Memorandum of Understanding

Program title

Safe Winter Walkways, a collaborative program of the City of Lawrence and the Roger Hill Volunteer Center, a service of the United Way of Douglas County.

Program intent

To match volunteers with those individuals needing snow removal assistance (senior citizens and persons with disabilities, predominantly) who have homes that are adjacent to sidewalks, assuring clear walkways for pedestrian traffic.  This will be the second season of the program and the involved parties will make a determination after March 1, 2006 about future participation.

Program organization

• Roger Hill Volunteer Center staff will coordinate the volunteer and applicant components of the program.
• The city will be responsible for printed outreach materials and program promotion, with additional support from RHVC’s volunteer recruitment programs.
• Program timeframe: operational Nov. 1 through March 31
• Volunteers will be matched with a property prior to a snow event and will be asked to make a commitment for the entire season.  Volunteers will be required to clear the public sidewalk (if present) of the property, and a walkway to the street from the front door.  Any snow removal beyond sidewalks is of the volunteer’s own accord and not a requirement.
• Volunteers and applicants will be matched using zip codes and neighborhoods, through intake forms created collaboratively by the city and RHVC.
• An end-of-season volunteer recognition will be held in April at a City Commission meeting.
• All data will remain transferable between both parties.

Working Space

RHVC will provide office space, PC, software, phone, and web link.

Liability waiver

The city will create liability waivers for volunteers and applicants to remove RHVC and the city from liability.  A representative of the United Way Board of Directors must approve the waiver prior to implementation.  No match will be finalized without completed waivers from both the volunteer and applicant.

Hotline

The city will provide a phone line to serve as a point of contact for volunteers and applicants which will activate a voice mail box to be retrieved by RHVC staff weekly.

Program eligibility

Self selecting; no verification of financial needs or disability will be conducted.  Applicants will be a resident of the property and not a landlord.  All applicants will understand that matches will be limited to availability of volunteers and that neither the City of Lawrence nor RHVC are responsible for snow removal from individual properties.

Signatures in Agreement

City Representative _________________________________________  Date_______________________

Roger Hill Volunteer Center Representative ______________________________ Date _______________

United Way of Douglas County Representative ____________________________ Date ______________