The week of April 27 through May 3 has been named Volunteer Appreciation Week with a theme of “Volunteers Plant the Seeds of Kindness.”    
    In celebration of Volunteer Appreciation Week, Northeast Iowa Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) will be hosting a May Day picnic to honor all RSVP volunteers and to give out 61 Presidential Volunteer Service Awards to people who have volunteered more than 100 hours since the program began in 2002.  These volunteers will join 51 other RSVP volunteers who have earned Presidential Service Awards with 17 of those earning the gold award for 500 or more hours of service. 
    RSVP will also have a booth at the Northeast Iowa Volunteer Expo at the Howard County Fairgrounds. The expo is an event that will honor volunteers and showcase local non-profit organizations and their volunteer needs. The open house event will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and feature 100 quilts, many of which are for sale. There will be a lunch stand open all day and raffle drawings throughout the day. 
    RSVP volunteers are serving at 43 nonprofit agencies in northeast Iowa, with the average volunteer serving six hours per week. During the past year, RSVP volunteers devoted 15,317 hours of service in helping others. Volunteers choose from a range of volunteer opportunities to match their interests, utilizing their life skills and talents to help others.