LPN Newsletter - Winter 2010

FEATURED ARTICLE - Knowledge & Expertise from LPN

Embracing Community Service in the Third Age through Skills-Based Volunteering

By Sharon Levinson, Special Projects Coordinator and Karen Albert, Volunteer Outreach Coordinator, SOAR 55, Service Opportunities After Reaching 55, a program of the Newton Community Service Center

Jack Douglas (right) had planned the main portion of his life over many years, which included undergraduate and graduate education, a successful corporate law career and a family of three children, now 22, 20 and 14. As he approached the age of fifty five, he began thinking about the next thirty years and what he could do to maintain an active, healthy and productive life. Since earning money was no longer a primary objective, he sought out the counsel of Life Planner Cindi Jones (LPN New England) to explore exciting and fulfilling opportunities that might be available at this stage.

Jack was General Counsel for major corporations including Apple Computer in California, and Reebok International, Inc. in Massachusetts, and still spends a significant portion of his time as a paid professional. Volunteering was always an important component of his professional life through his involvement with company boards, hospitals and the Better Business Bureau.

"I was now looking for ways to contribute to the community that would be personally rewarding, intellectually interesting, and allow me to utilize my business skills. Cindi referred me to Discovering What's Next (DWN), which co-sponsored the SOAR 55 workshop, Networking Through Community Service. There I learned about the SOAR 55 Nonprofit Management Consulting Program that trains volunteers to help local nonprofits."

Becoming a member of a training group, Jack was able to interact with twelve other professionals at the same stage of life, but with different backgrounds and experiences.

I learned about people and myself, gained knowledge of what I had to contribute, and was humbled by what I still needed to learn.

Jack was placed as part of a three-member team to develop an Environmental Scan of unmet needs for a local community service agency to serve as preliminary findings for a Strategic Planning process.

"This assignment was a wonderful experience and different than my prior volunteer work. It allowed me to focus my attention on the needs of middle schoolers in light of today's economy and the impact of technology. Working as part of a team was a great exercise in sharing our workload and exchanging ideas."

Jack was very pleased with his experience as a SOAR 55 consultant.

"I was greatly impressed with the agency, of how it appreciated our contributions, and I may become more involved in a leadership capacity. And being affiliated with SOAR 55 has expanded my social connections - I even met a woman with whom I went out a few times."

Volunteering with SOAR 55 also stimulated his intellectual curiosity about broader community issues, including the criminal justice system and how society handles the population behind bars.

"I'm hoping that this kind of thinking will expand my interests and fuel additional passions. I look forward to doing new, cool things.

To learn more about SOAR 55, please visit www.soar-ma.org or email jlatorre-stiller@ncscweb.org