The Weil Perspective
Volunteerism and Your Aging Workforce
By James Weil, Managing Director – Successful Aging

I love statistics, especially those that relate to my work as an advocate for the aging workforce. Recently, I came across the following statistic (from the U.S. Administration on Aging), which is a perfect example: roughly 45 million Americans currently participate in volunteer activities. One-third of these volunteers are “older” people.

In my opinion, there’s a powerful message here for America’s employers. Your older workers (including retirees) are in an excellent position to volunteer and you should consider encouraging them to do so. It’s in their best interest—and yours!

As we age, our values and interests naturally shift. Our jobs are not the only source of accomplishment and self-worth. Most of us want to share our experience, our time and our talents on another level. Volunteerism is the perfect outlet. In fact, I think you’ll find that older employees who volunteer some of their free time are actually happier and more productive on the job!

Given all of this, I thought it would be helpful to share with you a sampling of the many organizations that would be delighted to have new volunteers. Please feel free to share this list (culled from the web site of the U.S. Administration on Aging) with your employees.

Older Americans Act Programs
Each year about seven to nine million older people use Older Americans Act (OAA) services, whose delivery largely depends upon the efforts of half a million volunteers. To learn more, contact your Area Agency on Aging through the Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116 or visit www.eldercare.gov.

Family Friends
Family Friends volunteers are over 55 years of age and are interested in working with children who have special needs. Volunteers receive extensive training. For more information visit www.family-friends.org.

Experience Corps
Experience Corps places older adult volunteers in schools and youth-focused organizations in their communities. For more information visit www.experiencecorps.org/.

The National Senior Service Corps (Senior Corps)
Senior Corps is a network of three programs—Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions, and RSVP (the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program)—that assist local organizations in carrying out their missions. For information call 800-424-8867 or visit www.seniorcorps.org.

The Peace Corps
Volunteers age 50 and over commit to 27 months of in-depth training and service overseas. For more information call 800-424-8580 or visit www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whovol.older.

Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)
SCORE is an association of retired executives and small business owners who provide first-time entrepreneurs and current small business owners with management counseling, training, and assistance. To locate the SCORE office nearest you, call 800 634-0245 or visit www.score.org.

Volunteers in Parks
Older persons with an interest in history and the outdoors can volunteer their time with the National Park Service’s Volunteers in Parks or VIP program. Additional information is available at www.nps.gov.

Volunteer Centers
Many communities have Volunteer Centers that offer information about a wide range of opportunities available. To locate your local Volunteer Center call 800-VOLUNTEER or visit www.pointsoflight.org.

Environmental Alliance for Senior Involvement (EASI)
EASI is a nonprofit coalition of national, state and local public and private environmental, aging and volunteer organizations whose mission is to increase opportunities for older adults to play an active role in protecting and improving the environment in their communities. For more information visit www.easi.org.

Ask a Friend Campaign
Ask a Friend is a nationwide campaign developed by Senior Corps, which taps the talents of volunteers over age 55 to meet a wide range of community challenges. For more information, visit www.volunteerfriends.org.

Note: References from this article do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by LifeCare or any of its employees. LifeCare is not responsible for the contents of any web pages referenced in this article. Although this article includes references to sites including or referencing good collections of information, LifeCare does not endorse any specific products or services provided by public or private organizations.