SENATE RESOLUTION 230--RECOGNIZING THE SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE OF SENIOR CORPS VOLUNTEERS SERVING 50,000,000 HOURS IN 2018; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 93
(Senate - June 04, 2019)
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[Pages S3220-S3221]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 230--RECOGNIZING THE SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE OF SENIOR
CORPS VOLUNTEERS SERVING 50,000,000 HOURS IN 2018
Mr. WHITEHOUSE (for himself, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Reed, Mr.
Coons, Mr. Markey, Ms. Rosen, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Brown, Ms.
Baldwin, Mr. Jones, Ms. Smith, Mrs. Capito, Mr. King, Mrs. Feinstein,
Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Duckworth, Ms.
Collins, and Ms. McSally) submitted the following resolution; which was
considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 230
Whereas volunteers in the United States who are 55 years of
age and older (referred to in this preamble as ``senior
volunteers'') provide much needed services to their
communities, neighbors, and friends;
Whereas Senior Corps, through the RSVP, Foster Grandparent,
and Senior Companion programs administered by the Corporation
for National and Community Service, provides meaningful
volunteer opportunities to 220,000 senior volunteers and
recruits thousands of additional community volunteers;
Whereas, for more than 5 decades, RSVP volunteers, Foster
Grandparents, and Senior Companions have played an important
role in strengthening communities by contributing their
experience, knowledge, and accomplishments in order to--
(1) help their neighbors recover from natural and manmade
disasters;
(2) provide nutrition services;
(3) mentor and tutor schoolchildren;
(4) support veterans and military families; and
(5) provide respite care to caregivers;
Whereas in 2018, Senior Corps volunteers provided more than
50,000,000 hours of direct service through more than 23,000
nonprofit, educational, and faith-based community groups
nationwide;
Whereas structured volunteering by senior volunteers--
(1) keeps those senior volunteers active, healthy, and
engaged;
(2) helps communities across the United States by solving
local problems;
(3) helps the United States by saving taxpayer dollars,
reducing health care costs, and strengthening democracy; and
(4) helps seniors live independent and productive lives;
Whereas the RSVP, Foster Grandparent, and Senior Companion
programs have proven to be cost-effective ways to engage
senior volunteers in volunteer service that meets pressing
community needs;
Whereas recent research suggests that--
(1) volunteering not only slows the cognitive decline of
aging for older individuals in the United States, but also
provides an important pathway for alleviating loneliness; and
(2) throughout the United States, and especially in rural
areas, older individuals are ``aging in place'' and are
thereby particularly susceptible to loneliness, which
undermines health and is linked to early mortality;
Whereas the United States should expand senior volunteer
service opportunities to take advantage of the talents and
experiences of the 10,000 baby boomers who will retire each
day for the next 20 years;
Whereas, at a time of mounting social need and growing
interest in service by older individuals in the United
States, the United States has an unprecedented opportunity to
harness the talents of senior volunteers to address community
challenges; and
Whereas the people of the United States should join in the
celebration of Senior Corps volunteers during ``Older
Americans Month'' in May 2019: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) acknowledges the contributions that Senior Corps
volunteers make to--
(A) the communities in which those volunteers live and
serve; and
(B) the United States; and
[[Page S3221]]
(2) encourages the people of the United States to recognize
the contributions of senior volunteers.
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