City staff and commissioners confirmed plans for a volunteer appreciation event on Wednesday, Sept. 17, at a Regency-hosted outdoor tent, and discussed guest lists, RSVP procedures and capacity limits at the Aug. 20 meeting of the Newcastle Community Activities Commission.

Why it matters: The city’s volunteer appreciation event recognizes residents and community partners who contribute time to city programs and events; commissioners considered who should be invited as host capacity and underwriting by the Regency constrain the guest list.

Details and capacity. Amy (events staff) told the commission Regency is underwriting the event and that the host will provide a tented outdoors dinner (either plated dinner or heavy hors d’oeuvres and dessert) between about 5 and 7 p.m. Because the host is covering costs, staff asked that RSVPs be managed carefully. Amy said organizers will send a constant-contact invitation with a deadline to RSVP.

Who will be invited. The commission and staff discussed past practice—partner organizations historically sent a larger list of volunteers—and agreed the city will continue inviting top volunteers and a limited number of representatives from partner organizations. Youth volunteers can bring a parent. Staff said many volunteers serve in overlapping roles across city programs and partner organizations, which has helped keep total RSVP counts more manageable in prior years.

Equity and process. Commissioners asked whether the invitation list is equitable across organizations. Staff said the commission ultimately sets recognition policy; in practice staff have asked partner organizations to nominate a limited number (for example, seven) of top volunteers to reduce total numbers while recognizing key contributors. Amy asked commissioners to confirm whether the current invitation approach is acceptable; commissioners supported the existing approach but asked staff to use RSVPs to control final counts.

Next steps: Staff will send the invitation through the city’s contact list, request RSVPs by the stated deadline, and provide commissioners an updated guest list. The event will be capped based on Regency’s setup and staffing commitments; staff said they will confirm exact capacity with the host and track RSVPs.