Serving Others is in His DNA

Morris Lazard, a Human Services Specialist in the Lemon Grove Family Resource Center, helps raise money to fund a food pantry in his office. The pantry's Top Ramen noodles, granola bars and pudding cups go to clients in extreme need who can't wait a few days for benefits to arrive. It is completely employee-funded.

Morris Lazard makes a point of starting each conversation with his clients at the front window of the Lemon Grove Family Resource Center by asking them, “How can I help you?”

Most are in dire need. Some don’t know where they are going to sleep next or when their next meal will come, said Lazard, a Human Services Specialist for the County’s Health and Human Services Agency.

“By the time they get here, they’re not having a good day,” he said.

From there, his job is to determine if they are eligible for assistance programs such as CalFresh or Medi-Cal. In the relatively short time Lazard has been in this job, he’s had a profound effect on his clients and those around him.   

Lazard is the second County employee to be spotlighted this month, National Ethics Awareness Month, as part of a series of features on employees living the County’s core values of integrity, responsible stewardship and commitment to excellence every day. The County’s Statement of Values details them.

Clients praise him for the respect and kindness that they say he shows in his every day interactions with them. They have nominated him for so many customer service awards through the County’s Serving Everyone with Excellence program that he received a Lifetime Achievement honor through the program in 2012.

Lazard brings to his job a calm demeanor and a good sense of humor. He doesn’t seem to get flustered easily, and yet he has an empathetic, sensitive touch with clients.

He said he makes eye contact and really tries to understand where they are coming from—but also make sure they know he cares. He then acts as their advocate in determining if they are eligible for assistance.  If so, he makes a point of explaining what they need to do to qualify, and why the process is set up the way it is. To qualify for benefits, applicants must produce sensitive personal information such as bank statements and children’s immunization records.

Lazard’s supervisor, Donnis Crayne, said he is particularly good at explaining the eligibility process.

“He slows down and goes into more detailed explanation, the why, why are we asking for this information,” said Crayne, a Supervising Human Services Specialist.

He is so good with people—and enjoys it so much—that he is one of the first to step in and work with new clients who arrive upset or panicked in the lobby in Lemon Grove.

Just five years ago, Lazard was managing a real estate office in Carlsbad, helping people buy homes. But the real estate and mortgage industries started to nose-dive, and he started looking for another job.  One of his relatives worked at the County and highly encouraged him to apply, so he did. Not long after, the County contacted him with this position in mind.

“What a shift” it’s been, he said. “Now I’m dealing with people who don’t have a home, and who are in serious need.”

But in both positions, he’s been able to help people. And that has been immensely gratifying for him.

Turns out, Lazard practically has customer service in his DNA. His father owned a clothing store in downtown San Diego and had a devoted following of customers. From his parents, he learned the value in taking care of people and also the values of honesty, integrity and ethics. He has applied all of them to his work.

Lazard said he tries to treat others the way he would want to be treated.

Lazard started in the job just months before the economy fully plunged into recession. Still, almost five years later, the office is always busy, he said.

He tries to help clients in as few interactions as possible—to save both their time and the County’s. Some days, he staffs the front window. Other days, he has a succession of four, five or six sit down meetings with clients. The meetings may last from five minutes to an hour and 15 minutes each. The variety suits him well.

“I like contact with people—I’m not good at sitting,” he said.

Clients are sometimes hostile when they arrive, expecting an unpleasant experience.  They may anticipate a long wait and even then, not necessarily getting what they came in for. 

Sometimes life has been tough on them, other times they may not have been keeping up with what they needed to do, he said. Or maybe it’s been a mixture of the two.

He aims to make them feel comfortable and understood.

No matter what frustrations Lazard said he is feeling in his own life, he doesn’t let them creep into his interactions with clients.

“The work is challenging, but he faces it cheerfully,” Crayne said.

In addition to his regular duties, Lazard volunteered to serve as president of the FRC’s House Committee. The group’s mission started out as raising money to replace appliances in the shared employee lunch room. But the appliances have kept up, so the focus mostly shifted to creating an in-house food pantry.

