VOLUNTEER ARMY SUSTAINS COMMUNITY.

Byline: Michael Coit Daily News Staff Writer

Joyce Ritche assists in the surgical recovery room at a local hospital through the Retired Senior Volunteer Program.

Pat Paulucci helps provide a home for 19 nonprofit agencies in the Conejo Valley.

Barbara Wilson, a member of the American Association of University Women, offers educational opportunities to girls and women to help them succeed in the '90s.

And they all derive sweet satisfaction from their volunteer activities.

``I feel that I can contribute. I can do my best to help someone's stay in a hospital better,'' said Ritche, 69, who has volunteered two or three days a week at Los Robles Regional Medical Center for two decades.

``It doesn't make any difference how you feel when you come in to do a day's work. You feel better when you go home,'' she said.

The groups represented by the three volunteers are among scores of community organizations that enhance services to residents of the Conejo Valley and Las Virgenes areas.

Jess Ruf, a longtime Agoura resident and business owner, said the value of community service groups cannot be overstated in a time of dwindling public funding for programs and services.

``Our culture in general is going to have to be more supportive of (our) communities,'' he declared.

Ruf and his businesses contribute money and other support to fledgling programs ranging from the Triunfo YMCA to the city of Agoura Hills' community concert series.

``I was born and raised in a small community, and that's the way it was. The community people got a lot more involved,'' he said. ``Individuals have to get involved. I think that through the process of larger government activity, people have taken their eyes off the community.''

Through the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, more than 1,000 seniors like Ritche contribute some 200,000 hours each year as volunteers for some 120 agencies and organizations in the Conejo Valley. School libraries, hospitals, park districts and a variety of nonprofit agencies rely on the elderly volunteers.

``We really don't have to work hard to recruit anymore. We're everywhere,'' said Marie Lichtenstein, coordinator of the senior volunteer program. ``Now, what we have to put a lot of effort into is finding creative things for the volunteers to do.''

In 1981, the Community Conscience organization was established to raise money to subsidize office rents for nonprofit agencies. The Janss Mall in Thousand Oaks became home for a dozen agencies.

Faced with increasing demand for subsidized office space, the group raised $2.2 million and constructed a two-story building on Hillcrest Drive. The building, which opened in 1988, houses 19 nonprofit agencies, as well as five state and county agencies that pay market-rate rents.

``The need is very clear. Rent is a huge portion of any agency's budget,'' said Paulucci, board president of Community Conscience. ``We sure could help some more agencies if we had more space.''

Community Conscience once again will be turning to Conejo Valley residents to pay what remains of the mortgage when the building's 10th anniversary rolls around in two years.

``The goal now is to involve the entire community,'' Paulucci said. ``We sell (the effort) with tours. A tour is worth 1,000 words.''

Another community service group busy raising money is the American Association of University Women.

The fund raising supports a popular math and science mentoring conference held annually at Newbury Park High School. The group also gives $5,000 each year to area high schools for scholarships for graduating seniors.

``It's sort of like someone saying, `Come on, you can do it.' I think that can be a real motivating thing for students. Not all students have the support and encouragement that they need,'' explained Wilson, a longtime leader of the 30-year-old Thousand Oaks branch of the university women.

``Our best contribution is we are always trying to enhance what is available educationally for students in the community,'' Wilson said.

To Our Readers: HomePage, the new community project of the Daily News, will debut Monday with its first selections from among the many clubs and organizations in the Conejo Valley, the Las Virgenes area, Camarillo and surrounding areas.

The Daily News staff looks forward to your joining us as we learn about just a few of the activities, projects and goals shared by our readers.

To have your story told in HomePage, please write to me at the Simi Valley bureau of the Daily News, 1197 Los Angeles Ave., Suite E, Simi Valley, Calif. 93065. Or call me at [phone]; fax [phone].

Sincerely,

Wynona Majied-Muhammad

Daily News HomePage Editor

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

Photo: Joyce Ritche, 69, has been volunteering for two decades at the Los Robles Regional Medical Center.

Jeremy Greene/Special to the Daily News

Box: To Our Readers (see text)