The Moore County RSVP's 556 volunteers served 55,018 hours last year to help their favored causes.

If they had been paid at the going rate of $19.51 an hour, their collective "payroll" would have amounted to a whopping $1,734,103 to nonprofits in Moore County.

The Retired Senior Volunteer Program, an arm of the Moore County Department of Aging, provided services to 38 nonprofits and government agencies last year.

Shiela Klein, RSVP director, said the volunteers, all 55 or older, do everything from delivering meals to shut-ins to clearing trash from highways.

The Points of Light Foundation, using Independent Sector Research, annually places a national average dollar figure on a volunteer's time, and that's where the $19.51 an hour figure was determined, according to Klein.

For more than 21 years, RSVP has supported volunteerism in Moore County by putting the experience and expertise of older volunteers to use in a variety of ways.

"Unsurprisingly, the face of volunteerism has advanced and changed," Klein said. "In the last few years, as baby boomers have entered our volunteer arena, our RSVP volunteers are impacting and leading Moore County with new levels of experience and expertise."

Klein offers this quote from Edgar Bronfman's book, "The Third Act: Reinventing Yourself After Retirement":

"The United States today possesses the fastest-growing, best -ducated and most vigorous population of older adults in the history of the world. The whole structure of volunteerism is about to be reinvented. There exists a virtual tidal wave of skilled professionals, talented individuals and top drawer executives who are ready to do good."

The local impact of RSVP is measured on "the playing fields" of crisis intervention, board rooms, food collection and distribution, advisory councils and health-care planning services.

Klein said RSVP welcomes more volunteers from the 55 and over population.

"Moore County RSVP volunteers are a valuable asset, making a significant difference in the lives of Moore County families," Klein said.

RSVP coordinates the effort by helping qualified older adults "to invest time and talents in meaningful and enjoyable activities that not only benefit the community, but keep them active, healthy and productive citizens," Klein said.

From a database of more than 175 service opportunities, RSVP matches a volunteer's experience and know-how with 40 nonprofit agencies throughout the county.

More information is available by contacting Klein at 215-0900 or at klein@moorecountync.gov.

Contact Florenc Gilkeson at 947-4962 or by e-mail at florence@thepilot.com.