Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jill Collins
Executive Vice President, Operations
Pacific Retirement Services, Inc.
541-857-7216
Gov. Kulongoski Appoints PRS Executive Director
Becky Snyder To Oregon Commission
(Medford, Oregon) October 13, 2008 – Pacific Retirement Services, Inc. (PRS), a national leader in the Senior Living industry and the parent company of Rogue Valley Manor (www.retirement.org), announced today that its Executive Director of Community Services, Becky Snyder, has been appointed to the Oregon Voluntary Action and Service Commission (OVASC) by Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, as confirmed by the Oregon Senate. Ms. Snyder began her three-year term on October 1, 2008.
Also known as Oregon Volunteers, the OVASC has up to 25 voting members who support its mission to “promote and support AmeriCorps, volunteerism, and civic engagement to strengthen Oregon communities.” Ms. Snyder is one of only two southern Oregon OVASC members. Formed in 1994 and based in Portland, Oregon, OVASC/ Oregon Volunteers was established in accordance with the federal National and Community Services Trust Act of 1993.
Ms. Snyder is president of the Seniors Serving Oregon Coalition (SSOC), whose members nominated her for the OVASC. As executive director of PRS’s Community Services division, Ms. Snyder oversees the management of the southern Oregon chapters of two national volunteer programs: the Retired Senior and Volunteer Program (RSVP) and the Foster Grandparent Program (FGP). Ms. Snyder has been director of the RSVP for sixteen years and the FGP for five years.
She serves on the Oregon Mentors State Provider Council and on the Volunteer Engagement Committee of United Way of Jackson County, where she also serves as a Campaign Division Chair.
“I learned the value of volunteering at a very young age,” says Becky Snyder, “and it’s been a habit that has sustained me throughout my life. As the director of volunteering programs, I’ve seen how communities change when people come forward in the spirit of service. Very simply put, it works. By serving on the Commission, I hope to band with others throughout Oregon to further this notion in new and innovative ways.”
RSVP and FGP are part of the Senior Corps of the Corporation for National and Community Service. RSVP is America’s largest volunteer network for people age 55 and over. It works as a volunteer clearinghouse, locally sending out almost 980 volunteers to support more than 100 nonprofit organizations or programs in Jackson County. The Foster Grandparents of the FGP serve children at risk through various local organizations, including Head Start, schools, and other youth facilities. They help children learn to read, provide one-on-one tutoring, and guide children at critical times in their lives with comforting support and love. By working through RSVP or FGP, volunteers receive pre-service orientation, training, and supplemental insurance while on duty.
To learn more about RSVP or FGP, call 541-857-7780 or visit www.retirement.org/rvmcs. To learn about Oregon Volunteers/OVASC, visit www.oregonvolunteers.org.
About Pacific Retirement Services, Inc. (PRS)
PRS is a national not-for-profit Senior Living developer, operator, and manager that serves a growing family of 55 organizations, including retirement communities and service organizations in California, Oregon, Washington, Texas, and Wisconsin. Headquartered in Medford, Oregon, with another office in Memphis, Tennessee, PRS has nine Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs), two managed retirement communities, and twenty-five affordable senior housing communities, with more in development. PRS also has a Community Services division that supports a network of volunteers who serve people in need in southern Oregon. For more information, call 888-724-6424 and visit www.retirement.org.
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