ShAARP Session: Observations from AARP

The Wall Street Journal had several great articles over the weekend on a few very pertinent topics for baby boomers. See them below.

The first one is a very informative article about employee-driven 401(k) plans. For the past 30 years, the investing industry has been "experimenting" with employees taking the lead on their retirement savings, but now, employers are taking the wheel, automatically investing their employees in retirement savings accounts. The article says that by having employers do the automatic investing, they help workers save enough in time for retirement and improve their diversification. Do you think the automatic enrollment is a good idea? Of course, workers can opt out if they choose...but according to the WSJ article, they "rarely do."

Another article is an entertaining (and maybe inspirational!) one about retirees who have literally made their dream come true: they've turned their hobbies into careers. We're all looking for ways to make extra money these days, and they've found fun ways to do it. But don't be fooled - it's still work. Check out the story.

Here is one that does the work in determining which financial services programs will work for you in figuring out whether your savings are going to last you through retirement. Many companies are trying to tap the baby boomer market by offering services at little to no cost to you...but read this article before you decide who to use!

Finally, check out this great story about ReServe Elder Service Inc., an organization you might want to get to know - they work to set up retirees with non-profits who can use their skills and pay them for their time. The program is in New York, but it's expanding!

We are very excited to announce today that GRAMMY® Award-winning Country star Faith Hill appears in a new public service announcement that encourages Americans to volunteer their time to make America a better place.

Faith's ad, featuring AARP Create The Good is one of the iParticipate series you'll see on ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC.

Got 30 seconds? Take a look at Faith's ad and let us know what you think and how you like to make a difference. As she says, "There are so many ways to serve. What will you do?"

If you're looking for ideas and inspiration to make a difference on your own time, in your community, on the things you care about, visit AARP's www.createthegood.org to get started.

Blythe Danner, Gwyneth Paltrow, Morgan Freeman and Matthew McConaughey are among the performers featured in the PSAs. iParticipate was recently launched in New York's Times Square with Create The Good volunteers. We were joined by New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and 15 mayors from around the country, numerous celebrities, including Ashton Kutcher, Tyler Perry, Tim Daly (ABC), Christine Baranski (CBS), Randy Jackson (FOX), Michelle Trachtenberg (NBC), among others, and key service groups to launch the initiative. Check out the pictures and video in Create The Good's Facebook group.

When a tragedy occurs, people often come together to grieve and support one another. When the Murray family of Chevy Chase, MD lost both a daughter and mother on June 26, due to an accident caused by a tree branch falling on their minivan, the community responded with acts of full-fledged warmth and sustenance.

After consoling, Sara Knoll, friend of the family's, along with others, set up an online "support system" where more than 400 people have enlisted to offer aid to father, Sean Murray and his five daughters.

The response to the site has been so great that it has ensured that the family's home needs will be met through December 23. The website, Lotsa Helping Hands, makes it simple to reach out to locals in need by creating an online community with a calendar and announcements for organizing.

If you want more ideas on how to help in your community, visit Create the Good's site to find "do it yourself" organizer toolkits to jump-start your plans.

Got a great "do it yourself" way to make a difference in your community? Tell us about it here.

Today, the President will be challenging non-profits to think bigger and expand the ways they can make a difference. At AARP, we're accepting that challenge by connecting our members to Create The Good where they can find and post opportunities to serve. In addition, we're growing our library of free, downloadable "do-it-yourself" toolkits that give you all you need to make an impact with your friends, on your time, in your community.

You can watch the President's challenge live at 2:00pm EST at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/ where he will also recognize some great 50+ social entrepreneurs. He will meet with Purpose Prize winners who have finished their midlife careers and come back for their encores, recycling their lifetimes of experience into innovative solutions to community problems.

Recent Purpose Prize winner Robert Chambers will speak. Chambers was 57 when he founded Bonnie CLAC to provide low-income car loans to the rural poor. "I was old enough to understand the injustice I saw and experienced enough to do something about it," says Chambers. "Given the size of our baby boomer population, it's time to figure out how to build on all that experience and use it to solve our nation's most pressing social problems."

Other 50+ Purpose Prize winners invited to the White House are: Gary Maxworthy, who distributes millions of pounds of fresh produce to people in need; Sharon Rohrbach, who provides nurse visits for at-risk newborns; Martha Rollins, who eases prisoner re-entry into the community with job training and support; and Gayle Porter and Marilyn Gaston, who empower African-American women to improve their health.

