Countywide : Volunteers to Be Honored for Service

Older adults who have helped the Volunteer Center of Orange County will be honored today with a major award going to Neil Barbanell for his volunteer work with law enforcement in San Clemente.

Barbanell is a member of the Volunteer Center’s Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, or RSVP, and he will be presented the annual Elizabeth Canepa Memorial Award for Outstanding RSVP Service.

Barbanell, of San Clemente, helps compile law enforcement statistics in the city and also assists other volunteers.

He is credited with 1,300 hours of volunteer work since 1991.

“His dedication to the community is incredible,” Lt. Tom Davis said.

Other awards will go to other older adults who have participated in the program.

Officials of the Volunteer Center, which is based in Santa Ana, said RSVP members in Orange County last year contributed more than 250,000 hours of service to nonprofit and public organizations, including police departments and homeless shelters.

RSVP is designed for people 55 or older and gives them “the opportunity to benefit their community through the use of the talents and skills they have acquired over their lifetime,” a Volunteer Center spokeswoman said.