SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE
HOISINGTON — Helping people in their community is what brought Jim and Lucy Jay to RSVP of Central Kansas. However, it was the “ask” made by former RSVP director Marylou Warren that helped them find their match.
This is why Selma Webb, RSVP Thrift Store coordinator, wanted to honor the Jays who have been long-time Thrift Store volunteers with a retirement party. On April 30, friends, co-volunteers and staff from RSVP joined them in the Hoisington Chamber meeting room to thank them for their time and service to the Thrift Store and the RSVP program.
“This was such a wonderful, thoughtful thing to do for us,” Lucy Jay said. “We really did love coming over to the Thrift Store and seeing all the customers. We had so much fun.”
The Jays have been volunteering at RSVP since 1997 and the majority of those hours were devoted to the RSVP Thrift Store in Hoisington. This store is the fundraising arm for the volunteer program. Funds from the store go to help with volunteer insurance, volunteer recognition and other programs.
Volunteering at the store has meant driving one time or more a week to Hoisington where they would assist the store coordinator Selma Webb with sales, displays and sorting of donations. The total hours served by these two long-standing employees is 7,316 hours.
Lucy Jay noted they probably would have kept going but the drive back and forth was getting a little difficult. The couple lives in Great Bend.
The RSVP Thrift Store, located at 158 South Main in Hoisington, is staffed completely by volunteers. In fact there have been 54 volunteers over the years putting in 41,821 hours.
The RSVP of Central Kansas is funded through a grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service. It is sponsored by Barton Community College and is a partner agency of United Way of Central Kansas.