Thanks to all the people that donated their time and efforts to making lap robes and caps for the Fort Dodge Christmas Project. The Ladies Auxiliary for American Legion Argonne Post 180 collected donations and presents that were delivered to the residents of the facility all of whom served in some branch of the military. Among the presents delivered were 75 lap robes and 50 adult winter caps made by RSVP volunteers and other volunteers from our community. According to Carol Danielson who helped with the delivery, the veterans were so surprised and pleased to receive the handmade items. The remaining 60 lap robes were delivered to Cherry Village Nursing Facility, Great Bend Health and Rehab, and Woodhaven Care Center as presents for residents without family or friends. Thanks again to all who assisted with this meaningful project.
Another big thank you to all the volunteers who assisted Leslie Barrett Halbower and the Military Moms project which sent more than 170 Christmas boxes to military men and women serving overseas in December. All of the items sent were donated and the boxes were packed and prepared for mailing entirely with volunteers including girl scouts.   
The SER Senior Community Service Employment Program provides paid job training for persons age 55 and older who are unemployed and meet certain income guidelines. The program currently has openings in Barton County and is seeking applicants. Participants will be placed with local non-profits and work approximately 20 hours per week. This program can be a win-win for both the person receiving additional job skills and the non-profit organization which has additional help at no cost to the non-profit. For more information or to apply, contact Shaun Linenberger at 785-623-4006 or by email at slinenberger@ser-national.org. Shaun is located in Hays but the openings are in Barton County.
The Martin Luther King Day of Service is Jan. 21 and RSVP will be hosting a food drive that day to help the Community Food Bank of Barton County. According to Evelyn Essmiller, January has traditionally had the highest number of requests for food assistance. This can be a challenge when food supplies are depleted due to the holidays. We will be firming up all the details after the first of the year. If you would like to help with this project, please contact Donna at 792-1614.
As much as I hate to think about it, income tax time will be here before we know it. Beginning Jan. 2, RSVP will be taking names for the AARP Tax Aide program. The training for the volunteers preparing taxes this year will not be over until mid to late January. When the schedule is finalized, we will call the names on the list to arrange appointments. If you are interested in having your taxes prepared by the Tax Aide volunteers, please call 792-1614 to add your name and contact information to the list. We hope to have more preparers this year but as you may remember, the slots fill up fast. So call early to get your name on the list; it will be first come first served. If you are not able to get an appointment here in Great Bend, there are other resources available in Hays and Hutchinson but with help from some new volunteers, we hope to be able to help more people this year.   
Thanks for all the community support for RSVP in 2012 and we look forward to a memorable 2013!