Eligible AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers will receive recognition gifts in the mail in January 2021. Read this post for important requirements to ensure you receive your recognition gift.
UPDATED 12/23: The recognition gift will be a $25 Fred Meyer gift card, rather than a Wal-Mart gift card. The mailing may be delayed until February, but we are still optimistic about sending them out in January.
Ever since we were forced to cancel our Annual Recognition Bruncheon originally scheduled for May, we've been biding our time in the hopes that we would be able to reschedule the event for later this year. Unfortunately, the pandemic has showed no signs of abating any time soon, and we don't want to wait any longer to thank all our volunteers for their service over the past year and a half.
Since holding a large in-person event continues to be impossible, we are getting creative and foregoing an event altogether. Instead, we are going to send every eligible volunteer a gift directly in the mail in January. This gift will take the form of a $25 Fred Meyer gift card.
Our Annual Recognition bruncheon would have honored volunteers for hours served during the 2019-20 grant year (April 1, 2019 through March 31, 2020). For our 2021 Recognition Mailing, we will honor volunteers for hours served during the 2019-20 grant year as well as the current grant year.
In short, you will be eligible to receive a recognition gift if you:
Are enrolled as an AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP volunteer, AND
Served at least 12 hours between 4/1/2019 and 3/31/2020, AND/OR
Have served at least 12 hours since 4/1/2020
AmeriCorps Seniors regulations require that we have a system for ensuring delivery of recognition gifts to their intended recipient. We will therefore be sending the gifts via certified mail with return receipt requested. For this reason, it is extremely important that:
We have your correct mailing address on file, AND
Someone will be available at that address to sign for your recognition gift
In the event that receiving your gift via the mail will not be feasible, you may make arrangements with us to pick up your gift at our office, located in the YMCA Corporate Office at 1126 N Monroe, Spokane, WA 99201. Please note that our office is and will remain officially closed to the public - visitors must follow all required safety protocols and schedule their visit in advance. Please contact (509) 344-7787 or rsvp@ymcainw.org to make arrangements in this case, or if you need to update your mailing address with us.
We know that receiving a gift in the mail is just not the same as coming together in person to celebrate the accomplishments of our program, our volunteers, and our partners. Nevertheless, recognizing our volunteers for their service has never been more critical. We look forward to hopefully holding an in-person event in Fall 2021 or Spring 2022.