PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Retired Senior Volunteer Program held its annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon on Friday afternoon at Country Club of Pittsfield to honor volunteers and staff who helped make an impact to the community. 

 

RSVP provides individuals 55 and older who live in Berkshire County the opportunity to use their time and skills to make a difference in the community while meeting new people. 

 

RSVP Director Lisa Torrey took the podium for the first time since being appointed as director in March. She thanked the volunteers and everyone who helped give back to the community through their work with RSVP. 

 

Mayor Linda Tyer congratulated Torrey and said "she has been a brilliant addition to the city's leadership team as the director of the RSVP program."

 

"I'm super excited to be the director of RSVP and I am hoping to expand with the program throughout the county," Torrey said

 

"We make an amazing impact and I'm so grateful to be a part of this organization with all these volunteers celebrating them today." 

 

Tyer said RSVP not only helps the community but also provides seniors an opportunity to support and be part of that community. 

 

"What I love about RSVP is that it really represents often an intergenerational interaction between organizations that have the opportunity for seniors and retired volunteers to come in and be part of our community in a way that supports the work that so many organizations are doing," the mayor said.

 

"And it helps our seniors in their health and well-being to be a part of our community. So it's really a privilege to come to the lunch today and hear about all of the amazing things that our seniors and our volunteers are doing."

 

Tyer presented the Volunteer of the Year award to Real Gadoury for the work he has done with RSVP. 

 

Gadoury has been volunteering for RSVP since February 2019 and, by the end of 2021, he had donated 515 hours to the community.  

 

"You will never hear Real complain, he is always willing to lend a hand," the event program read. 

 

This is a sentiment many of his peers expressed when speaking about his hard work. 

 

"Real is the epitome of somebody who just loves the Berkshires, loves what he does. His enthusiasm is amazing and I think anybody that meets him sees that," RSVP Advisory Board President Beth Wallace said. 

 

Gadoury drives the RSVP van three days a week, bringing individuals to their medical appointments. 

 

He also volunteers as an usher at Barrington Stage and Colonial Theatre. He is a visitor guide at Hancock Shaker Village during the annual Baby Animals event, "another awesome fun thing," Tyer said 

 

"And participates in the city of Pittsfield Annual Eggstravaganza Egg Scramble. Real is always the first person to help out wherever he can. It is always ready to lend a hand with a variety of special projects."

 

Gadoury travels a lot but always finds his way back to Pittsfield because of its beauty. He moved to Pittsfield 27 years ago from Canada and wanted to give back to the community. 

 

"For me, what is important is to give back to Pittsfield. I received a lot from Pittsfield when I came here, my wife and I. It's now our turn to give back to them to all those people," Gadoury said. 

 

Tyer also recognized the Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum, which received the Station of the Year Award.  

 

"Another one of our great organizations, the Berkshire Athenaeum, is a special wonderful cultural institution in the city of Pittsfield. And I'm really happy that they're being recognized today for all of their work," the mayor said. 

 

The library provides an accepting place for everyone and works really hard to interact and give back to the community, Wallace said.

 

The hours of volunteering work that RSVP provides creates a great support network and infrastructure so that everyone is on the same page working together, library Director Alex Reczkowski said. 

 

"I think RSVP helps me see how much care and how much compassion and how much investment in the community we all make. I'm the president of Pittsfield Rotary Club, and our motto is 'service above self.' So service is baked into the way I think about everything we approach and without this great team of volunteers, that just wouldn't be possible at the library," Reczkowski said. 

 

Wallace also thanked the volunteers and recognized the late Jeffrey Thompson, who died in February while serving as president. 

 

She also thanked Vice President Roger Gutwillig for taking over the presidential duties during a challenging time after Thompson's passing. 

 

"Under Roger's leadership, we continued to meet monthly via Zoom. We continued our important work and we were able to draft and accept a very solid five-year strategic plan, something that the board is very proud of," Wallace said. 

 

RSVP offers a variety of volunteer opportunities to enrich people's lives, including some that can be done from the comfort of their own home. For example, volunteers make teddy bears to brighten the days of children who are patients at Berkshire Medical Center, and adult patients as well. 

 

Volunteers receive a variety of perks that include networking and social contacts, monthly newsletters, mileage reimbursement or van transportation to assignments, annual volunteer recognition luncheon, bi-monthly birthday parties, volunteer insurance and, on occasion, free theater tickets. 

 

Prior to the pandemic, RSVP had about 280 active volunteers. During the pandemic, that number went down to about 212 but it has been rising. It currently has 250 active volunteers. 

 

In 2021, RSVP volunteers collectively donated 29,358 hours of their time to the community. 

 

Although many places conduct their own background check prior to volunteering, RSVP also conducts background checks and training to all the new volunteers for safety and efficiency. 

 

RSVP is a national organization funded in part by AmeriCorps Seniors. It is sponsored locally by the city of Pittsfield. 

 

More information on Pittsfield RSVP here.