Inside cabinets in the lunch room, sit stacks of Cup of Noodles soup, cups of pudding, granola bars, bottled water, diapers and other basics.

This isn’t for the employees. It’s for clients in extreme need, who have absolutely no income or who can’t wait a few days for benefits to arrive.

“They are pleasantly surprised, quite grateful and appreciative,” Lazard said. “Sometimes (they) even shed a tear of happiness knowing they can feed their family for one or two more days until benefits are on their EBT card.”

Lending a Helping Hand

When you’re a member of the County’s Hazardous Incident Response Team (HIRT) any call can be kind of “hairy” — you know, dangerous — whether it’s responding to a meth lab, a transformer fire or a mercury spill.

But some calls just end up being unexpectedly hairier than others.

Just ask HIRT’s Amy Paquette.

Hurrying off in the dead of night last month to a call about an explosion in Spring Valley, Paquette ended up giving emergency first aid alongside the freeway to a woman who flipped her car over a median and head-on into oncoming traffic on Highway 94.

Paquette, who’s been with the County for more than 12 years and the Department of Environmental Health’s HIRT team for six, said she was responding to a law enforcement call around 11 p.m. after a guy blew up his apartment while using highly flammable butane gas to turn his marijuana into “honey oil.”

She was actually in her hazmat outfit and just coming off of Interstate 805 onto Highway 94 to head to Spring Valley when she rolled up to the crash scene where she saw two men trying to get the woman out of her wrecked car.

“I must have missed it by seconds,” Paquette said. “I could see her car was facing the wrong way and there were two guys who were trying to pry the car door open. Thankfully, no one hit her head-on.”

No other emergency responders — police or paramedics — had arrived.  Paquette quickly rolled down her window, flipped on the emergency lights on her County hazmat car and yelled out to ask if anyone had called 911 and if they needed first aid help. The men, who were able to get the woman safely out of the car, yelled back that no one had called yet and — yeah! — they needed help!

Paquette called the accident in, grabbed her first aid kit and helped get the woman safely out of the roadway. Paquette said the first thing that came to her mind was gratitude — because the County provides DEH’s HIRT members with first-aid “refresher” training every other year. So Paquette said she felt comfortable knowing she would be able to do something to help.

Fortunately, the woman wasn’t seriously hurt, but did have a number of cuts and was “just freaked out.”

Paquette said she bandaged cuts, applied direct pressure to stop the woman’s bleeding and tended to her for “oh gosh, maybe 15 minutes,” until paramedics arrived and took over. You may be asking, “what about the explosion? What exactly is the protocol if you come upon one disaster while responding to another?”

“That’s a great question,” Paquette said. “I knew my partner was going to the same call, so I called him and said I was going to be late. I knew that sheriff’s were on the scene and I knew somebody had control of the situation.”

Paquette’s experience was actually the second time this year that a County HIRT team member happened upon a car wreck and took control of the scene. In January, HIRT team member Todd Burton was driving home from work and came across a collision between a car and a pool cleaning truck carrying hazardous chemicals. In that incident the drivers didn’t need first aid, but Burton called 911, controlled the scene and took care of the chemical spill.

Hazardous Materials Division Chief Mike Vizzier said he wasn’t surprised by Burton or Paquette’s performance and willingness to do the right thing without hesitation.

“The willingness to do the right thing is one of the things we look for in our HIRT team members,” Vizzier said. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. We’re lucky to have people like Amy, and to have such a selfless and expert group.”

As for Paquette, she said she was simply happy that she was prepared to help and had the chance to do so.

“Right place, right time, I guess,” she said. “I was just happy to do what I could. I think if anything, I’d give credit to our department, for the training that they give us. Given our training as first responders, it’s our duty to help if we can.”

Space Filling Up Fast for Free, On-Site Health Screenings

Earning $100 through the County’s Employee Health and Wellness Incentive Program is about to get even easier. But space is booking up fast.

Starting Monday, employees can start to qualify for the incentive by visiting a Kaiser Permanente mobile health van at one of nine County office locations. There, employees can get FREE health screenings to test their blood pressure, glucose levels, body mass index and height and waist measurements.

