“Mentors, mediators, monitors, motivators and mobilizers,” that’s what the late Maggie Kuhn (of Gray Panthers fame) envisioned as the role of those who no longer hold full-time paying jobs. It’s a tall order. But thanks to millions of older adults already offering their time and expertise and the estimated 76 million of us who will be leaving the full-time workforce over the coming years, we can fill it. Using the knowledge, skills and wisdom we have developed over a lifetime of full-time work and personal experience, we are well positioned to take on the roles Kuhn envisioned.
We will use these talents to find ways to meld old and new interests into civic activities that will give us a renewed sense of purpose and usefulness. At the same time, we will be engaging in lifelong learning because all our senses are involved in helping to enhance our society and make it a better place to live for all generations. And in doing so, the later years of our lives will be greatly enriched.
Let’s take a look at the many aspects of community service.
Facts About Community Service
All of us, at one time or another, have been a volunteer. Helping out at your child’s school, or your place of worship, or a community event, all that was volunteer work.
Here are some interesting facts about community service in the United States.
• President Jimmy Carter’s mother was 83 when she joined the Peace Corps. • Mature Americans are the most active and well-informed when it comes to both politics and current affairs so they are the ones who are often seen as the community leaders and activists. • A recent study indicated that 40% of Americans between the ages of 50 and 75 said they were “very interested” or “fairly interested” in half-time community service roles after they no longer worked full-time. • More than 12,000 older volunteer executives offer advice and assistance to more than 300,000 small businesses through S.C.O.R.E. • The experiential knowledge of mature adults is of tremendous value to our society. • Mature volunteers are making more contributions in terms of dollar value to our society than what older Americans are getting back in support. • An estimated 24 million adults over the age of 55 are serving as volunteers in our society and more would, if asked. • Despite the multitude of people who share their time and talents, the needs of our communities far outweigh the work that is already being done.
Community Service Venues
Where in their communities are all these people volunteering? Here’s a short list.
• Day care centers • Neighborhood Watches • Public schools and colleges • Halfway houses • Community theaters • Drug rehabilitation centers • Fraternal organizations and civic clubs • Retirement centers and homes for the elderly • Meals on Wheels • Church or community-sponsored soup kitchens or food pantries • Museums, art galleries and monuments • Community choirs, bands and orchestras • Prisons • Neighborhood parks • Youth organizations, sports teams and after-school programs. • Shelters for battered women and children • Historical sites, battlefields and national parks
Examples of Community Service Activities
Looking for some examples of how you can give some time within your community? Here are some things you may find interesting, depending on your talents, skills and time.
• Provide one-on-one tutoring to local school children, especially in Reading, English and Math. • Sit on boards of local organizations. • Work in churches or synagogues. • Volunteer at hospices or hospitals. • Be a docent at local museums. • Work in soup kitchens or food pantries. • Be a mentor/and or a mock job interviewer to graduating students. • Serve as a subject control for different studies at local universities or colleges. • Be a volunteer teacher at local schools. • Be a fundraiser for local non-profits. • Work at spouse abuse centers. • Provide low income tax assistance. • Volunteer to usher at local cultural events. • Read for the blind and dyslexic. • Construct housing for the homeless. • Work at libraries. • Teach reading to adults. • Answer local “help” lines. • Be a court volunteer. • Work in police departments. • Be a friend to international students. • Serve as Red Cross bloodmobile workers. • Be part of disaster recovery teams. • Drive those needing medical treatment. • Take part in city beautification projects. • Volunteer in local environmental programs. • Act as a judge at student Model UN programs. • Counsel people wanting to start their own businesses. • Participate in food drives. • Take part in Drug Awareness programs. • Answer phones during local PBS membership drives. • Join a women’s club to provide assistance to local communities. • Serve lunch to shut-ins. • Volunteer at local botanical gardens. • Serve on local town/city councils. • Sit on leadership committees. • Get involved in local crime prevention programs. • Work in Goodwill/Salvation Army Thrift Stores. • Take part in health screening registration drives. • Serve on educational advisory boards. • Volunteer at children’s centers and nursing homes. • Serve on the boards of science and governmental institutions. • Travel to remote countries to promote various types of education. • Do cultural fieldwork. • Work for local Chambers of Commerce. • Take part in rural outreach programs.
In our next column, we’ll further explore the link between lifelong learning and community service.
