What You Do Speaks So Loud (1976)

10 months ago Anne Miller spent most of her day watching television Emma Thompson felt frustrated hemmed in by the Four Walls of her apartment 10 months ago most of these ladies didn't even know each other living alone in the same apartment [Music] building you lie about it something happened here something to change their lives program director Ruth and gear was involved from the start and can tell it best well this is a group uh that we formed over a year ago a group that wanted to work right here where they live and they are what we call a mailing group but in actual fact what they do is is a great deal more than that they help organizations who have to put out mailing of various kinds or prepare kids for people who go out and solicit door too and these ladies make fundraising possible you'd be surprised at the response now we started out with just two or three and we have this group it's a representative group we have this many nearly every not this many every Thursday we need every every Thursday we couldn't get along without this a program we just look forward to the time we do working what I like about this RSB I like the dinners they have oh enjoy I think it means to them what um it might mean to any of us an opportunity to participate in what's going on around us many times the older adult through no fault of his own is cut off from doing just this sort of thing and through our program we like to think we can bring participation back into the lives of those who still want to participate across the country this Mutual involvement is catching on they are dedicated people they have resources that nobody else in the world had they are very clever and anxious to show somebody else what they can do and we have so many volunteers who have had skills that have Lan D up for so long and they just happy to pass it on to somebody else this would be very lovely with all the and there are many agencies and institutions that welcome these talents and depend on volunteers for day-to-day operations in San Diego Colonel Owen Clark has some difficulty in running the nation's second largest Aviation Museum we have volunteers working on aircraft on engines in our library and archives uh collating and sorting out our many photographs and documents so there's no end to the variety of jobs that are available we're very limited on funds and by having the RSVP program there's no question but what it helps us a great deal no way we could get all the jobs done for the public and for their enjoyment without the volunteers Dan Bernett is perhaps one of our most talented volunteers here under the rsbp program he originally worked on the 1927 Ryan Spirit of St Louis which uh we have a A reproduction of here in this Museum Dan is now in charge of our restoration of a jn4 d Jenny 1916 vintage and he has probably probably more talent in that field than anyone we know of I've retired from 50 years of actual building of aircraft and you must understand that in in rebuilding an airplane you have double the time because you have tear down time and repair and then reassembly and it's a long process but it's a a process of uh labor of love for those of us who did work and and learn from the early days we should be proud of what we have done and I think that we should be proud to keep on with with what we have done and keep ourselves busy and thanks to RSVP it's made it possible for a lot of people that that wouldn't have been able to to get from their home to the place of where they're doing their volunteer work for older Americans life can often become an obstacle course one of the biggest hurdles for many is the difficulty and the cost of getting from here to there one important an part of RSVP the retired senior volunteer program is to provide transportation to help put older Americans in action enabling them to give their time and energy where it is needed most that there that there that there there is an endless variety of opportunity for communities and agencies to use the experience and wisdom of senior volunteers we have a program of older people getting to know young children the program started with us needing more time to give to the children then we wanted to introduce creative Stitchery to the children and they needed almost a one toone ratio with an adult we as teachers could not give them this therefore we started looking for help and we discovered that senior citizens had the time to go yeah do that down I missed okay I'll try it now the children I don't think will ever forget what state flower is in which state or what after they worked for many weeks on embroid it and the senior citizens it has given them a very meaningful experience in coming each week to to help the children with these kind of children could not do it without [Music] them they're called The Galley slaves and it's a different kind of volunteering entertaining at hospitals institut and anywhere they're [Music] needed [Music] volunteering remaining active after retirement what one does with one's life the choices vary as much as people vary lucenda white delivers meals to shuttin and for her this job has a very special meaning you go to this building and me as a brought and you fill your container you have a certain route I do which is in the northeastern section of hunsville and um I take them to the patient to be and warm weather they us standing out on the porch waiting for it but cold weather you have to knock on the door and uh go in and then you take the meal and take it back to kitchen it means uh it's something I really look forward to and uh meeting the people and uh we establish a good report well you are hello there how are you fine how that's good fine how's you been since I've seen you pretty good you didn't think you going to send it this all it is no oh you've been getting long fine too I ain't much for talking you're not much for