The Voice of Experience
OCTOBER 2006
in this issue
MEMBER PROFILE
still a class act

Paul Egede, retired teacher, Cleveland

I joined Experience Corps because: I got tired of sitting around the house. I retired from teaching, and I went into business for myself, but it didn't work out the way I wanted it to. I saw Experience Corps advertised on TV, a public service announcement, and I called them up.

I like to tell the story about: A young girl I worked with. The first time I met her, she really didn't like me. "What will you teach me?" she asked. I said she needed to learn math. She said, "I don't need it, I'll be a hairdresser." Oh yes you will need it, I told her. How will you know how much to charge, how much to pay, how to make change? The next day she came down carrying her math book.

I know I'm making a difference when: A kid comes to school and wants to see me first, before anything. They ask for you specifically. That was one of the things that I noticed, and other tutors have noticed it, too. When that happens, you have to be making some kind of a difference.

I'm sticking with Experience Corps because: Without Experience Corps, some of these kids would never get to spend time with an older person. A lot of them don't have male bonding experiences at home, whether they're boys or girls, so it helps the community that way. I think it helps everybody. Plus, it gives me an opportunity to do something. It fulfills my day.

A Letter from the CEO
With the midterm elections just weeks away, get ready to hear a lot about "protecting our senior citizens." Year after year, it seems politicians only know how to talk about older adults (almost always referred to as "our senior citizens") as if they were delicate pieces of china.

We owe older adults health and income security, of course. And it’s clearly worth debating how best to achieve it. But "protecting" is hardly the entire story about the aging of America. Most people over 60 are neither frail nor elderly, most are interested in many issues beyond their own well being, and most contribute to society in ways both big and small.

All the political talk about "protecting our senior citizens" is even stranger given how many of our political leaders are themselves over 60 and showing no signs of leaving office. Those who do "retire" often do their best work after they've left elected office. For some great examples, politicians need look no further than our recent past Presidents, whose efforts are chronicled in Second Acts, a new book by Peter Updegrove.

Jimmy Carter set a high bar. When you’re building houses and observing international elections, I’d say you don’t need much "protecting." And earlier this month, Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton jointly received the Liberty Award for their work on disaster response after the tsunami in Asia and hurricanes that devastated the Gulf Coast.

Carter, Bush, and Clinton are changing the way we think and talk about older adults, as are the thousands of people engaged in their communities through programs like Experience Corps. Now, if only our political leaders would catch on...

Warm best wishes,

John S. Gomperts
jgomperts@experiencecorps.org

P.S. I want to take this opportunity to honor my friend and colleague Alan Khazei, who is leaving his post as CEO of CityYear. When someone steps back to write the history of great partnerships and major innovations in the last 25 years, Alan Khazei and Michael Brown of CityYear should take their rightful place along with Bill Gates and Paul Allen of Microsoft, Jerry Yang and David Filo at Yahoo!, and Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google. Like those other great innovators, they invented a brilliant new way to connect people and solve problems.

Click here to read Alan's valedictory speech, which tells the story of how CityYear came to be, what CityYear has become, and what Alan dreams for CityYear, the country, and the world.

Congress Adds Civic Engagement Language to
Older Americans Act

In a significant step forward in the effort to tap millions of baby boomers’ experience to build communities, President Bush signed HR 6197, the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA), into law on October 17th. The legislation, passed with strong bipartisan support in the final days of the Congressional session, includes important provisions encouraging civic engagement among older adults. Under the section titled "Activities for Health, Independence and Longevity," the bill authorizes grants and contracts for organizations that "provide opportunities for older individuals to participate in multigenerational activities and civic engagement activities designed to meet critical community needs." Special kudos and thanks go to the members of Congress for recognizing the value of engaging more people over 60 as contributors to society, and especially to Senators Enzi, DeWine, Kennedy, and Mikulski and Representatives McKeon, Tiberi, and Hinojosa, who led the relevant committees. Read more »

Experience Corps Baltimore Launches Major Expansion

Experience Corps Baltimore, hosted by the Greater Homewood Community Corporation with the Johns Hopkins University Center on Aging as its research partner, is undergoing its second major expansion in under two years, growing from 12 to 18 schools and from 200 to 400 members. Significant new grants from foundations, the city, and the school system are fueling the expansion. In addition, the National Institute on Aging has given Hopkins researchers $5 million over five years to study the impact of Experience Corps membership on the health of older adults. Read more »

Examining Tutoring, Volunteering, and Civic Health

Three new studies illustrate the need for Experience Corps – and many other programs like it.
  • The New York Times reports on diagnostic tests that can identify children who would most benefit from tutoring in the preschool years.
  • American volunteers contribute a total of $150 billion worth of time and services to their country and causes every year, according to a recent study from the Corporation for National and Community Service.
  • America's Civic Health Index, released by the National Conference on Citizenship, gauges Americans' connections to civic groups, participation in politics, trust in other people and institutions, and volunteer time. Read more to find out if we're healthy.

Who Should Win The Purpose Prize in 2007?

After awarding five $100,000 prizes and ten $10,000 prizes to social innovators over the age of 60, Civic Ventures has opened the nomination process for the second year of The Purpose Prize. Funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies and the John Templeton Foundation, the Prize recognizes Americans in the second half of life who are using their creativity and talent to address critical social problems at the local, regional, or national level. If you or someone you know is over 60 and working to meet one of society's greatest challenges, visit www.PurposePrize.org and learn more. Nominations will be accepted through February 1. Read more »

A Closer Look at the Aging Mind

Several recent studies and reports provide new clues to the role the mind plays in aging, and vice versa.
  • According to a New York Times article, "Old but Not Frail: A Matter of Heart and Head," after viewing stereotypes about aging – negative words like "dementia," "senile," "confused," and "decrepit" – older adults’ performance on memory tests declined and their walking pace slowed. In contrast, positive words like "guidance," "wise," "alert," and "learned" had the opposite effect.
  • An article for the Scripps Howard News Service, "Older and Smarter? Might Be True", reports on findings showing that the brain continues to develop much later in life than was previously believed. "It turns out the brain is more like fine wine than cheap beer," the article notes. "It gets better and more sophisticated with age."
  • A Business Week article, "Chicken Soup for the Aging Brain," explores techniques for preserving memory and mental acuity among older adults. It describes several approaches that are gaining popularity, suggesting that for baby boomers, "hiding their mental age may prove as important to them as concealing their gray hair."

NBC’s Post-Retirement Vision: ’Twenty Good Years’

A new NBC sitcom focuses on two friends "who finally realize that life doesn’t last forever." "Twenty Good Years" stars John Lithgow (3rd Rock from the Sun, Footloose) and Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development, Meet Joe Black) as best friends who agree that they have 20 good years left and plan to make the most of them. The show’s web site says, "It’s age meets anarchy and there will be no regrets." The critics say regrets are in order, but take a look for yourself. When it comes to popular culture’s take on aging, is this progress? Learn more (and watch a video preview of the show) here »

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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