OUR NEW RSVP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DONNA DUPERRON (Text by Pete Porter; Photos by Margaret Porter)

First of all I must apologize for not creating a monthly newsletter for a couple of months, but even I need to take a vacation from time to time. Imagine my surprise when I learned that, in my absence, a new Executive Director was in the process of being installed at our office and that a farewell party was planned for Thomas White during the following week. Our new Director is Donna Duperron. I met Donna at Thomas's farewell party and decided that an article on Donna would be an ideal way for her to be introduced to our members.

Donna came to RSVP from the Chamber of Commerce, where she was Vice President and the Senior Chief Operations Officer for the last eight years. She told me that she wanted to switch because, in her words, it was a "wonderful opportunity". Donna particularly likes volunteering in the community and actually served on our Board of Directors during 2001 and 2002. Donna was even on the Personnel Committee that originally hired our retiring Director, Thomas White. You may have seen Donna at one of our recognition banquets, (she actually chaired the 2002 event).

Donna told me that she spent her first two weeks at the RSVP office being trained and brought up to speed by Thomas. She said that she was fully entrenched within half an hour of Thomas's departure from his farewell party.

Donna informed me that she would like to continue to develop a more positive image for RSVP and create more opportunities for seniors to become involved in different work stations. She would like to increase our membership even beyond the current total of 953 and our stations beyond the more than 120 that we have now. Donna would also like the Web Site to continue as a tool for recruiting new members. She mentioned that there had recently been a lady who wanted to do some work with "Meals on Wheels". This lady had been told to look at RSVP's Web Site. Having done this, she contacted the office and had come in that morning to fill out the necessary paperwork. This volunteer said that she had found the Web Site to be really informative and that it had helped her out in her quest.

Another item that Donna would like to add to the Web Site is an "Activity Calendar". This could be updated as needed and would help our members get an idea of the new things that RSVP is currently involved in.

As our meeting came to a close, Donna was hard at work preparing for her next appointment with Officer D'Anjou, a representative of the Torrance Police Department. Officer D'Anjou is interested in developing more interaction between the Police Department and the RSVP Emergency Preparation Program. Donna told me that the department is also interested in involving more of our members in the day to day operations that take place there, similar to those that take place at the Gardena and Redondo Beach Police Departments as well as the local Highway Patrol Office and Lomita Sheriff Station.

I'm sure that you will all join me in welcoming Donna to our organization and will give her all the help and encouragement within our powers as she continues to help us grow and prosper.