Episode 10: Meet a Boomer couple in their 50s who decided to give back by joining the Peace Corps. Learn how Civic Ventures founder, Marc Freedman, is changing attitudes toward aging. Drop in on a meeting of the Hestia Fund, a giving circle of Boomer women who run their own charity. And learn the Dance of Tennis.
Boomers to the Corps |
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Seattle residents J.D. and Linda Wessling decided they'd reached a point in their lives where it was time to give back. Drawing on the idealism of their youth, they determined that joining the Peace Corps was the thing to do.
Today, they are just a few months into what will be a 2-year assignment to Moldova, Europe's poorest country. They shared with us their video diary.
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Wayne Blackwelder, Seattle regional manager of the Peace Corps, explained how more and more Boomers are devoting their time and skills to service in developing countries.
Wayne talked about the various motivations cited by those volunteers in their 50s and older, and the rewards that await older Boomers who choose to join the Peace Corps.
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Volunteering Time, Resources and Wisdom |
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Marc Freedman is Founder and President of Civic Ventures, a think tank and an incubator that generates ideas and invents programs to help society achieve the greatest return on experience...experience that Boomers have in droves!
In the late 1990s Marc, along with social entrepreneur John Gardner, founded Civic Ventures. The organization is reframing the debate about aging in America and redefining the second half of life as a source of social and individual renewal. Through research, publishing, conferences, and media outreach, Civic Ventures reports on the growth of the experience movement.
Marc also led the effort to create Experience Corps, the nation's largest national service program engaging Americans 50 and above.
Listen to what Marc has to say about the impact Boomers can make through their volunteering efforts.
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One example of Boomers stepping up to the plate to give back to their community can be found in an organization called the Hestia (named after the Greek goddess of the hearth) Fund.
The Hestia Fund is an example of a "giving circle": a group of people, in this case just women, who pool money, research potential grant recipients, and expect their money to change something.
Susan Priem created the Hestia Fund after talking with some of her women friends and deciding that pooling their money and learning about philanthropy in the process would interest them. Within a year, 20 women--Priem's friends, plus their friends--had each committed to investing $5,000 a year for three years.
Susan shared with us how the group operates and what its goals and objectives were.
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Teaching the Dance of Tennis |
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Jena Marcovicci played professional tennis in the 1970s and later earned his doctorate in psychology. As a touring tennis player, he competed against legendary players such as Borg and Vilas.
Today, Jena works on the cutting edge of sports psychology. He developed the Dance of Tennis program to help inner-city school kids develop crucial life skills including, cooperation, relaxation, imagination, focus, conflict resolution and self-esteem.
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