Retired & Senior Volunteer Program

If you are 55 and over and would like to volunteer in the Lawton/Ft. Sill Community, RSVP is for you. Over 400 volunteers utilize their talents and skills at approximately 72 different nonprofit stations. RSVP is sponsored by the City of Lawton. The program is funded by the Corporation for National Service, the Aging Division of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, and the City of Lawton.

History of RSVP
RSVP is an outgrowth of efforts by private groups, gerontologists, and government agencies over the past several decades to address the needs of retired persons in America. The White House Conference on Aging in 1961 called attention to the continuing need of older people for useful activity. One of the outcomes of the Conference was the passage of the Older Americans Act of 1965.

RSVP was launched in the spring of 1971 with an appropriation of $500,000 under auspices of the Administration of Aging (AoA). In July of the same year, RSVP was transferred from AoA to ACTION. The National Community trust Act of 1993 transferred the Senior programs to the Corporation for National Service. Eleven projects were started in the summer of 1971.

RSVP volunteers provided more than 80 million hours of service to America, valued at more than 1 billion dollars. This is a 229-Fold return on the Federal investment. All 50 states are included plus Puerto Rico, Guam, The Virgin Islands, and District of Columbia.