I am writing this letter for several reasons: to introduce myself as the new Executive Director of RSVP of South Bay; to thank you for your contributions to RSVP and the South Bay community; and to ask you for your guidance and continued support.

I am coming to RSVP from the Over-60 Health Center in Berkeley by way of the City of Long Beach where I served as the Gang Prevention Program Coordinator, and the Los Angeles County Community Development Foundation (CDF), where I was the Executive Director. The CDF is the nonprofit partner with the county’s housing authority. I refer to Over-60 because it was my introduction to the senior community, and the social and political power possessed by seniors to transform communities in which they live and serve. I was fortunate enough to benefit from the wisdom of mentors who were closely aligned with the late Maggie Kuhn, founder of the Grey Panthers, during an era when the idea of intergenerational communities was becoming a national movement. I accepted my position at RSVP in the spirit of that movement.

As seniors, we have been shaped by human experiences and the profoundness of the journey from childhood to maturity. We know first-hand how difficult it is to embrace that elusive spirit of self, and to find inner peace; and I believe that we would agree that the true joy is not found in what we have, but in what we give.

RSVP is more than a social program. RSVP is a movement; RSVP is our collective will to pursue and cultivate right-human relationships through services rooted in friendship, love for family and community, and love for a great nation called America, which we struggle to preserve through our gifts of wisdom and brotherhood.

I am confident that the seeds of that wisdom and brotherhood are planted and nurtured in the schools, hospitals, households and the various agencies in which we give our time, and that we do make a difference in the life of the people that we touch.

Over the past 18 months, because of you, RSVP provided more than 144,600 hours of volunteer services at 68 stations throughout the South Bay, at a value of more than $976,000. That is a superb contribution to the quality of life within our community. Thank you!

Call me at (310) 320-3322, or send me a note, if you have comments or suggestions of things that we can do to become of even greater value to the people and institutions that we serve. I look forward to the challenges and opportunities that are ahead of us.

Respectfully,

Thomas White
Executive Director.

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