Monroe County Retired Senior Volunteer Program lost its federal funding for this year. Last year, its federal grant was nearly $100,000.
Monroe County RSPV recruits local senior citizens to serve as volunteers in about 35 area non-profit organizations, such as food pantries and senior centers. Last year, 315 volunteers provided 62,017 hours of service. The program has received federal grant funding through AmeriCorps Seniors since 2014, said Beth Berlin, former program director for Monroe County RSVP.
The organization plans to continue operating with local funds this year and under a new name: Monroe Volunteer Program (MVP).
“Monroe County RSVP was in a ‘competitive’ grant year, which means our old grant expired on June 1, 2026, and we had hoped the new grant that we applied for last spring would have been accepted by AmeriCorps Seniors. Unfortunately, AmeriCorps Seniors denied our application for funding this year,” Berlin said in an email message to volunteers.
Berlin was told some key elements weren’t included in the grant application.
“But Sandie (Pierce, director of Monroe Center for Healthy Aging) nor I believe that to be the case, as we have written for the grant several times and are careful to include all requirements with impressive data,” Berlin told The Monroe News. “We do wonder if AmeriCorps did run out of funding and, because we receive more than the required ‘local investment’ from our Commission on Aging, if AmeriCorps may have decided we could limp along for a year. In their response, they congratulated us on our excellent program and strongly encouraged us to reapply next year, which we will do.”
Berlin said RSVP’s AmeriCorps Seniors grant last year was $96,400.
“That money (along with funds from the Commission on Aging) paid for one full-time and one part-time employee to support the program; paid for all volunteer benefits, like appreciation, secondary insurance in case of an accident while volunteering; and partially paid for mileage and meal reimbursements,” Berlin said.
Berlin was the full-time staff member. Because of the loss of funding, her position could not be funded. She’s now working as operations manager at Monroe Center for Healthy Aging. RSVP staff member Jo Anne Bray will continue with MVP.
RSVP’s regular services are expected to stay the same for this year.
“Together, with our sponsor, the Monroe Center for Healthy Aging, we have been very diligent with our spending and, after speaking with the Commission on Aging, our budget is secure for the rest of this year,” Berlin said. “We will need to do some fundraising in order to host the volunteer appreciation event that we usually provide for the volunteers.”
Berlin is hopeful that the program will earn a grant next year.
“We feel confident we will become Monroe County RSVP again in 2027,” Berlin said.
— Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@monroenews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Monroe County RSVP loses federal funding, changes name
Reporting by Suzanne Nolan Wisler, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
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By Suzanne Nolan Wisler, The Monroe News | USA TODAY Network
