp, Barbara Amosson, Pat Amosson, Jane Angle, Barbara Beard, Jane Broghammer, Janet Christensen, David Curtis, Mary Curtis, Eloise Davis, Nadine Drennan, Toni Ebeling, Sally Elliott, Mary Ann Flaten, Kim Fyfe, Jan Fynskov, Diane Harrison, Janalyn Helgeson, Pat Hoyt, Nancy Huber, Ellen Jandebeur, Joyce Knorr, Fran Lorenzen, Evelyn Mallo, Marilyn Meinecke, Robin Mikelson, Debbie Mikesell, Pat Millard, Mary Moeller, Marsha Mott, Diana Nairn, Mary Lou Nicholas, Patricia Notestine, Sandy Nyhus, William Osmundson, Sharron Rule, Sharon Ryg, Marilee Skinner, Nancy Smith, David Suntken, Polly Suntken, Linda Tjaden, Dorothy Weir, Alyce Wilson, Dianne Woodard;
Dougherty: Mary Schissel;
Forest City: Judith Anderson, JoAnn Bartleson, Barb Braun, Ardyth Bredeson, Sue Coloff, Mary Cross, Sandy Damm, Mike Ebaugh, Marilyn Erding, Dr. Carroll Gustafson, Joan Hansen, Sue Hoeft, Linda Holland, Barbara Johnson, Carol Johnson, Mary Lou Johnson, Aidan Kelly, Marie Kelly, Carol Kleveland, Dennis Knoner, Erika Knoner, Cynthia Korth, Roberta Kraft-Abrahamson, Ronald Kvale, Joan Langerud, Patricia Lorenz, Diane Lovick, Raeanne Monk, Susan Monselle, Sharon Nerdig, Karolyn Overlie, Tiny Shelton, Clare Snyder, Betty Soderling, John Sporri, Pott Van Auken, Dan Williams, Liz Wilson;
Garner: Val Anderson, Janice Bachman, Nellie Bird, Carrol Boehnke, Dolores Boehnke, Roseann Boehnke, LaVon Brown, Sue Bruxvoort, Jane Davison, Diane Deibler, Kathy Fell, Joe Gibbs, Kathy Gibbs, Bobbie Gifford, Jan Hana, Connie Heinen, Linda Hoppel, Joan Hrubes, Eunice Kinsella, Marcia Kluckhohn, Marilyn Kral, Nancy Nelson, Marge Oborny, Elaine Olson, Penny Pederson, Louise Piper, Patricia Pool, Shirley Rasche, Linda Ringham, Karen Saeugling, Kathleen Schaeffer, Juanita Stromer, Nancy Tammen;
Hopkins, Minn.: Doug Krueger;
Joice: Jan Anderson, Marian Bryan, Judy Tenold;
Kanawha: Jan Cooper, Janet Dietel, Kathryn Johnson, Pat Sampson, Mary Schreiber, Rev. Char White, Rev. Geoffrey White;
Klemme: Debbie Stromer;
Lake Mills: Norma Adams, Darlene Behr, Ethel Christianson, LeAnn Hagen, Dolores Hanna, LaVonne Hartman, Steve Iverson, Toni Johnson, Helen Kelso, Ruth Levorson, Marietta Norris;
Lakota: Rena Steele;
Leland: John Bryan, Lois Holst;
Manly: JoAnn Andera, Val Brunsvold, Leda Mlack, Russell Mlack, Joyce Nuehring, Marilyn Pinta, Gwen Shackleton, Kari Wellington;
Mason City: Betty Alexandres, Elaine Alitz, Adriana Attleson, Lucile Bailey, Lennie Baltierra, Betty Benjegerdes, Marie Borchardt, Linda Bottorff, Vern Bottorff, Darlene Brackey, Dorothy Brady, Janet Brockmeyer, Carol Brown, Ginny Buland, Charlotte Burnett, Debbie Cahalan, Jan Cartwright, Ralph Cassady, Dianne Casto, John Combs, PJ Combs, Kathleen Crabtree, Kent Craun, Shirley Dean, Sharon Deets, Len Diercks, Karen Dole, Phyllis Dunlavey, Terri Engels, Judy English, Roxie Espinosa, Penny Finneman, Marlene Freudenberg, Nordyce Galindo, Anne Gannett, Jack Gannett, Midge Gaylor, Ruth Geilenfeld, Dan Grandstaff, Janice Grandstaff, Jean Hallman, Shielah Handt, Joyce Hanes, Irma Harris, Janae Haygood, Sr. Mary Corita Heid, Raymond Heimbuch, Sharon Heimbuch, Lois Heinzerling, Alice Heitland, Evelyn Holman, Diane Holzerland, Cathy Homan, Maria Hubbard, Myra Karsjens, Sandy Kline, Marsha Koerber, C. Joyce Konigsmark, Adrian Lambert, Pam Larson, Katie Lashbrook, Jean Laudner, Charlotte Locher, Marie Loebig, Gerry Lujan, Janice Mahoney, Judy Mathes, Sandy McCauley, Julie McClure, David McCourt, Gayle McCourt, Bonnie McCoy, Linda Mirowski, Connie Momeni, Vel Mondahl, Phyllis Mulkey, Iola Myers, Joyce Nielsen, Marcia Nord, Mike Norris, Carol North, Barbara Opheim, Dorothy Parks, Doris Peterson, Marlene Peterson, Judith Richards, Jenny Richardson, Phyllis Rush, Maureen Russo, Susan Saltou, Coni Samsel, Glenys Schloemer, Carlyn Schriver, Norma Schroeder, Judy Schultz, Debbie Sedars, Betty Siemers, Eldon Siemers, Karen Slife, Peggy Solberg, Lee Soma, Vicki Stangler, Mary Stanton, Letha Steinauer, Chuck Sweetman, Nancy Sweetman, George Trent, Sharon Trent, Steven Urbatsch, Susan Urbatsch, Stuart Vold, Judy Wagner, Karol Wallskog, Beverly Wells, Eve Zimmerman;
Nora Springs: Nancy Witt;
Northwood: Nancy Amundson, Judy Balkenende, Joanne Doan, Lonnie Forland, Genie Foss, Stephanie Harmon, Barb Harris, Renee Hartman, Sharon Helgeson, Blanche Hogen, Marcia Kraft, Thelma Krull-Boutelle, Frances Lawhorn, Judy Levorson, Jeanne Loberg, Susan Mega, Jo Moretz, Beverly Pangburn, Buck Pangburn, Stephanie Perkins, Shari Sietsema, Renee Venz, Joan Watts, Stephen Wolfe;
Rockwell: Sue McLaughlin;
St. Ansgar: Marvyl Oakland;
Thompson: Beverly Aalgaard, Joan Christianson, Shirley Miller, Charissa Olson;
Ventura: Twyla Quinn, Janelle Renner, Connie Rosendahl, Nancy Turk;
Woden: Pat Ostermann.