talking are wish you might a fine person though I enjoy coming out here get the chance of meeting people not only meeting people you really become involved with people now we going on inside and I put your meals up for you some people if they going to be stimulated at all Let It Be by what I do for for them or do to help them rather than just talking to them I don't know where I heard it I've heard it all my life oh what you do speak so loud I can't hear what you say how you doing pretty good Hi how are you Jim Spencer is a volunteer who tutors adults he also helps director Ruth an gear on RSVP business we always use another volunteer you know that well I might just have one for you I was out at the mall the other day and I ran into an old friend of mine man named Joe Johnson so I told him about the uh tutoring I'm doing for the adult education program and uh told him how and why I got into it and he seemed to be quite interested so I told him that I'd uh mention his name and phone number to you and that uh you would possibly get in touch with him if you could find a similar spot for him but listen do you see him I run into why don't you give him this explains our insurance and this of course the whole program with our telephone number but I I've made a note so very good I'll move while he's interested sure he'll be glad to get it we have a very very informal interview with volunteers because they are hesitant and particularly the ones who have never volunteered before have a hesitancy in making that first STP Barbara Davis heads another community's retired senior volunteer program she thinks this program serves the government's real function in helping people help themselves this stigma on age in 60 years of age or 70 years of age hopefully through programs such as RSVP and the other programs working with the senior citizens will eventually dispel the stigma attached to aging I think it's a great mistake for some of these people who assume when they retire uh that they are just going to settle down and wait for death to come uh I have no intention of doing that uh because I think that I can find a place where I can be active where I can be useful where I can be happy in association with other people that of course is one of the things that I think RSVP does for all of us Helen Sparks works with Barra Davis a retired File Expert her job is to help man the RSVP office around here they call her Sparky uh I think that all seniors should look forward to some kind of activity and not entertainment I I think entertainment uh grows stale after a bit you can play cards so long and then after a bit that is off more and more older people now realize that they have a choice that they have the opportunity to do Jazel rig taught herself to weave while in her 60s and is now teaching some other other retired people Phil Phillips has worked with tools and around cars all his life and when his turn came he sure didn't want to retire now Phil volunteers his time and experience to teach some elementary school kids things they may never have learned otherwise theer elderly people like me senior citizens I think if they uh they keep them they need this not only kids but but the senior citizen need to keep keep alive shck they're going to uh your brain and your body both will will dry up if you don't keep active I came in and said I want to serve some and so she said well why don't you go to the senior citizens Activity Center and see whether you can help them so I came in and we talked for a while and then the lady said the director Mrs Lewis well the greatest favor you would do us if you would learn to weave I said to weave at my age yes we have two L nobody to weave I've worked with kids for years I'm had a lot of experience working with with uh kids of different ages and uh I I like it it's it's remarkable I think mainly what we are doing here is a little bit maybe a little bit unusual because we really have to learn a lot of things we never learned in our lives and I think just as you are getting older this is very important to to keep young got troubl well that's the story of my life we have always got troubles what's your problem let's see let's figure this out this has got to come out of there doesn't it you can factly go away and leave them and they can they can get her back together uh well there might be a few points few of the fine points now like one little girl here today on one of these carburetors is some little bitty hair pins and she got those thing right on them and they're hard to go on too there they're not they're not uh easy just don't uh see how they got it so quick you're surpris the stuffing out of me in weaving of course there's something wonderful involved you have to be creative and if in our age we have a chance to be creative I think that is quite [Music] something no sense when the guy sitting down and go to seed just well do something and enjoy life and this is this is this is enjoyable older Americans in action senior citizens from all walks of life are enjoying themselves more while helping others and this is at least in some small part due to the retired senior volunteer program a part of action RSVP provides that much needed stimulus to bring volunteers together with agencies with the aid of state and local government action provides the initial funding to program enabling any American retired and over 60 to give his or her time once or twice a week and yet many volunteers spent even more time than that for as they have become more involved in their volunteer jobs they have become more involved in [Music] life stretch yourself uh keep yourself active but if we keep going there's no limit to the age that we expect to be by helping others you're helping yourself last a little bit longer I feel and it's a fulfillment that you will get that you I wouldn't otherwise [Applause] [Music] get thank you thank you so much than you