Visit www.AARP.org/CreateTheGood to find and post opportunities in your state.

Non-profits such as the Peace Corps have seen a major upswing in applications recently. A big reason for the newfound popularity of these organizations is the rise of the second, or encore career for older Americans. Such careers are often undertaken after someone retires from their job. Encore careers can help pay the bills, especially for people who lost money in the recession. An equally important aspect of these second careers is that they allow people to give back.

Another factor credited for making non-profits hot again is President Obama. With his consistent message on the importance of service and his push for service legislation, President Obama and "the Obama effect" are cited as a big part of the reason for Peace Corp application submissions being up over 40% from a year ago. Whatever the reason, it's good to see Americans increasingly looking to making a difference in their communities and the world as a whole.

em>SPECIAL GUEST BLOG FROM MIMI CASTALDI, AARP
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita had a devastating impact on St. Barnard Parish, LA. All 27,000 homes were uninhabitable after the storm. More than three years later, only one-third of the residents have returned home.

One of my friends suggested we get a group together to help and the next thing you know, seven of us from DC are down in Louisiana this week helping rebuild houses with the St. Bernard's Project. You can sign up right on the web and choose your dates. When we got here they had an orientation and we met volunteers from around the country. There was even another AARP member from Philadelphia who was on her FIFTH trip!

It has been an amazing experience. We heard the story of one of the residents who was stranded on a roof top for six days waiting for help. We saw house after house that still had the markers from when crews in after the storm.

Our group spent the day in a house that is midway through reconstruction. The owner currently lives about 35 minutes away, but he's eager to return to his home, his neighborhood and his family. Crews of volunteers before us stripped the house down to the studs, treated it to get rid of mold, and installed drywall. It was our job to tape and spackle (or mud) the drywall to create a smooth surface. None of us had much experience, but we had a leader from AmeriCorps who patiently showed us what to do, and monitored it to make sure we got it right. By days end I had the hang of it, and felt like I was making a difference.

As a special treat, we were lucky enough to be able to visit a family who had just returned to their home. The family was so happy they cooked us jambalaya for dinner. I told them that somehow that didn't seem fair since they've been living in this harsh reality for years, and we just arrived. She said, just tell your friends what you're doing and that we need their help too.

To get started, visit St. Bernard's Project today.

Tom Nelson, COO here at AARP, has been passionate about the Serve America Act that President Obama signed today. Here's a guest blog from Tom about why this legislation is so important to AARP, you, and our country:

I'm so pleased that this afternoon, AARP attended the White House signing ceremony for the Serve America Act. It is truly an historic event and one that we're particularly pleased will create meaningful volunteer opportunities for people 50+.

Fifty years ago, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus founded this organization with the motto, "To serve, not be served." The Serve America legislation builds on what is good, strong and unique about America: the self-reliance and self-determination of the American people. Dr. Andrus founded AARP on the same principles.

Inside E Street did a great show in April on the Serve America Act - lots of good information about how the legislation will create more opportunities, including interviews with President Obama's domestic policy advisors and legislators who championed the Act on Capitol Hill. Check it out.

In the next couple of months, there should be more opportunities to volunteer in your communities and neighborhoods. I encourage everyone to find out what's available - even if you only have five extra minutes a week. AARP Create The Good also is a place to find opportunities to serve.

Now is an important time for America and we look forward to the renewed spirit of service this legislation - and each of you - is already helping to foster.

- Tom Nelson, COO, AARP

The Kennedy Serve America Act, which will strengthen and expand civic engagement and volunteer opportunities for people of all ages, just passed the House and is heading to President Obama's desk for signature into law.

Thanks so much to all of you who reached out to your Representatives and Senators!

Thought you might enjoy reading more about it in this Newsweek story. Excerpt below:

"Tom Nelson, AARP's chief operating officer, said the bill gives more older Americans the chance to apply their years of experience to helping others.

Nelson said his group is hearing from thousands of people who say, "How do I get involved, how do I help my community?"

"That older volunteer can be the ideal volunteer," he said."

To see how your Member of Congress voted, visit www.aarp.org/governmentwatch or to get updates on how you can make a difference, join Create The Good.

Great news! The House of Reps could send voluntary service legislation to the President as early as this evening. We're hearing they will consider the Senate-passed version of H.R. 1388, The GIVE Act/Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act this afternoon.

