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Thursday's Internet Edition, March 18, 2010.
VIPS worker in RM awarded for 1,000 hours of service
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Photo by Wendy Smith
Jacque Villa works with VIPS (Volunteers in Partnership with the Sheriff’s) in Rancho Murieta. Villa recently received her 1,000 hours pin and a plaque from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department for her commitment. Here she mans the phones at the RM Safety Center.
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By Wendy Smith
River Valley Times Staff
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The Volunteers in Partnership with the Sheriff (VIPS) group continues to provide vital services to the River Valley through their commitment to safety. RM resident Jacque Villa is one of the hardest working volunteers, and she recently received a plaque and pin for her commitment to serving over 1,000 hours with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department. “The South Bureau has been really great to us,” said Villa. “I feel like we now have much of the backing that we didn’t get before, and they certainly go out of their way to make us feel appreciated.”
Villa will also be featured as the Volunteer of the Month for March in the South Bureau’s monthly newsletter. SSD Officer Steve Goins was present to interview Villa for the newsletter on Wednesday, Feb. 25 and praised her for her work. “She’s been a big part of this community, and we wanted to feature her because of everything that she’s done to keep this Rancho Murieta office running,” he said.
Villa and fellow VIPS volunteer Myrnah Solomon have been operating out of the office across from the Community Services District building and were pleased to report a relatively slow winter. During slower periods, Villa and Solomon take the time to refresh their skills by going over reports, taking a CPR course and spending time at the SSD call centers to see how they run. Solomon also recently completed a weeklong volunteer training in Carmichael. “It shows a lot of commitment on her part to go so far for volunteer work,” said Goins.
With the arrival of the South Bureau to RM, the small office is becoming busier, and the officers themselves no longer want to be entirely based out of the Wilton office. According to Goins, Sergeant Greg Hanks, who is the SSD South Division graveyard shift supervisor, is now based out of the RM office. Goins also said that they hope to have computer connections set up in the near future in the RM office.
Goins also hopes, with the arrival of new volunteers, to expand the hours of office operation in RM. “We have two new volunteers looking to start, one in Wilton and one in Rancho Murieta, but we are anxious for a few more,” he said. “If we can get enough people, we want to extend hours - beginning with being open on Fridays and then perhaps extending one evening until 7 p.m. to accommodate more people in the community.” Goins adds that (by the summer) they would love to be open every day, but that it is entirely contingent upon volunteer interest.
In the meantime, residents will see the VIPS at many of the upcoming spring events such as the Easter Egg Hunt and at the E-Waste and Paper Shredding event coming up on Mar. 14. “Even with changes, the VIPS are always here,” said Villa. “We go where we’re needed, and we’re keeping up on everything so that we can be even better for the community.”
Villa also wanted to remind the community that even though the office is only open on Mondays and Wednesdays, she checks voicemail twice every day. “We will make sure that you get taken care of,” she said. To call the RM Service Center call 916-354-8509.
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Online publication, Copyright 2005, The River Valley Times.
Web page design,
Copyright 2005, EZ Edit Web Publishing.
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