Employees just need to complete the screening, get a doctor’s signature and send a confirmation form to Human Resources’ Benefits Department. Then, they can go to their health care provider’s website and fill out a Health Risk Assessment. For more detailed instructions and the required paperwork, visit InSite’s Employee Health and Wellness Incentive Program web page.

The mobile vans will make a series of visits to County offices from March 11 to 29. For details on when and where they will stop, check out the schedule.

Appointments are going fast in some locations. As of earlier this week, 100 percent of appointments were reserved at the County Operations Center and Duffy Administration Center, but some walk in appointments will still be available with a County ID. Appointments were still available at the HHSA-South Region office in Chula Vista, North Inland Regional Center in Escondido, Edgemoor Hospital in Santee, East County Regional Center in El Cajon and North County Regional Center in Vista. Appointments at the Health Services Complex on Rosecrans in San Diego were almost all booked.

To sign up, employees can call Kaiser Permanente at 619-641-4536 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Employees can use County time for a health screening in the mobile van, subject to their supervisor’s approval.

Screening results will be confidential.    

The County is not seeking individual data on employees. Rather, Kaiser Permanente will compile results they receive and send them to the County in the aggregate form. The County will use the data to get a better sense of which health issues employees are facing as a whole, in order to craft the most effective employee wellness health outreach programs and activities.

For more information, visit the Employee Health and Wellness Incentive Program web page or contact HR's Employee Benefits Division at 888-550-2203.

For County Employee, Doing the Right Thing Is Only Natural

 Senior Park Ranger Marc Pumpkinthief manages 78-acre Otay Lakes County Park in eastern Chula Vista.

Marc Pumpkinthief gets to know County park visitors, especially the regulars.

So when a frequent visitor to Sweetwater Regional Park, where the senior park ranger was based, became ill a few years ago, Pumpkinthief noticed. The man’s face seemed a little pale and he complained of dizziness.

A former EMT for the National Park Service, Pumpkinthief’s instincts told him it was serious. The man resisted help, but Pumpkinthief insisted and called 911.

It turned out the man had a severe viral infection near his heart. He was going into shock.

After a stint in the hospital and successful recovery, the man returned to the park to thank Pumpkinthief. He nominated Pumpkinthief for a customer service hero award through the County’s Serving Everyone with Excellence program. It was one of three customer service awards--two Superhero awards and one Lifetime Achievement honor--Pumpkinthief has won since the program began in 2008.

Now the senior park ranger at Otay Lakes County Park, Pumpkinthief is one of a few employees who will be spotlighted this month, National Ethics Awareness Month, as part of a series of features on employees living the County’s core values of integrity, responsible stewardship and commitment to excellence every day. The newly renamed Office of Ethics and Compliance created a Statement of Values that spells them out.

Spend some time with Pumpkinthief and it quickly becomes clear that he brings a surge of enthusiasm, creativity and passion to his work. Underlying that is an eye for detail and a deep commitment to integrity.

“I know he loves being a park ranger,” said Amy Harbert, an Operations Chief with the Department of Parks and Recreation. “He loves what he does and if you have a passion for what you’re doing, it comes through.” 

Pumpkinthief’s goal is to make parks welcoming, safe spaces for visitors. He said he wants them to feel comfortable and be able to relax, exercise and connect with nature.

“We want them to feel better leaving than when they got here,” he said. “If people aren’t walking away either smiling or happy, I’m not satisfied.”

His strategy seems to be working. At Otay Lakes, traffic and park revenue have jumped recently. The number of parking permits sold in the past year doubled, he said.

His recipe for success has been simple. He just tries to do the right thing.

“My reputation is really all I have,” Pumpkinthief said. “People who know me know there’s a trust they have with me.”

Pumpkinthief more or less stumbled onto this career path. As an undergraduate student at San Diego State, he saw a flyer on the wall seeking summer volunteers for the National Park Service. He signed up and went off to Utah to work at Natural Bridges National Monument. He knew on his first day of training that he wanted to be a ranger.

“I realized I want to be the connection between people and nature,” he said.

