RSVP, formerly the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, will honor its volunteers with a recognition banquet Thursday, Aug. 4, in the Barton Community College student union. The doors open at 5 p.m. and the meal will be served between 6-6:30 p.m.

RSVP members are asked to register by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2, by calling 620-792-1614, said RSVP Director Linn Hogg. All the current RSVP volunteers are encouraged to attend and they may bring a guest for $10. 

RSVP volunteers are current members if they have put in at least one volunteer hour between August 2015 and now.

“This banquet is a yearly event, designed to bring volunteers together, recognize their efforts and celebrate their successes,” Hogg said.  

This year’s theme is “RSVP Volunteers are the heartbeat of the community,” Hogg said. “It recognizes the thousands of hours the volunteers put in each year to help the non-profit, community and medical organizations to fulfill their missions.”

RSVP’s mission is to engage 55 and older county residents in community service. Hogg said. “They have so many skills. This skills include learned information from their jobs, classes, trainings and also a myriad of life skills. This is invaluable to a community.”  

She said the value of the current volunteers is apparent when she looks at the number of hours they have accumulated in a year’s period. Over 550 volunteers have put in 33,562 hours into over 47 different organizations.

Volunteers In Action is the under 55 volunteer program. This program has different recognition and incentives then the RSVP group.