The Voice of Experience
JANUARY 2006
in this issue
MEMBER PROFILE
still has that
healing touch

Lillian Hall, retired nurse, Cleveland

Why I joined Experience Corps : Our children need it so badly. I'm 92 years old, but God has been good to me, and I love being in the classroom. I love the children. They all come in and say, "Can we have lunch with you?" It just makes me feel so good.

I like to tell the story about : My first student, Brandy. After my first year, Experience Corps offered to let me work at a different school that was closer to my home, but I wanted to continue working with Brandy. The principal and the secretary asked for me to come back, too. It was a big honor. Brandy went to a new school this year, but she's coming along fine. She's happy there. Her grandmother and I, we keep in touch with each other and with her, and we boost her up a little bit.

It's important for me to : Talk to parents whenever they come. I often act as a hinge between the parents and the teachers and the other tutors. Parents and teachers can really help each other, and we tutors can encourage the relationship.

Why I'm sticking with Experience Corps : Anything we can do to start the children on the right track and keep them on the right track, we need to do. I want to accomplish something with the children, and I want them to accomplish something. It makes me so happy to see them do it. It helps keep me strong.

A Letter from the CEO
Amidst the political memorabilia in my basement is a poster with a photo of a wheat field topped by a brilliant blue sky. The message says: "Come Home America - McGovern for President." It's hard to imagine that it has been 34 years since Senator McGovern was the Democratic nominee for President.


Sen. McGovern
Just this month, Sen. McGovern published a short new book on the aging of America. Like so many Experience Corps members, Sen. McGovern sees these additional years as the best time to make a contribution to the community and the world, and to do some of the most important, most satisfying work of his life.

More older Americans are a bonus, not a disaster, McGovern writes. "I disagree with those commentators who argue that the expanding longevity of Americans is a national liability, a threat to the fiscal and economic health of the nation...If life is what each of us holds dear, then for most people extending life is a plus, not a minus. And so it is for the rest of society that stands to gain from the contributions of older generations."

As UN Global Ambassador on Hunger, Sen. McGovern's current focus is to provide "every hungry schoolchild in the world" a good and nutritious lunch every day. He says that he wants to live to 100 because it will take "at least another 17 years" to finish his work for hungry children.

Lillian Hall, an Experience Corps member in Cleveland (pictured, left), has a few years on Sen. McGovern, but she's no less determined to continue working for a better world. "Our children need help so badly," she says. "I'm 92 years old, but God has been good to me, and I love being in the classroom." (Read more about Lillian Hall and her work here)

Long live Senator McGovern and Lillian Hill. They lead with experience, determination, inspiration, and purpose. Millions will surely follow.

Warm best wishes for a happy, healthy New Year,
John S. Gomperts
jgomperts@experiencecorps.org

Experience Corps Members Reach Out to Parents

Ask Experience Corps members what struggling students need more of to succeed and they speak with one voice: parental involvement. So in recent months, groups of Experience Corps members across the country have taken the initiative to design parent outreach programs that complement and bolster their work as tutors. In each case, the Experience Corps members form a solid bridge between school and community, and the kids soar. Read more >>

Know Someone Who Should Win The Purpose Prize?

Do you know someone over 60 who is taking on society's biggest challenges? This year, he or she could take the prize...The Purpose Prize. A new program from Civic Ventures, The Purpose Prize will award $100,000 each to five Americans over 60 with the passion, smarts, and experience to discover new opportunities, create new programs, or find inventive ways to make lasting change. Don't wait – the last day for nominations is February 28. Read more or submit your nomination here >>

Five Stages of Retirement, Starting with Imagination

A new Ameriprise Financial survey of 2,000 adults between the ages of 40 and 75 concludes that retirement "is not a single event." Instead, the researchers conclude, "people migrate through distinct and predictable stages of retirement" – imagination, anticipation, liberation, reorientation, and reconciliation. A few key findings: 76% say doing more meaningful work is an important priority in retirement. Both pre-retirees and retirees conclude that the best thing about retirement is having more control over their time. And the biggest "unforeseen challenge of retirement" is the loss of social connections that people had developed at work. Read more >>

Despite Challenges, Experience Corps Grows in Cleveland

In just the last year, Cleveland schools have faced a budget crisis that has meant teacher layoffs, school closures, principal reassignments, a departing superintendent, the elimination of middle schools and the creation of K-8 campuses, and the elimination of all after-school programming. Despite the unwelcome upheaval – or perhaps because of it, as the kids need all the help they can get! – Experience Corps Cleveland has nearly doubled this year, now serving 15 schools and helping 1,500 students succeed academically. Lisa Maxwell, principal at the McKinley School, says the program is thriving. "If all schools were as fortunate as mine to have Experience Corps involved, dramatic educational gains would be made nationwide," she says. Read more >>

New Pew Study Gauges Boomers' Increased Responsibilities

"Baby Boomers Approach Age 60: From the Age of Aquarius to the Age of Responsibility" – that's the engaging title for an important new survey from the Pew Research Center. The conclusion: Boomers are nearing retirement with "a full plate of family responsibilities," from child-rearing to college costs to caring for older parents. Findings show that two-thirds of boomers with adult children are still supporting their children financially, and 29 percent of boomers with living parents provided them with financial support in the last year. Still, boomers remain overwhelmingly optimistic, with three out of four saying they are very satisfied with their family life. Read more >>

In the News

  • The Fox TV affiliate in Boston covers Experience Corps's success in helping local students learn to read. View the Clip >>
  • "Mentors Guide Boys on Life's Path," Washington Times, Dec. 19, 2005. This story paints an admiring picture of the Experience Corps mentoring program at Washington, DC's Birney Elementary School.
  • "Volunteer in 90s Tutors and Inspires Children, Teachers," Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Dec. 20, 2005. This story profiles Cleveland Experience Corps member and great-great-great grandmother Lillian Hall (also profiled at left).
  • "8-year-old seeks experience. Yours." Experience Corps public service ads appeared in the January issues of Chicago magazine and Minnesota's Good Age magazine.

About Experience Corps

Experience Corps, an award-winning program, engages people over 55 in meeting society's greatest challenges. Today, in 23 cities across the country, 2,000 Experience Corps members tutor and mentor elementary school students struggling to learn to read. Independent research shows that Experience Corps boosts student academic performance, helps schools and youth-serving organizations become more successful, and enhances the well-being of the older adults in the process. Experience Corps is a signature program of Civic Ventures.

Learn more about Experience Corps in these cities: Annapolis, MD, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, MD, Beaumont, TX, Boston, MA, Cleveland, Evansville, IN, Grand Rapids, Greater New Haven, Marin County, Mesa, Minneapolis, New York City, Oakland, Philadelphia, Port Arthur, TX, Portland, OR, Revere, MA, San Francisco, St. Paul, Tempe, Tucson, AZ, Washington, DC.

Questions or comments? Send an email to info@experiencecorps.org

Experience Corps is a signature program of Civic Ventures.
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