Pumpkinthief said he had been interested in the natural world since he was a kid. He grew up in Northern California playing outside and building teepees. He changed his last name to honor part of his Osage Indian heritage.

After graduating from SDSU, he became a National Park Service ranger and spent time working in Yosemite and Zion national parks and Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico.

Pumpkinthief started at the County in 2007 and spent four years as a ranger at Sweetwater Regional Park in Bonita before transferring to Otay Lakes. There, in eastern Chula Vista, he manages the 78-acre park, along with two other paid employees and eight volunteers.  

Walking around the park one recent morning, Pumpkinthief excitedly explained all the new projects he’s overseen since arriving a year and a half ago.

One of the first things he did was buy chairs for the park headquarters’ front porch.

It was a small, but symbolic step. He and park maintenance worker Robert Major wanted visitors to feel more comfortable stopping in to ask questions or just taking a breather under the shade of the historic adobe.

Nearby, Pumpkinthief and his staff are planting a massive rose garden around a pavilion which he hopes will one day be a destination for rose lovers and the site of many weddings. He has found ways to save the County money in the process. They built planter boxes from scratch, rather than buying them, saving an estimated $3,000.

He also saved money by relying on volunteers to build a new interactive composting exhibit. A group of college students donated their time to construct the compost demonstration garden last year. An area resident also donates horse manure, which is broken down in the garden and turned into soil for the rest of the park, saving another $1,500 in the past year.

Volunteers have spruced up furniture in the park’s headquarters and plan to hold a cleanup event next month with the nonprofit I Love a Clean San Diego and the cities of Chula Vista and San Diego.

“I never turn down volunteer help,” he said.

Pumpkinthief has taken a special interest in increasing disability access. An onsite multi-sensory trail  allows sight and hearing impaired people and those in wheelchairs to stroll along a paved pathway, smelling and touching plants specially chosen for their interesting textures (pencil plant, euphorbia) and aromas (rosemary, pepper tree). 

His favorite part of the job is the challenge of getting visitors to comply with rules but also leave happier than when they arrived.

“It’s all in the delivery,” he said. “I don’t form opinions until I’ve spoken with them and heard what they have to say.”

Harbert praised Pumpkinthief for seeking feedback from park visitors, and being open to both critiques and compliments. He’s quick to volunteer for pilot projects or programs, too.

“He’s always looking for ways to improve the customer experience and to make it better,” she said.

As he’s matured in his role as a ranger over the years, Pumpkinthief said he’s become more focused on educating people and learning from them too.

“Everyone’s family when they’re here,” he said. “Everyone’s a friend. Parks are a community effort. It’s not just one person.”

Sheriff’s Museum Honors Retired Captain for 99th Birthday

The oldest Sheriff's retiree, Leland McPhie sitting on the left shares some 99th birthday cake with San Diego County Sheriff's Museum volunteers and fellow retirees. He was the youngest sheriff’s captain of the San Diego County Jail when he retired in 1969. Now at 98, Leland McPhie is the oldest living San Diego County Sheriff’s retiree.

He will celebrate his 99^th birthday on Sunday, but the docents at the San Diego County Sheriff’s Museum wanted to start celebrating early.

“I like it, I appreciate this,” McPhie proclaimed Wednesday morning in between television and newspaper interviews about his career with the Sheriff’s Department.

Docent staff initially invited McPhie to the museum to help them identify people and events in their photographs archive. After speaking with him, they decided they wanted to honor him for his career accomplishments as well, said Rusty Burkett, who works as a volunteer at the museum in Old Town.  

McPhie joined the department at 26 years old in 1940 and was assigned to the downtown jail. He took a few years off to serve in the Army during World War II. In the Sheriff’s Department, he quickly ascended the ranks to sergeant, lieutenant and ultimately captain. He retired at age 55 after working for four sheriffs.

He spent his entire career working in the jail, first in the jail built in 1911 and then in the newer one built in the 1960s. His biggest career highlight was helping design the 1960s downtown jail with the architect.

