ELLENSBURG — No one had to explain to Carol Findley the value of volunteers in 1990 when she took over as the executive director of the nonprofit Retired & Senior Volunteer Program of Kittitas County, or RSVP.

She witnessed her parents, Jim and Lillian Brooks, volunteering as she grew up in Ellensburg, and Findley took on volunteer tasks as an adult wherever she and her husband, Jerry, called home.

“Serving your community in some way and helping other people was made part of the fabric of my life when I was pretty young,” Findley said last week. “It’s still an important part of my family’s life, and now it’s my job. I link up people with ways they can volunteer.

“You know, volunteers are just some of the most amazing people in our community.”

A family thing

Findley came to Ellensburg as a second-grader with her siblings when her parents moved here from Portland, where her father had been assistant to the president of Portland State University and professor of geography.

Jim Brooks came to Ellensburg to take on the presidency of Central Washington University, a position he held for 17 years. Jim also taught geography for several years after leaving his executive post. Lillian worked as an elementary school teacher and later as a CWU office employee.

“I have memories of going with my parents to things they were involved with,” Findley said. “Mostly it was some activity involving us kids. It was things having to do with school or sports or ballet or piano lessons; it was always something. They made volunteering a family thing. It was fun.”

Her parents continue to volunteer in their retirement years, and her two sisters and brothers also are involved in community volunteer activities where they reside.

“Growing up I could just feel it: giving back to the community in some way was highly valued in our family, and you did that by serving others,” Findley said. “My mom and dad set the example.”

Carrying it on

Findley graduated from Ellensburg High School and gained a bachelor’s degree in parks and recreation administration. She met her husband, Jerry Findley, while attending CWU, and they later married. Jerry was from Yakima.

After graduation they moved to the Ashland-Medford, Ore., area where Jerry took a job in student services at Southern Oregon University.

It was there that Carol took the superintendent position of the Medford city recreation department.

She heard the call of the volunteer there and headed up the Jackson County Special Olympics program that helps developmentally disabled adults compete in athletic events.

She said it was satisfying to see the sense of accomplishment in the lives of the Special Olympics participants and the gratefulness of parents that their children were experiencing positive, community recognition and self worth.

While Carol and Jerry were contemplating moving closer to the Ellensburg-Yakima area, a position opened at CWU in administering student services. Jerry got that job and the family moved here in 1984.

Back in the Kittitas Valley, Carol worked in CWU’s Elderhostel, Senior Ventures and Business Week programs while raising a family.

Her two kids led her to volunteer with PTA, soccer and to be an adult leader in the Camp Fire program.

She later became executive director of Camp Fire USA for Kittitas County, a program that’s heavily reliant on adult, family volunteers to keep the program going.

In 1990, she became executive director of RSVP, a nonprofit program locally sponsored by CWU. Central acts as a partner in supporting RSVP outreach to the community through in-kind services.

“I love my job,” Carol said. “It’s a great fit for me.”

Connecting

Carol said RSVP works at continuously recruiting and connecting people 55 and over to programs and activities in the community where there’s a need for help.

The programs where volunteers are plugged in must be related to a nonprofit organization — usually a social service — or to a local, state or federal government agency, or to local education.

“We sit down with the potential volunteer and help them assess what their skills are, how much time they have to give and, really, what’s their passion in life,” Carol said.

RSVP has connected hundreds of volunteers in support of the local food and clothing banks, Kittitas Valley Community Hospital, Christmas Basket and local schools to name a few.

Being a baby boomer herself, Carol has modified RSVP to fit in with the more active, busy lifestyle of today’s retiree who may be working part-time or taking more time to travel, further their education or enjoy their favorite hobbies or recreational activities.

“Many want to be on call to help when they can, and we fit them in wherever we can,” Carol said.

People volunteer for different reasons, and at the beginning they usually tell RSVP they want to help others.

“They end up realizing they’re also helping themselves, in a way, as a result of their service,” Carol said. “There’s a boost to your self esteem, and you just feel good having helped someone.”

A value

She said studies have shown that volunteers having a positive experience assisting people feel better about themselves, are healthier and live longer.

“You can’t, really, put an exact value on volunteers because they are so indispensable to the everyday life of our community,” Carol said.

Carol continues to volunteer in a variety of roles.

“You know, my parents didn’t force me in any way about volunteering or joining in to help people,” Carol said. “I learned it was something you had to choose to do.”