How can you help? Contact your Representatives now and urge them to support the bill. It's pretty simple, just tell them to "Please pass the GIVE Act as amended by the Senate."

The House operator -- 202-225-3121 -- can connect you with your Congressperson. Click here if you need to see who your representative is. Stay tuned to www.aarp.org/governmentwatch to see how your legislator voted.

PS. If you've already called, and asked your friends to call, visit www.aarp.org/CreateTheGood to find more ways you can help out in your community.

Special Guest Blog Posting for shAARPsession
By Senator Orrin Hatch

The Serve America Act is truly a bipartisan piece of legislation that enjoys widespread support. I would like to take a few minutes to tell you why it is such a good bill.

First, this bill is 100 percent voluntary. No one in our nation is compelled to give service, and this bill upholds that tradition. What the legislation will do is provide new and expanded opportunities for people who voluntarily decide to participate.

Moreover, given our current economic climate, there is no better time to make this investment in our nation's future. For every dollar invested in national service, there is anywhere from $1.60 to $2.60 returned on that investment, whether it's kids being tutored, vacant lots turned into playgrounds and parks, homes being built or aid in the form of disaster relief.

An important aspect of this legislation is its multiplying effect. If the measure of this legislation was solely to provide national service slots for 250,000 individuals, I don't think we would have that much to be proud of. But these national service participants, who will receive what amounts to a below-poverty-level survival stipend to meet their basic needs, will leverage millions of traditional unpaid volunteers and hundreds of millions of dollars in private investment in the nonprofit sector to tackle some of our toughest challenges.

One of the things I'm most excited about with this bill is that it provides opportunities for people to serve throughout their live, whether they are young adults or senior citizens. The bill includes programs like the Encore Fellowship program that are specifically directed at our seniors and Baby Boomers. I think this bill will put the skills and experience of our older generations to good use and, at this difficult time, this is a resource we should be all be willing to tap.

Ultimately, the success of the programs shall not be measured by the number of people who participate, but by the work they accomplish.

SPECIAL GUEST BLOG FOR SHAARPSESSION
BY SENATOR BARBARA A. MIKULSKI:

"There is a new, invigorated spirit of service in the United States of America. Americans everywhere are looking to serve and give back to their country. They want to know how they can give and how they can help. They want to be part of an effort to improve society.

"Last month, more than 9,700 applications were submitted to AmeriCorps, more than triple the amount of applications submitted at the same time last year. Last year, 35,000 college seniors applied for 4,000 Teach for America positions.

"This week we brought legislation to the floor of the United States Senate which will allow millions more Americans to answer the call of service. The Serve America Act is the most sweeping overhaul and expansion of national service programs in 16 years. It is not a Democratic bill, it is an American bill.

"The Serve America Act updates and strengthens national service programs administrated by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency I helped create in 1993. It increases the number of AmeriCorps volunteers from 75,000 to 250,000 a year. And it creates new programs to address specific areas of national need. Volunteers will be actively engaged in mentoring and tutoring kids, weatherizing low-income homes, promoting health and wellness, and increasing access to health care. The bill will also engage boomers and older Americans in Encore Fellowships to allow this generation to put their skills and experience to work at home and overseas.

"Many years ago I, too, answered the call to serve. After graduate school, I went down to the VISTA training center in Baltimore to teach volunteers how to be effective in the communities they serve. Seeing that group of determined people making a difference through gumption and hard work really made an impact on me. It was a wonderful experience. One that has colored everything I've done since. And, in giving back, I discovered I got more than I ever gave. This bill is an investment that will engage Americans of all generations and pay dividends long beyond anything we can imagine. It represents the best of America's ideals--spirited volunteerism and the willingness to lend a helping to those in need."

You don't see it at first. The stuff.

You see the river, rimmed with ice, and the sky and the boats at anchor. You see the marshy shoreline, stark in its tangled winter cover in countless hues of brown.

I'd come this morning to the Dyke Marsh area of the Potomac River - directly south of Old Town Alexandria on the George Washington Parkway - to help remove debris from the river's edge.

Not much to do, I thought. I was wrong because you just don't see it at first. At least, I didn't.

But I tromped south with 12 to 15 others. We scattered along the shoreline south of the marina and slowly colors began to emerge. Blues and greens, reds and whites, that didn't belong to nature. Slowly the eye begins to pick out the dull gleam of dirty plastic bottles.