In 1998, a new Central Jail was built and the old jail, the Central Detention Facility, on Front Street now houses the psychiatric security unit. McPhie also helped write the policy and procedures manual for deputies working in the jails in 1940, even though he had only worked there a few months. A copy of the typewritten manual is on display at the museum.

On Wednesday, he recalled his first day on the job when he might have used that same manual. He was in one of the first batches of civil service employees to be hired as deputies. He said he scored sixth among all the applicants and he would have scored higher but he didn’t know about local government, not even the name of the mayor at the time. He was simply told to report to the jail at 4 p.m. and the other deputy left promptly at 5 p.m. McPhie relied on an inmate trustee to train him about the procedures in the jail, and called him “my bodyguard.” In return for good guidance, McPhie said he rewarded the inmate with extra food.  

“Looking back it seems kind of strange that all I was told was just to report at 4 o’clock,” he said, referring to the lack of formal training. 

Museum docent Dick Beall, who retired in 1986, said he remembers working with McPhie at the jail and he came in to share some birthday cake with his former supervisor. 

“He was a legend,” Beall said then started telling everyone how McPhie’s nickname among the jail staff was “Silver Fox.” McPhie was obviously amused as he listened to the story. It turned out McPhie got the nickname because he was quiet and stealthy and had silver hair.  

Beall said that to stay on McPhie’s good side, you just had to give him the house count and tell him the money was right every day. Years later, Beall became a captain and ran the South Bay Detention Facility and was given the nickname of Bear in the Woods, though he also never heard anyone call him that to his face.

Leland McPhie High School PhotographWhile working at the jail, McPhie went back to San Diego State and earned his degree. He attributes his success within the Sheriff’s Department to getting a good education. He was quickly promoted to sergeant after only five months on the job and then did that for only nine months before he was promoted to lieutenant. At the time he was promoted to captain, there were only three for the whole department and he was chosen for the job over other lieutenants, some who had been there longer than him.

“I felt pretty good about that,” McPhie said of his rise through the ranks.

If asked, he would advise ambitious deputies to “Get as much education as you can.”  

On Wednesday, McPhie spoke of some of the booking procedures he streamlined, how he designed a lock that was patented, and how back then there might be 20 to 25 women inmates who were in their own cell block and had to have a “matron” sheriff’s female employee sleep in the jail overnight.  

“It’s a living history and we want to get it on video to give to his family and keep for our archives,” said Burkett. “And we’re going to try to get him down here some more because we have an archive of photos.”

After his retirement, McPhie served as an advisor for the military during the Vietnam War. He has also always been athletic and competed until he was 96 years old in the Senior Olympics. He has won many gold and silver medals in the track and field competition.

Fun at Work

 Spirit of Fun Committee (l-r): Nancy Bazetta, Susan Brondell, Lindsay Ramsey, Nancy Hudec, Izabela Karmach, Lisa Torres and Kornelia Kopec.

Working with patients who are going through a mental health crisis can be challenging and stressful. It can also take a toll on your own mental well-being.

That’s why a group of seven employees at the County Psychiatric Hospital created a committee to plan fun and engaging activities for the 150 employees that work at the facility.

They call themselves the “Spirit of Fun” committee and, since October, they’ve organized a monthly event to boost morale and lift the spirits of everyone who works there.

“It’s a stressful job,” said Lisa Torres, an administrative assistant at the Psych Hospital for the past four years and member of the committee.

“It’s a challenge, especially when you take into account that our patients are in crisis,” echoed Nancy Bazzetta, another committee member.

Bazzetta knows. She has worked at the Psych Hospital for 24 years and is currently the recreational therapy supervisor.

“The activities we plan generate fun and laughter. They bring positivity not only to us but to our patients,” added Bazzetta.

The committee started with a simple Jersey Day and followed it with a Halloween Costume Parade, a Thanksgiving Potluck, Wear Pink Day, as well as Compliment Day. They plan the activities during their lunch hour and if materials are needed, they buy them with their own money.

Their next event is a St. Patrick’s Day celebration and among the activities being planned is a chocolate coin toss. Those who make it into the lucky pot receive simple treats. Participants will also get to see montage of photos from previous events and activities.

