MASON CITY – Two new members were welcomed to the Advisory Council of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of North Central Iowa at its meeting Sept. 4 in Mason City.
Shirley Rasche of Garner is a former teacher, serving 11 years in Iowa schools and 27 years in schools in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She taught vocal music in grades one through 12, as well as sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade English. Rasche became an RSVP volunteer in August 2012 and has served as a Pen Pal to students in Mason City, as well as befriending international students at North Iowa Area Community College through RSVP’s International Friend program. She also volunteers at a hospital reception desk assisting visitors and as a church organist.
While in Florida, Rasche volunteered at the senior center where her late husband attended after suffering a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. She has been a keyboardist and singer in bands in Iowa and entertained as part of a quartet in south Florida, playing drums and singing. Rasche spent two summers in Europe and has been to about 44 states in the U.S. She enjoys playing the organ, watching women’s collegiate and professional basketball, and is an avid walker. Rasche has a stepson and stepgrandchildren in Florida.
Stephen Wolfe of Northwood is retired from the U.S. Air Force and now the pastor of Northwood Baptist Church in Northwood and Temple Baptist Church in Mason City. He also has been an RSVP volunteer since 2012, serving as a Reading Buddy at Northwood-Kensett Elementary School in Northwood and Central Springs Elementary School in Manly, and reads the Globe Gazette for the Iowa Radio Reading Information Service (IRIS) on KCMR radio in Mason City. He will become a Pen Pal for RSVP this fall. Wolfe is an executive board member of the Baptist Convention of Iowa, facilitator for the North Central Baptist Association, and a member of the Worth County Ministerial Alliance.
In the past, Wolfe has been an executive board member of the Illinois Baptist State Association (IBSA), Prayer Walking Team coordinator for IBSA Mission Spectacular, a Salvation Army bell ringer, board member of the Clear Creek Baptist Association (CCBA), as well as a member of the Mission Trip Team, leader of a mission trip and leader of the Constitution Team of the CCBA. He enjoys music, including the guitar, bass and vocals, and reading. Wolfe and Raye, his wife of 36 years, have three sons, one in Alaska, one in Illinois and one in Mason City.
Larry Hill of Thompson chairs the RSVP Advisory Council and Sue Bruxvoort of Garner serves as vice-chair.
The council provides feedback to RSVP staff in order to help shape the experience and meet the needs of individuals participating in RSVP’s programs. Its primary purpose is to monitor and review program development and assessment. Members study matters related to RSVP, make suggestions concerning the functions of the program, and provide support to the program as it serves volunteers, partner agencies and communities in its four-county service area.
RSVP of North Central Iowa is sponsored by North Iowa Area Community College and meets quarterly on the NIACC campus. Molly Anderegg is the director.
RSVP of North Central Iowa serves Cerro Gordo, Hancock, Winnebago and Worth counties, responding to priority community needs by providing meaningful, purposeful volunteer opportunities for people ages 55 and over.