This is the first issue of the Rockwell Collins Retiree Volunteers organization’s newsletter, THE VOLUNTEER. It is meant to provide members and prospective members of RCRV with timely information on the status and happenings of the organization.

The leaders of RCRV welcome any suggestions or recommendations you might have on content, layout and distribution of the newsletter. Just convey your thoughts to any of the officers or board members.

The RCRV Board of Directors meets the third Wednesday of each month except July and December, usually in Conference Room A in Bldg. 125 (The old Eagle store on Council St. just north of Blairs Ferry Road) starting at 2:00pm. Those wishing to get an item on the agenda should contact Chairman Jack Hotchkiss at 319-295-4925 at least a week before the scheduled meeting.

At its November 15, 2000 meeting the Board focused on the nomination and election of 2001 Officers and Board members. Those elected are listed in the separate sheet which is enclosed.

Other matters included the following:

Agreed to consider a request from the Seniors Coalition for participation in their activities by RCRV members.

Received special reports.
    Data Base enhancements and use
    Recruiting activities
    Progress on new RCRV brochure
    New office location
    Status of RCRV newsletter

Received reports from standing committees.
    Assistive Technology
    Recruitment/Retention/Awards
    Finance
    Public Relations
    Agency Relations

Appointed a committee to review and recommend updating the Bylaws.

When RCRV formed, we were interested in finding out from agencies what types of tasks, projects or routines could utilize volunteers.

A questionnaire was sent to over 200 agencies and we had a good response. RCRV compiled this information by grouping the similar tasks together. The next step was scheduling a once a month informal informational meeting to let people know what was available and be able to ask questions of their particular interests. The meetings last around an hour and are held at the Rockwell Collins Graphics building on Council Street, North of Blairs Ferry Road, Cedar Rapids, Iowa on the third Wednesdays of each month except for no meetings in July and December. The meetings start at 10:00am and are usually held in Conference Room A.

Many valuable volunteer hours have already been contributed to the community since the forming of RCRV.

There is such a variety of opportunities that anyone interested can find a niche and the personal rewards are fulfilling. More information can be obtained by leaving a message at 319-295-4925 or e-mail Jack Hotchkiss, RCRV Chairman at:

jhhotch@collins.rockwell.com

Pat Marshall

The RCRV office is located in Building 125 (The old Eagle store on Council St. just north of Blairs Ferry Road) Cedar Rapids, Iowa and has the phone number 319-295-4925. Volunteers are in the office nearly daily, but more volunteers to answer the phone and to perform common office tasks are needed. If interested, give us a call. Messages can be left on the phone system. The office has an up-to-date computer and Microsoft Office software.

Pat Marshall

The Rockwell Collins Retiree Volunteers Assistive Technology program has made outstanding accomplishments for its first year of service to this community. The Assistive technology team provides devices for the physically and mentally challenged persons in our community, technical devices for our local school systems as well as networking computers in various non-profit agencies in the city. The Committee does not work with individuals, but works only through non-profit agencies, for they best know what their clients need.

The team has approximately 30 members with roughly 1000 years of experience who have donated many hours of service to our community in the past year.

The team has provided many low cost devices to the people who can best use its services. Primary customers have been Grant Wood Area Education Agency and Options of Linn County. Team members have designed and built catapults (large, medium and small), CD ROM drivers, switches (large switches, small switches, squeeze switches, head switches, door-knob switches, and angled switches) plus remote controls using failed garage door opener electronics. They have designed and built an automatic bow and arrow, a golf putter, a Frisbee thrower, a remote controlled bowling ramp and a bean bag thrower.

The team has designed and built 160 3 volt DC power supplies as well as devices for the World in Motion Program in the Cedar Rapids Schools. Approximately 100 wooden pigs have been delivered to Linn Mar Schools for use in their classes, as well as many different types of devices to the Marion Schools.

The team has agreed to assist the Margaret Bach Apartment Council in the wiring of 31 rooms for cable TV, telephone, and a door answering service in the Margaret Bach Apartments located on 3rd Ave SE in Cedar Rapids.

The team also repairs broken toys for non-profit agencies in the area. The team’s motto is "If you can dream it, we can do it".

We have received two awards from local agencies plus the Governor’s award. In June, we received Grant Wood Area Education Agency Friend of Education award and the Outstanding Community Service award from Options of Linn County and the Governors Award for outstanding service to the State of Iowa.

The Friend of Education award was presented to us in ceremonies in Coralville this past June for devices we provided to the Adaptive Physical Educational Consultants of the Grant Wood Area Education Agency. The devices provided allowed their students to do things never before accomplished by them. These devices permitted students with special needs to participate in Gym class, and in the lunch hour recreational activities. The large catapult permitted them to serve volleyballs, shoot baskets, and throw a football. It permitted them to participate.

The Outstanding Community Service Award by Options of Linn County was presented to us in ceremonies in Cedar Rapids for devices that we provided to them which permitted Consumers to work for the first time. We provided CD-ROM drivers, head switches, squeeze switches, angled switches, as well as various other devices.

