The Voice of Experience
MAY-JUNE 2007
in this issue
MEMBER PROFILE
still a class act

Dareather Greer, former teacher, Grand Rapids

I joined Experience Corps because: I'm the type of person that loves to be busy. After I retired I was already teaching at our community college, but I had some free time in the day. So I went to a volunteer reception, and Gerontology Network had a table. They said they were very interested in finding volunteers to tutor in elementary school, and after thinking about working with children again, I said OK.

The best part of tutoring is: Connecting with the children. The young ones don't hesitate to tell you things that are going on in their homes. They might come in and say, "My daddy's in jail." You can pick up on the students who are coming from homes where they're not getting the attention and love they should be getting, and I'm now feeling so blessed by being there, because I do feel that my being there has been a help to them. I benefit as much as they do -- it's a win-win.

I like to tell the story about: One little girl, Raven, who liked to ask a million questions. At first I tried to answer them, but soon I realized she was just trying to distract me so I wouldn't know she wasn't able to read the assignment. I kept saying, "Come on, we need to do your reading." There's a light that goes on in a child when he or she understands something for the first time. Finally Raven came in and said, "I have this book I want to read!" And I could just see: there's the light.

I'm sticking with Experience Corps because: We need all the tutors we can get. We started off with six tutors in our building, and the teachers kept saying, "Oh, we need more tutors, there's so many more students who can benefit from your experience." We just got three new ones, so now I'm pleased that we can do even more.

A Letter from the CEO
I was standing in the crowd at the White House on the day in September 1993 when President Clinton signed the bill that created AmeriCorps. Striding up the hill, flanked by smiling AmeriCorps members, he picked up the same pen President Kennedy used to create the Peace Corps, and with his signature launched a new era of engagement and leadership.

Photo courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration
Looking back, I recall the jubilant faces watching this historic moment along with me. All of them were beaming, optimistic; nearly all of them were young.

I’ve had the good fortune to be associated with AmeriCorps since its inception. Over the years, I’ve seen firsthand the benefits of providing people with structured and rewarding opportunities to serve — benefits for the members as well as the community. In a time too often plagued by cynicism, the work of AmeriCorps members has been a vital antidote, reminding us that dedicated people working together can solve community problems and lift the spirits of us all.

We at Experience Corps have benefited enormously from our relationship with AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps grants have supported our programs, fueled our growth, and driven our success. At the same time, I like to think that Experience Corps has made a major contribution to AmeriCorps by showing the important role older adults can play in the national service movement.

AmeriCorps has come a long way since that day on the South Lawn. This week marks the first-ever AmeriCorps Week, with the 500,000th AmeriCorps member being sworn into service. The world of national service and volunteering is justly celebrating an ever-growing story of idealism and impact.

For this week and beyond, let’s make a toast and say thank you to the nation’s half a million AmeriCorps members, of all ages. Their tireless efforts demonstrate the restorative power of cooperation and service, and their commitment to improving America is a model for us all.


With best wishes,

John S. Gomperts
jgomperts@experiencecorps.org

New Book Spotlights Boomers Calling for an Encore

What does the future hold for the healthiest, longest-living generation ever to reach traditional retirement age? In his new book, Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life, Civic Ventures CEO Marc Freedman highlights several trailblazers who are redefining the "golden years" as a time of opportunity. Rather than the freedom from work, this new dream is of the freedom to work—in new ways, on new terms, to new and even more important ends. Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter says that "Encore contains both eye-opening stories and important guidance for policy-makers, to ensure that people can continue to make meaningful contributions throughout their longer lifetimes." In stores June 11, Encore is available for preorder now. Read more »

Experience Corps Still Growing Strong

The school year may be winding down, but many Experience Corps projects are just getting revved up. For starters, the Civic Ventures application for $1,890,001 from AmeriCorps for the upcoming school year has been approved for negotiation, meaning 600 member slots will be available in 2007-2008. On the local level, since the January 2007 launch of Experience Corps New Haven, the project has exceeded capacity in their two schools. After hearing from the school district leadership about its desire for the program to expand, the project is preparing to be in all eight Hamden schools next year, with five to six members per school. And on the other side of the country, Experience Corps’s presence in the Bay Area has expanded into Marin County, where the program recently launched in San Rafael's Venetia Valley Elementary School.

State of Volunteering: Strong, But With Retention Troubles

A new report from the Corporation for National and Community Service offers reasons to celebrate the state of volunteerism in America — as well as an honest assessment of some the big challenges it faces. According to Volunteering in America: 2007 State Trends and Rankings in Civic Life, 61.2 million Americans — "a figure that approaches historic highs" — volunteered in 2006. They represent 26.1 percent of the population, and dedicated a whopping 8.1 billion hours to their chosen causes, a commitment of time equal to $152 billion. However, volunteer attrition continues to be the primary problem affecting volunteer rates, as one out of three Americans dropped out of volunteering between 2005 and 2006. (According to another CNCS report, though, those who stay enjoy "greater longevity, higher functional ability, lower rates of depression and less incidence of heart disease.")

CEOs Testify to Benefits of Experience Corps

Experience Corps has received some exciting political attention on two important Hills lately:
  • On Capitol Hill, Experience Corps CEO John Gomperts testified to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies on the potential for older adults "to take responsibility and tackle big problems" in their communities and beyond. In particular, he encouraged the committee, which drafts the federal budget, to allocate $9.9 million for new civic engagement activities in Fiscal Year 2008.
  • And on Beacon Hill, the seat of Massachusetts’s state government, Generations Incorporated CEO Mary Gunn spoke about the impact of Experience Corps in Boston to help secure funding for the Commonwealth Corps, a proposal of the governor that specifically seeks to include older adults in meaningful service opportunities. "This generation, my generation, is the activist generation," she said. "It is difficult for any of us of any age to sit and do nothing as our communities struggle. We want to directly impact unmet community needs."

A Look at Civic Engagement across Generations

The recently-released Winter edition of the American Society on Aging’s Generations journal examines the past, present, and possible future role civic engagement can play in later life. Edited by Civic Ventures CEO Marc Freedman and Nancy Morrow-Howell, Pumphrey Professor of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, the journal includes articles from field leaders such as Tom Endres and Laura Wilson. A piece by Experience Corps CEO John Gomperts rounds out a definitive collection of thoughts and research on the subject. To read more or purchase a copy, click here.

Items of Interest from Around the Non-Profit World

It’s official: the upcoming Independent Sector Annual Conference will be held in Los Angeles from October 21-23. Bringing together hundreds of leaders in the field to "explore the opportunities available to our sector, especially as we head into a critical election season," this year’s conference will focus on the intersection of two major themes central to nonprofits — opportunity and responsibility. And if Los Angeles isn’t far enough away, a nonprofit called NGOabroad is helping to match older adults with meaningful humanitarian service opportunities around the world. NGOabroad connects volunteers with international organizations that have programs in democracy building, domestic violence, education, trauma counseling, microfinance and nursing, among others. 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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