PLEASE SUPPORT MESA COUNTY RSVP!!
Serving Mesa County Since 1973
Our Mission
Mesa County RSVP, Inc., strengthens our community by engaging volunteers ages 55 and over..
Mesa County RSVP, Inc.
RSVP is located in the heart of Grand Junction, Colorado and is part of the Senior Corps through the Corporation for National and Community Service.
We work closely with dozens of non-profit agencies to place volunteers where they are needed. Our community collaborations provide hundreds of possible volunteer positions, from one-time projects to long-term commitments.
ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND: Originally, RSVP was an outgrowth of efforts by private groups and government agencies to create opportunities for engagement, activity, acquaintanceship and growth for seniors. The earliest program was the Community Service Society of New York. It was a pilot project in 1965 on Staten Island. The project involved a small group of volunteers who were dedicated to serving their communities in a variety of ways. The success of their efforts led to a 1969 Congressional Amendment, the Older Americans Act, creating the RSVP programs. The first national projects began in 1971. Now there are more than 685 projects, 296,100 volunteers providing 60 million hours of service annually, through more than 65,000 community organizations. RSVP, a part of the Senior Corps, receives a grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) that equals about 24 percent of our funding.
LOCAL HISTORY: Mesa County RSVP began operations in 1973 with 100 volunteers sponsored by Community Social Services of Colorado West. The Mesa County Board of Commissioners assumed sponsorship of RSVP in 1981; in 1988, sponsorship changed to Mesa State College (now known as Colorado Mesa University); in 1994, the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce did a one-year interim sponsorship; in 1995, Volunteer Central of Mesa County, Inc. took over sponsorship. June 1999, Mesa County RSVP, Inc., became a nonprofit corporation, and in March of 2000 became self-sponsored. We are now an independent 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization.