(Spirit lake-)
Patsy Donovan has been named the Dickinson County Coordinator for the Northwest Iowa RSVP Volunteer Program. She began her new position August 6.
RSVP is a national program that matches volunteers with service opportunities to meet community needs. Although RSVP volunteers must be 55 or older, they serve people of all ages. RSVP is sponsored in Northwest Iowa by Iowa Lakes Community College.
A resident of Dickinson County for the past 16 years, Donovan has spent the past 19 years as a director for Buena Vista University, Storm Lake. She recently retired from BVU and is looking forward to serving Dickinson County in a new capacity.
“I am so fortunate to live in this vibrant county and look forward to working with volunteers to assist in giving back to the community in the many ways that we are able,” Donovan says.
In her position with the university, Patsy participated in numerous organizations in various northwest Iowa communities.
“I was fortunate to observe so many lives changed by the opportunities offered in many towns and cities in my work across the northern part of Iowa. I believe so strongly in the power of mentoring, and volunteers can offer so many skills with their life experiences.”
In her spare time, Patsy enjoys photography, biking, and spending time with friends and family in the beautiful Great Lakes area.
“We are very happy to welcome Patsy to the RSVP staff,” says Mary Steele, director of the Northwest Iowa RSVP. “Her familiarity with Dickinson County and its residents, as well as her experience in higher education, will be important to her work with RSVP.”
Donovan will be visiting current RSVP sites, as well as organizations not currently utilizing RSVP volunteers, over the next few weeks. RSVP volunteers can be placed with non-profit organizations, public or government agencies, educational institutions, or with individuals in need of volunteer assistance.
Donovan will also be contacting current RSVP volunteers and will recruit new members to increase RSVP’s volunteer base. She will work closely with the Voluntary Action Center and other organizations to ensure that people of all ages have meaningful and challenging volunteer assignments, and that community needs are being met.