John McDonough

RCRV members have agreed to review safety concerns and research coating materials for a steel ramp project being designed by Easter Seals, funded by the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation and built by the Department of Corrections at Newton.

Don Grimm and Dave Skelley are handling the project.

Late last school year RCRV initiated as a test program a Physics Hotline at Marion High School for use by students in Kristen Duning’s Physics class. (Kristin is a daughter of the late Kenneth Duning, a prominent Rockwell engineer.) This provided a means for students to request assistance in solving problems (or projects) from our volunteers by e-mail. This school year we have expanded to the following High Schools: Marion, Linn-Mar, Cedar Rapids Community and Springville which have indicated they will be using the service. Others are expected to follow.

The hotline works as described in the paragraph below.

We have recruited working and retired engineers who are willing to share their knowledge with students. Students who need help in understanding a physics subject, or how to attack a specific problem will be able to request assistance via e-mail. Physics teachers make the list of e-mail contacts available to their students to use at will. The students may then describe the nature of their problem and request assistance to all on the list. Anyone on the list will have the opportunity to respond. With a large list, there is a high probability that the student will obtain a quick response. Solutions to students' problems are also posted on our web site for future reference. The URL for the site is:

http://sites.netscape.net/physicsCR/

We have 15 volunteers on our Hotline e-mail list and we are continually adding to the list. This is a joint RCRV/ Rockwell Collins K-12 initiative.

In addition to the Hotline, other RCRV volunteers are assisting Physics teachers in other ways such as sorting out, labeling and restoring laboratory equipment.

Jack D. Rector

Future City Competition is a nationwide project to provide 7^th.and 8^th. grade students with an interesting challenge and a taste of engineering. RCRV volunteers Dave Oliver, Mike Yakos, and Jack Murphy have served as mentors for the teams at Marion's Vernon Middle School.

Teams consist of 3 students, an engineer mentor, and the teacher. The contest involves planning the city using SimCity software, building a table-top physical model of a section of the city, writing two essays, making a 5 minute oral presentation, and answering questions.

Work began in early October with the SimCity software. The students planned for their cities by setting up streets, zoning, power generating stations and grids, and water supply. As the cities grew larger, schools, police and fire stations, parks, stadiums, and airports were added. Budgeting of expenses was critical, since expenditures had to be paid with revenue the city obtained from taxes. The results are scored based on factors such as the financial condition of the city, traffic level, pollution, crime rate, etc.

For the Rockwell volunteers, it was rewarding to see the students successfully attack a challenging engineering project. They had to learn how to schedule their time, to work together as a team, and how to partition the work among team members. Work with the computer simulation comes easily to these students, but they struggle with preparing written essays.

Vernon school is one of 15 area schools which will enter a team into the local competition to be held January 10 at the Cedar Rapids History Center. Winners will advance to competition in Chicago, and if successful on to Washington DC for the finals to be held in conjunction with National Engineers Week.

Jack Murphy

Rockwell Collins Retiree Volunteers (RCRV) celebrates its first full year of serving people in the communities of East Central Iowa. Through the efforts of many dedicated people we can look back on significant accomplishments that started in February 1997 as a Kiwanis Community Services project. The original vision still dominates our actions. That vision simply is to utilize the time and talents of retirees to provide devices to people who have special needs at lowest cost. The awakening realization almost four years ago that commercially available devices for special needs people often had exorbitant price tags spurred formation of an organization of talented people determined to make life better for others through volunteer activities.

Sincere thanks go to Rockwell Collins President Clay Jones for his high personal encouragement and the unending active support of Community Relations Manager Cindy Dietz to assure that RCRV is provided with necessary community guidance, infrastructure and funding. Support of RCRV's Board of Directors has been most beneficial.

RCRV evolved into performing two major functions. The first is in line with the original vision of providing Assistive Technology devices for people with special needs. The second function is to provide a source of willing workers for a wide variety of community needs through the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program.

Assistive Technology has been especially successful due to John McDonough and his insightful strategy of dealing through agencies that provide services to special needs people. The Grant Wood Area Educational Agency provides access to K-12 students and Options of Linn County a similar interface with adults. Sixth Judicial District has been most helpful in performing quantity construction of devices designed by many talented RCRV retired engineers.

Additionally, RCRV people have worked with the REACT center both as volunteers and on collaborative efforts to utilize resources for common community good. Salvaged parts such as power supplies have been put to good use on Cedar Rapids K-12 projects. Computers supplied by REACT have been installed and set up in such places as Four Oaks Bridge Program and low income elderly housing Mound View Manor.

RCRV can be justifiably proud of having a high impact on Rockwell Collins' total effort to be a strong supporter of our communities. Awards have been bestowed upon RCRV by Grant Wood AEA, Options of Linn County and Iowa's Governor. Additionally, John McDonough has been appointed to serve on the Governor's Volunteerism Commission. Please read the informative detailed activities related in other articles contained in this first RCRV newsletter.

Jack H. Hotchkiss, Chairman