“We try to make them exciting and engaging,” said Psych Hospital Administrator and committee member Izabela Karmach.

“They offer a healthy way to reduce stress and help create a better workplace, which are part of the County’s Live Well, San Diego! initiative,” Karmach said. “I am really proud of my employees for doing it.”

Shining a Spotlight on Ethics

We all want to work for an employer we can believe in.

We want to be treated respectfully, and be able to trust the people around us.

Studies show that the more secure employees feel about their organization’s values, the more productive and enthusiastic they are. They miss less work, too.

“Ethics are at the core of what we are about,” said Chief Administrative Officer Helen Robbins-Meyer. “If you act ethically, you can sleep at night and everything else will fall into place.”

Most of the time, the County works quietly, behind the scenes to make sure integrity is at the heart of what we all do. We don’t necessarily spend a lot of time talking about ethics, because they are just something we live every day.

This month, that’s going to change. March is National Ethics Awareness Month, and the County will mark the occasion by highlighting its latest work to ensure a strong, ethical culture. The County will spotlight ethics-related resources available to employees and feature a few employees who are living the County’s core values every day.

Among the biggest recent developments is one taking effect today. The County’s Office of Internal Affairs is changing its name to the Office of Ethics and Compliance (OEC) and restructuring its department and mission. Under a series of changes approved by the Board of Supervisors last month, the renamed department will take over responsibility for the County’s compliance with federal and State laws, local policies and other rules and regulations. The department’s new name also signifies the more proactive role it will take in promoting ethics and compliance through education, training and other outreach efforts.

The department will offer more countywide compliance training online and in the classroom and more information and resources through its InSite page. Code of Ethics training will continue to be available online through LMS as well.

The County has taken a number of important steps to keep up to date with ethics over the past few years. As part of its Integrity in Action Program, the OEC updated the County’s Code of Ethics, which details the County’s standards of workplace conduct and the County’s six General Principles. It also created a Statement of Values, which spells out the County’s core values of integrity, responsible stewardship and commitment to excellence.

“The County has always been values-driven and we’ve always believed in doing the right thing,” said OEC Director Joe Cordero. “We’re just articulating the values better and making them more visible and official.”

In addition, the County last year launched an updated Ethics Hotline (1-866-549-0004) and website, which makes it easy for employees to report suspected fraud, waste, abuse or other questionable activity anytime. Calls and complaints are confidential and can be made anonymously. Previous Compliance and Office of Internal Affairs hotlines were combined to create the updated hotline. That and an online reporting form are operated by independent, third party provider The Network. They are back-up options if an employee either feels uncomfortable going to a supervisor, manager, Departmental Human Resources Officer or to the OEC or their attempts to do so were unsuccessful.

Cordero said his department is available to assist employees working through difficult situations. OEC will be a central resource to employees, departments and contractors or vendors in addressing ethics and compliance matters. As always, the OEC will continue to respond to and investigate complaints alleging improper government activity such as abuse of authority, gross mismanagement, significant waste of government funds, improper and inappropriate billings, conflicts of interest and other issues. The office will continue to handle complaints of discrimination and make appropriate recommendations. Having a centralized ethics and compliance function is more common among private sector Fortune 500 companies than local governments.

Stay posted over the course of March for more information and features on the County’s efforts to maintain a culture we can all believe in! For more information, visit the OEC’s InSite page.

Electric Car Gets a Test Run

A Coda electric vehicle gets recharged during its pilot program at the Air Pollution Control District. Prices at the pump have taken another one of their dramatic swings upward, but a few County employees recently logged hundreds of miles of driving without using a drop of gas. They were taking part in the County’s first-ever pilot program of an all-electric car.

The team that oversees County vehicles is actively exploring whether a zero-emission model would be a good fit. This particular trial run started when General Services’ Fleet Coordinator Mike Rivers was at a green fleet conference last fall and met a representative of Coda Automotive. The company makes an all-electric sedan and has a program to loan it to interested parties.

“At a glance, you’d think it was a Corolla,” Rivers said.

