Conejo Valley seniors dedicated to sharing their skills with the community make a difference every day, impacting countless lives through their participation in the Conejo Senior Volunteer Program.
Created to provide an opportunity for adults 55+ to use their life experience and skills to meet local community needs, CSVP partners with more than 75 local nonprofits to present meaningful opportunities that help the senior community maintain greater levels of health and well-being through positive physical and social engagement. This year, CSVP volunteers have served more than 180,000 hours at area nonprofits, including American Red Cross, Food Share, School on Wheels and Westminster Free Clinic.
“Based on Independent Sector's estimated value of volunteer time, that is over $5 million worth of human resource contributions that has been volunteered to local organizations each year,” says CSVP Director Julie Spivack.
Sponsored by the Conejo Recreation and Park District, the program benefits the community as well as the seniors themselves, who reap the benefits of volunteering. CSVP’s seniors enjoy making new friends, staying active and involved, sharing life experiences and making a positive impact through their service.
“A pertinent part of this program is to ensure that our volunteers know how much we appreciate them and what they mean to us and our community,” says Spivack. “We have a large Volunteer Appreciation event throughout the year to celebrate our volunteers. We also make sure our volunteers feel special on a daily basis. We call them for birthdays, send thank you notes, give hugs or just say a simple thank you.”
Each year, CSVP’s volunteer workshop groups, including the Busy Bees, Teddy Bears, Crafters and Nifty Ladies, donate over 2,000 handmade items to local nonprofits. Using supplies donated from the local community, the group makes pillowcases, blankets, stroke aprons, mastectomy pillows, scarves and teddy bears for organizations like James Storehouse, Los Robles Hospital, Hospice of the Conejo and the Autism Society.
Each week, CSVP seniors volunteer with the Senior Nutrition Program to provide nutritious lunches at the Goebel Adult Community Center Monday through Friday, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Senior volunteers also manage the CSVP Boutique, located inside the Goebel Adult Community Center, offering handmade items such as baby clothes, aprons, blankets, and stuffed animals, as well as seasonal holiday items, crafts and an assortment of greeting cards. Annual events include the Wellness Fest in January featuring service information, health screenings and entertainment catered to seniors and Charity Karaoke Sing for a Cause fundraiser each October supporting 20 local nonprofits. They also provide a Free Income Tax Program for seniors age 60+, preparing over 2,500 tax returns.
Get Involved
Seniors interested in learning more about volunteering can contact CSVP at 805.381.2742 or visit CRPD.org/.