ABOUT US
WestArk RSVP is sponsored locally by Western Arkansas Counseling and Guidance Center, a community mental health provider for a six county area. WACGC's sponsorship provides employment structure for RSVP staff, program supervision, program funding, accounting oversight, IT support and use of the RSVP Center. 

Locations

We are very fortunate to be housed in the RSVP Center on the corner of North 13th Street and Grand Avenue in Fort Smith. This 2,700-square-foot, free-standing building is handicapped accessible and has meeting space available which will accommodate up to 50 people at a time (or 30 seated at tables). The building has a full kitchen, three restrooms, three offices, a large meeting room and a computer lab. Ample space is available to host volunteer trainings and recognition events.

The office in Rogers, Arkansas is located at 114 North 34th Street, just off Walnut Road. This facility is rented and provides 2,000 square feet of space.

Staff

Susan Reehl, Executive Program Director, has served in the director's role since June 2000.  Trish Walker, Director of Volunteer Services, has been with RSVP since February of 2003.  Both Susie and Trish have extensive backgrounds in non-profit management and are Certified Volunteer Managers.  Delyce Palik, Volunteer Manager, has years of non-profit experience and started in September 2019.

Funding

Since 1974, WestArk RSVP has been partially funded by a federal grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). Continuation of the federal CNCS grant from year to year has always been contingent upon grant compliance.  Other grant funders include the State of Arkansas, Department of Human Services, and the Division of Aging and Adult Services.  Additional support is received from donors and grants specific to programs such as the TCE (Tax Counseling for the Elderly), funded by a grant from the IRS and a Community Block Development Grant from the City of Fort Smith.

Service

Annually, WestArk RSVP members typically volunteer nearly 100,000 hours of service. These hours are a testament to RSVP member's generosity. There are many ways to look at statistics-consider this: RSVP provided the equivalent of 45 full-time workers-free of charge- who worked for the betterment of our community. Using Independent Sector's value of volunteer time - $25.43 per hour, RSVP members' volunteer service averages over $2 million each year! That generous donation was a big boost to the "quality of place" we hear so much about from our community leaders.