Coordinator: Deb Johnson-Schad
Address:
PO Box 402
Northfield, MN 55057
Phone: 507-649-1699
Goodhue County Forms
Volunteer Enrollment Form (PDF)
Individual Timesheet (PDF)
Community Needs
Friends of the Library: Join this group to help with the upcoming book sales and other activities and events in support of the Red Wing Library. Volunteers are needed on Tuesdays from 4-7 helping to sort books.
Museum – Historical Society: Many opportunities exist depending on your area of interest. Call for more information
Mentor a Child – Y-Pals: Mentor a child through the Red Wing YMCA Y-Pals program. Make a difference in the life of a child with a commitment of 1 hour a week or 4 hours a month of fun, engaging activities. Mentoring at an after school program is also an option.
Lake City Food Shelf: Help in meeting one of the most basic of needs at the food shelf in Lake City. Assistance in stocking shelves and packaging food for distribution is needed on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you are interested in your community needs, email Deb Schad or call her at 507-649-1699.
Volunteer Spotlight
Joyce Harlow
Joyce Harlow
Joyce is a retired speech pathologist. She worked in this field for about 40 years. Some of her career was spent at the Red Wing Health Center working with patients who had experienced head injuries or strokes.Like many dedicated volunteers, Joyce is very modest about the generous use of her time volunteering. Many others recognize her for these efforts though and suggested that RSVP feature Joyce because of her good-natured kind & giving heart.
Joyce is from England and states that she has always been treated well by people in the US and she feels an obligation to give back to the people that have been so kind to her. She finds volunteer work satisfying. Joyce volunteers at the Red Wing Library and Friends of the Red Wing Library, Faith in Action and Animal Allies of Goodhue. She is married to Bob and they have 2 daughters. Joyce believes that animals are an important part of our society and has 4 cats and 2 dogs of her own.
In addition to volunteering, Joyce has a passion for canoeing. She belongs to a group out of the Cities, Wilderness Inquiry and they travel all over including places like Utah and Canada. Joyce says that the great thing about this group is the members are of many varying abilities.Thanks for all you do for your community, Joyce. You are a valuable citizen!
Community Impact
RSVP Partners with Lake City Food Shelf
Across Minnesota, the community need for assistance is growing. The increased need is occurring from large metropolitan communities to small, rural cities like Lake City. The population of Lake City is approximately 5,300 people and the local Food Shelf is itself a small operation. It too is being stretched to meet the needs of the ever-increasing clientele in need of support.The Lake City Food Shelf is a volunteer run organization located at 600 South 8th Street. It is open on Tuesdays from 1-3 PM and Thursdays from 9-11 AM. The 3rd Tuesday of the month it is also open in the evenings from 4-6 PM. The Food Shelf recently partnered with Common Good RSVP. The program director, Evelyn Dahling told RSVP coordinator Deb Johnson-Schad that the program has never had the resources to hold any sort of volunteer appreciation event for the volunteers. Evelyn was pleased to hear that RSVP prioritizes recognition and that RSVP volunteers working at the Food Shelf would finally be properly thanked for all they do for the community.
Partners
YMCA Y-Pals Mentoring Program
RSVP volunteers in Goodhue County can choose to volunteer with the YMCA mentoring program: Y-Pals. The goal of the program is for mentors to make a difference in the life of a child by providing a positive adult influence. Jessica Wheeler, coordinator of the program shared that there are many different mentoring options available to meet the interest of all potential mentors. The program offers school based mentoring at two elementary schools and the middle school after school program. There is also a community based option for those volunteers who would enjoy activities with their Y-pal engaging in such things as picnicking, hiking, bowling, enjoying free activities at the YMCA or playing ball at the park. The possibilities are endless!If you have an hour a week or 4 hours a month to dedicate to the life of a young child, contact your RSVP coordinator Deb Johnson-Schad at (507) 649-1699 or dschad@ccwinona.org
Advisory Council
- Farrel Rich – Farrel is a very active volunteer in her Lake City community. She regularly provides transportation for Action Volunteers and was instrumental in starting the Book Buddies program at Bluffview Elementary School.
- Rose Propst – Rose is an active volunteer in Red Wing and her mother has been with the program for many years. She helps out at the library, senior center and the
Red Cross. - John Rutz – John’s work experience includes the MN Dept of Human Services and the Attorney General’s Office. He is now with Federal Credit Union in Lake City. John’s mom is a very active volunteer for RSVP.
- Nancy Swanson – Nancy is the Director of the Red Wing Senior Center and as such utilizes the talents of many of the community’s volunteers.
Helen Aase – Helen is very active in many organizations as a community volunteer in Kenyon. She will bring a wealth of information to the table on what is going on in
the rural community. - Susan Brace-Adkins – Susan is the Healthy Communities Director at Goodhue County Public Health and is very interested in the partnerships being formed to address unmet needs of the community.