Only then do you begin to realize the sad task confronting us.

Perhaps a hundred people were drawn to this service project. I'm certain many - like me - came to honor the memory of Martin Luther King and to honor the promise of a new President.

The volunteers were of every age. There were parents with their children. Some of the kids young enough to be distracted by the shells cast up by the water. There were mothers with their 20-something daughters, teens and retirees and a Congressional aide (from Rep. Jim Moran's office).

The clean-up was sponsored by the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and the Friends of Dyke Marsh.

The volunteers were scattered along a mile, perhaps two of the Potomac shoreline. The debris they hauled from the river's edge was impressive.

Trash sacks bulged with water bottles (lots of water bottles), soda bottles and soda cans, beer cans, juice bottles, baby bottles, energy drinks, potato chip sacks, random bits of Styrofoam (it's the worst) and plastic in countless configurations. Volunteers also dredged up several discarded automobile tires.

Spirits were high. It was a good morning - sunny, dry, in the low 30s - and a good cause.

One day won't do, of course. Return next week, next month, and another impressive mound of trash could be hauled away from the river's edge.

All that trash made me angry, sad and determined. All those volunteers made me hopeful. I will be back. I hope you'll join me next time.

View image

Today, six entrepreneurs over age 60 found out that they are 2008 Purpose Prize Winners! One invented a $28 machine to help rural African villagers turn their small peanut farm into a cash crop, another rallied hundreds of volunteers to help Iraqi refugees start new lives in their city, and a third is helping African-American farmers in the South become part of the new "green" economy. The six big winners get $100,000 to continue their efforts - and nine more won $10,000.

Over 1,000 people were nominated for tackling everything from "poverty to pollution, recidivism to racial reconciliation, and health care to homelessness.

Read the inspirational stories here - and join AARP Create the Good Network to get tools and inspiration to make a difference in YOUR community!

September 27 is the ServiceNation Day of Action. As a big supporter of ServiceNation, AARP is excited to announce that we expect more than 3000 events all over the country. More than 100,000 people--and it could easily be more than 200,000--are expected to participate.

What will you be doing?

Rally your friends, grab your grandkids, and click here to find an event in your community.

Ever get that feeling that you could be doing more? Feel like you have a lot to contribute to your community but don't know how? Volunteering could be the answer that you and as many as 45 million Americans have been looking for. This is the subject of the "More To Give" report which will be released at the ServiceNation summit in New York tomorrow. Amongst the key findings, the three most popular volunteering options are: work through a faith-based group, mentoring younger people, and helping older people live independently. Another interesting note: the majority of people who haven't volunteered in this country haven't been asked. Do you volunteer or want to get involved? Let us know.

"Voluntourism" is hotter on the travel trend list than just about any destination these days. But with so many people in need these days, what's a commitment phobe to do? Check these ideas courtesy of DailyCandy.com and AARP:

• Spend two weeks in Costa Rica and help local schoolkids learn English. Read about AARP The Magazine editor Ken Budd's experience here.
• Join Hands Up Holiday for a Yucatan experience that includes helping elderly stay active and independent and beachcombing.
• Visit Belize to snorkel and help protect precious coral reefs or dive with dolphins in Greece with Earthwatch diving and snorkel expeditions.

And for those of you that desire a more pampered jaunt, check out Ritz-Carlton's Give Back Getaways and when the hard work is over you can sink into your luxurious accommodations. They even have one that is helping restore a seniors home in Singapore this October. Sign me up - I can paint, garden and sightsee all in one shot!

AARP is excited to announce that we are getting involved in a new project called ServiceNation... and in a big way! Our head honcho, Bill Novelli, will be joining the likes of Caroline Kennedy and Alma Powell with the goal of getting more folks involved in giving back to their community.

American presidents have a history of taking this issue seriously. George W. Bush brought us Points of Light and Bill Clinton's baby was AmeriCorps. (Both of which are still going strong and part of the ServiceNation team!) On September 11 in NY, we've invited John McCain and Barack Obama to tell us what they would do. You can suggest questions you'd like the moderator to ask them here.

The next day, we'll be part of ServiceNation Summit, where hundreds of organizers will be coming together to learn new strategies and hear from our nations leaders. We'll be blogging live from the scene, bringing you interviews with big wigs like Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as well as the average Joe and Jane's out there making a difference each day.

Read an excerpt from this week's TIME for more details. And, stay tuned to Shaarp Session for more!