Older Americans Doing Social Good Lauded by President Obama at Innovation Fund Announcement

Wednesday July 1, 2009

If you thought national service was just for young people, Civic Ventures has proven you very wrong.

Civic Ventures is a San Francisco nonprofit, founded by Marc Freedman, author of Encore: Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of Life. The organization's mission is to help older Americans find meaning during the second half of their lives through public service.

Yesterday, President Obama showcased several Civic Ventures Purpose Prize awardees, and their social ventures, in a special program at the White House when he announced how the $50 million innovation fund that was included in the Serve America Act would be used. The President said:

"We're going to use this fund to find the most promising non-profits in America. We'll examine their data and rigorously evaluate their outcomes. We'll invest in those with the best results that are most likely to provide a good return on our taxpayer dollars. And we'll require that they get matching investments from the private sector -- from businesses and foundations and philanthropists -- to make those taxpayer dollars go even further."

To illustrate the kind of programs the innovation fund would seek out, the President brought representatives of a number of social programs to the White House. Among them were Civic Ventures Purpose Prize winners Robert Chambers, who founded an organization that provides car loans at low-interest rates to low income people; and Gary Maxworthy, founder of Farm to Family that connects fruit and vegetable growers directly to food banks.

Civic Ventures provides a number of programs that actively encourage older adults who are retired or nearing retirement age to get involved in work that gives back to their nation and communities. It has been leading that charge for a number of years, but has really come into its own, and received well-deserved attention, since President Obama took office and turned his interest in the voluntary sector into public policy.

Here are some ways Civic Ventures has been involved with encouraging thousands of older Americans take up employment or volunteer work that benefits civic causes:

Civic Ventures and the MetLife Foundation have awarded eight $25,000 grants to community colleges that support programs for retraining experienced adults for "encore" jobs. "Encore" is a term Civic Ventures uses to describe jobs for people either late in their careers or during their retirement years. The emphasis is on jobs that serve a social purpose.
The Purpose Prize awards up to $100,000 to social innovators over the age of 60 who create new ways to solve social issues. The nominations for the 2009 awards are in, and the winners will be announced in the fall. Reading through the bios of past winners of this award can be inspiring to older people who want to create meaningful activities in their later years.
Encore Fellowships were funded by the Serve America Act earlier this year. The program will name 10 Encore Fellows in each state, to be matched with qualifying organizations, who will serve in one-year management and leadership positions. The fellows receive training and a stipend for their service. The first fellows will be announced in 2010.
The Next Chapter aids organizations that help people in the second half of their lives to transition to public service.
Encore Opportunity Awards helps organizations that are building a vibrant older workforce.
Experience Corps was founded by Marc Freedman in 1995 to show that older adults could address some of our country's serious social issues. ExperienceCorps places older volunteers in public schools throughout the U.S. to help teach young children how to read. It has been immensely successful, not only for the children and teachers, but also in showing the value positive volunteer experiences have on older people.

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