After getting the sign-off for the County to borrow the car, General Services arranged for staff from the Air Pollution Control District to try it out for a month. Employees could use it for work travel like getting to meetings or just take it for a spin. They needed to fill out a log with some basic tracking information and complete an evaluation.

Senior meteorologist Bill Brick says he jumped at the chance to drive one.

“I like the fact there was no motor sound,” Brick said. “It was neat to not hear a gasoline motor revving when you accelerated.”

And Brick said he was impressed with that acceleration, getting up to freeway speeds quickly and smoothly. As for the car’s overall comfort level, Brick said that did take a back seat to extending the driving range.

So how far was that? Rivers said on a fully-charged battery, the car would get from 85 to 105 miles. He said any number of County employees might cover more than that in a day, and he understands the vehicle just wouldn’t make sense for that. But for those making shorter hops, especially if there’s adequate recharging time, it could work really well.

To get it recharged, APCD staff plugged into a standard 110-volt outlet, the kind you typically find around your house or office. It took five to six hours to get it back to a full charge. Rivers said with a 220-volt charger, that would drop to about two hours. The County would most likely install the higher charging power if it buys electric vehicles.

Rivers said according to federal standards for electric cars in the same class as the Coda, the average cost of power per mile is just under 4 cents.  We all know gasoline prices routinely soar and dip, but based on the rate as of Feb. 27, the cost per mile is nearly 14 cents.  There are numerous figures that go into determining cost-effectiveness of any vehicle, but potential savings on the per-mile fuel cost are obviously substantial.

The County’s next step is the same that many car buyers take: keep looking around.

“We want to do as many pilot programs as possible and determine which is the best option,” Rivers said.

She's the MVP of the RSVP

New San Diego County RSVP manager Linda Hopkins

People do different things when they hit “mid-life.” Some get adventurous and sky dive or travel to exotic locations. Others splurge on long-coveted items like jewelry or a Harley.

Linda Hopkins, the new manager of the County’s Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), decided to change careers and obtained a degree in gerontology.

“I decided on a mid-life career change,” she said. “Everyone else gets a sports car.

“I got a degree.”

 Now she’s in charge of a Health and Human Services Agency program run through Aging & Independence Services that oversees more than 2,000 volunteers that donated more than 500,000 volunteer hours in 2012.

“I absolutely love it,” Hopkins said. “I love working with seniors and the concept of volunteerism.”

The RSVP program places volunteers at more than 125 sites across the county with duties ranging from patrols that assist law enforcement agencies to helping out with paperwork and filing. The older adults help teach literacy to young and old alike, deliver meals to home-bound seniors and greet visitors to cultural attractions.

Hopkins’ goal is to bring greater awareness and visibility to the program.

“We can always use more volunteers,” she said. “Sites call all the time looking for additional volunteers.”

RSVP is really a win-win for everyone involved. Hopkins said the program gives older adults a feeling of making a difference in their community and actively contributing and provides expert, experienced volunteers for the non-profit and public entities that use them.

“The program helps older adults become what we call ‘successful agers,’” Hopkins said. “It keeps some seniors from a position where they become in need of services themselves.”

Hopkins became the manager in November, 2012. She has been busy familiarizing herself with all the paperwork involved in running a federally-funded program. RSVP has also been working on implementing technology that will make it easier for both the volunteers and the sites to work together and keep track of everything.

 The San Diego RSVP is the largest in Southern California and Hopkins has making the rounds visiting volunteer sites and making community presentations.

“I love going out in the field,” she said.

One of her favorite activities that requires going out in the field is the monthly presentations of the RSVP volunteer of the month.

“We go out to the site and present it during one of their meetings where all the volunteers and staff from that site are gathered,” she said. “It’s a pretty big deal and a great recognition for the volunteer.”

For more information on RSVP, or if you know of someone who would like to volunteer, visit http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/hhsa/programs/ais/volunteers/ or call 1-858-505-6399.

2-1-1 San Diego: "Call Me, Maybe"

A few County officials join in on this pop music promotion of the 24/7 phone resource for the community. Learn more about 2-1-1 San Diego