The Voice of Experience
APRIL-MAY 2006
in this issue
MEMBER PROFILE
still aiming
for the fences

Jim Harris, retired baseball player, Tucson

I joined Experience Corps because: I've always heard people say, "If you want to feel happier, go help other people." They were right. I also wanted to give back because people have helped me so much over the years.

I know I'm making a difference when: I see the kids making strides. I was working with one boy last year and this year, too. At first, he couldn't even read simple words like "the" and "and" -- now he's reading at the first grade level. It's great to see.

I enjoy working with Experience Corps because: It creates a bond between the tutor and the student. I've got a rapport with them -- they respect me and I respect them. I think they look forward to it as much as I do. They're all unique; they're all individuals. They all have different levels of needs, and it's just a ball working with them.

Why I'm sticking with Experience Corps: It's the most rewarding job I've ever had. I'd recommend it to anybody.

A Letter from the CEO
With spring in full swing, you probably expect this note to be about baseball. And while I'm still closely following the progress of my beloved Giants (yes, even in the face of all the controversy, I can't quit my Giants!), another competition – along with a personal milestone – have grabbed my attention this season.

As many of you know, our parent agency, Civic Ventures, recently launched The Purpose Prize, five $100,000 awards for those over 60 who are coming up with great ways to help solve some of society's biggest problems. This first-ever effort to recognize and invest in creativity, entrepreneurship, and purpose in the second half of life is off to a remarkable start.

We received more than 1,200 nominations – that number alone tells you a lot about how much energy and drive there is among people 60-plus. And the nominations are great. I had the chance to review several dozen of them, and I was both awed and inspired by what I read.

This month, we're moving to the next stage of the competition, in which a panel of outside judges will select the finalists and winners. Among the 20 luminaries that will help decide the winners are Sherry Lansing, Sidney Poitier, David Gergen, former Montana Governor Marc Racicot, former U.S. Senator Harris Wofford, Jeffrey Taylor (founder of Monster.com), General Eric K. Shinseki, Cokie Roberts, and Gloria Steinem. And the other 10 are just as impressive (check out a full list).

It seems clear from the wattage of this list that The Purpose Prize has struck a real chord. Stay tuned for some amazing stories when Civic Ventures names finalists in June and winners in September.

And speaking of celebrating the second half of life, I want to let you know that I just turned 50. I've lost some hair and a bet with my wife (no, I can't touch my toes), but I feel great. I confess that I'm a bit daunted by the half-century mark, but it's hard to feel creaky when I meet so many Experience Corps members – active, impressive, important, respected people – doing such critical work with a smile. I want to take this occasion to thank them for their example, which both keeps me young and makes the prospect of growing older much more attractive.

Warm best wishes,
John S. Gomperts
jgomperts@experiencecorps.org

P.S. I got a great note recently from Debra Bates, a 19-year kindergarten teacher in Cleveland, who says the amount of time Experience Corps tutors spent with her students this year led to big improvements in their diagnostic test scores. Check it out >>

Wall Street Journal on 'Avoiding the Volunteer Trap'

How can older adults looking for fulfilling volunteer experiences avoid "falling into dead-end jobs"? The Wall Street Journal's special quarterly Encore section devotes all of its April cover to an article that provides eight critical tips, along with the advice of national experts. The article includes this quote from Experience Corps CEO John Gomperts: "If you want [volunteering] to be a significant part of your life, then it's likely going to take some work to figure out the right fit. Sometimes you take a very bumpy road to a very beautiful place. So it may be with finding just the right opportunity to engage in volunteer activities." Read more >>
President Bush Honors Experience Corps Member

President Bush Honors Experience Corps Member – In Person

When Air Force One landed in Cleveland, Experience Corps member Lois Hagood was waiting on the tarmac to greet its famous passenger and tell him about her work at Robert H. Jamison's Computech Center. "When the President came off the plane, he said, 'Come over here and hug me, I have something for you,'" Lois recollects. "He gave me the pin [the President's Volunteer Service Award] and said, 'Tutoring is great, and you have stepped out and taken the lead.'" Hagood then traveled with the President's motorcade to the Cleveland City Club, where she and her daughter had reserved seats for President Bush's speech. Read more >>

Consumer Reports Gives Volunteer Service Highest Rating

Consumer Reports on Health launched a special report on "the new retirement" by linking retiree goals of longevity, good health, and meaningful lives with the means to reach them – volunteer service, continuing education, and work. The report cites Johns Hopkins research [PDF] showing that Experience Corps members "burned 20 percent more calories per week, were less reliant on canes, and experienced fewer falls than a matched group" that didn't volunteer. Read the article >>

New Research on Impact of Service on Mental, Physical Health

  • Volunteer service plays a big role in the satisfaction of men who have retired, according to a new study in the American Journal of Psychiatry – 43% of the happiest retirees found purpose in service, compared to 7% of the unhappy ones. Read the abstract and the account in the New York Times.
  • The National Bureau of Economic Research released a study on the impact of retirement on the health of Americans age 50 to 75. No surprise: Those who work are a lot healthier. The authors write, "Retiring at a later age may lessen or postpone poor health outcomes for older adults, raise well-being, and reduce the utilization of health care services, particularly acute care." Read the full study >>
  • "The key to finding meaning in old age is involvement with community," writes Muriel Gillick, a practicing physician and associate professor at Harvard Medical School. In her new book, The Denial of Aging: Perpetual Youth, Eternal Life, and Other Dangerous Fantasies, Gillick hails Experience Corps as a "dynamic experiment in intergenerational renewal."

Learning More about Time After School

Experience Corps continues to deepen its knowledge of how the resource of older adults can best be matched to the needs of students after school. With support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Experience Corps has hired Washington research firm Policy Studies Associates to collect data from both after-school leaders and older adults about the fit between after-school programs' human resource needs and older adults' interests in working and volunteering after school. Stay tuned for results. In addition, Michael Funk, director of the Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center, San Francisco's host to Experience Corps, was recently appointed to serve on the California Legislature's Advisory Committee on Before and After School Programs.

'Older Volunteers Enrich America Award' Winners Announced

The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging and MetLife Foundation announced the winners of the fourth annual "Older Volunteers Enrich America Awards." Gold Honorees include the founder of an organization that collects donated items for 3,500 families each year, the founder of an organization that provides free home repairs to elderly and disabled homeowners, and a volunteer with Foster Grandparents for 27 years who has mentored more than 3,000 children. Read more >>

In the News

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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