It’s Fall and time for Applumpkin Fall Festival. A wonderful family festival that is affordable and makes a difference for seniors in need at the same time.

Join us on Saturday, October 5, 2024 between 10 am and 4 pm for field games for the entire family, activities like pumpkin painting, face painting and storytelling for the kids, photo ops at our antique tractor, pumpkin and scarecrow sites, basket and cash raffles, a corn hole elimination tournament (for adults—fee for entry—contact SRIV for info at 401-552-7661) and don’t forget the food trucks, craft vendors, and entertainment including DJ Canario, East Coast Karate Demo Team, Ladies of the Rolling Pin, and Westerly Police K9 Unit!

Call SRIV at 401-552-7661 to get your tickets today. $5 per person 13 plus years of age; 12 and under free. No Pets, registered/papered service animals only—you must present the registration. No outside food/beverages. No alcohol on the grounds at all.

Calling all sponsors, bowlers, and cheerleaders who care about our senior neighbors across Southern Rhode Island. You have an opportunity to support services that help our older citizens age-in-place in our wonderful South County. Southern Rhode Island Volunteers has been the agency supporting our seniors since 1981—NO ONE else can claim to have been providing free, meaningful service to seniors in our area for that long. Yes, we are in our 43rd year at SRIV, 4 decades of helping our seniors, our nonprofits, and our communities.

We welcome anyone 18 plus years of age wanting to volunteer and add purpose to some of your free time. We welcome our teens 13 to 17 to volunteer for some of our summer events, to help our seniors cleaning up their walkways in the fall and winter months or maybe gardening in the spring and summer months.

There are so many ways to help, not only our seniors but also our nonprofits—our wonderful community museums, arts, culture and life—like the amazing South County Museum in Narragansett, or help with beach or park clean ups like Wilcox Park, Westerly, Ninigret Park, Charlestown, or along any of our beautiful beaches, or help our seniors through supporting this event and other ways. Options include providing transportation to medical appointments, grocery stores, pharmacies, the bank, personal care locations such as the barber or salon and more; maybe you’d like to deliver Meals on Wheels, food from local grocery stores or pantries; or companionship may be what you are looking for—sharing life stories, board games, puzzles, conversations, college football and more; or you may want to help from the office by answering the calls from seniors needing help, by helping with online grocery orders that get delivered later in the week. There is so much! You can get to know SRIV and our wonderful team by attending this event as an introduction.

I’ve shared a flyer with this year’s date and info and it represents some of last year’s event supporters, Bentley Builders, Northup’s Service Center, South County Smiles and many more.

Other sponsors who are supporters of our seniors include The Village at Worden’s Pond, People’s Credit Union, Bank Newport, The Volunteers of Matunuck and Tuckertown Fire Departments, Gates Insurance, A B Hoxie Well & Pump, Stasiunas Construction Companies, The Coutu Family, Lise Iwon, Belmont Market, Washington Trust Bank, Fiore Realty, SKIBPO, and Old Mountain Lanes

On Sunday, October 22, 2023 Scarecrows for SK were at Saugatucket Park for some fall fun! SRIV was delighted to be invited to participate in this family fun event. Our team began with Victoria Vona and Deb Tanner our scarecrow creators. They built our “first volunteer” veteran scarecrow. His unique face and nose made him quite the handsome character!

Deb brought our buddy to the field on Sunday morning and Megan Corey from our office soon joined her. We enjoyed sharing our scarecrow with so many visitors and being a part of this fun community event.

News Flash—we have just been informed that our scarecrow won most Unique—thank you all so much for voting for him; we are kind-of fond of our scarecrow buddy! We hope he encourages some of you to join our volunteer team.

We are in the planning stages for SRIV’s annual bowling event. Named for Edna Bernier an extraordinary volunteer, well into her 90’s. Edna certainly left her mark on all those who knew her, volunteered with her and benefitted from her caring and giving way!

This year our event will feature a raffle with 15 themed baskets highlighting adventures and things to do in our beautiful region of the world! We will be posting information on our Face Book page closer to the event about these great raffle prizes.

Bowling of course is happening. But without thanking our event and lane sponsors who return each year to support our senior services the bowling could not take place. So first and foremost—thank you to all our sponsors, our main event sponsors Stedman & Company and Northup’s Service Center; then our amazing lane sponsors South County Smiles, Bentley Builders, A B Hoxie Well and Pump, Tuckertown Volunteer Fire Department, Matunuck Volunteer Fire Department, The Washington Trust Company, People’s Credit Union, Stasuinas Construction Companies, The Amazing Coutu Family, Fiore Realty Company, Village at Worden’s Pond, Ri Grows, Lise Iwon, Tom Ford Law, Stone Cove Marina, Daniel Carter Law and Finan Law. Of course, a huge thank you to Old Mountain Lanes for our location and Belmont Market for the food provided for our attendees—you all ROCK! Wishing you years of success!

Bowling will take place from 10 am to 1 pm. For those who are not on a business sponsored team, you can still come and bowl with us for $25. You will receive the shoe rental, bowling from 10 to 1, our food offerings, and you’ll be supporting our seniors.

Bowling on a sponsored team—you are entitled to enter our bowler pledge drawings. If you gather pledges to support our seniors that total $50 or more, you will have multiple chances to win gift cards throughout the bowling hours of 10 am to 1 pm. All you need to do is grab one of the pledge forms that will be mailed to your business sponsor and gather those pledges to support senior citizen nutrition. The top pledge gatherer will win an awesome prize!

Spectators are welcome to purchase raffle tickets between 8:30 am and 1 pm. Drawings are 1:15 pm. You are also welcome to cheer on our bowlers—great people coming out to support our senior citizen neighbors’ independence, healthy aging, and basic needs!

Keep posted for flyers and more information over the next few months. If you have any questions on how to sponsor a lane, how to get involved or are interested in the mission of service for senior citizens contact us today at 401-552-7661.