Topic of Aging Gets New Look With the Support of Foundations

By Suzanne Perry

A new series that aims to portray aging in a positive way will make its debut on public television in

ALSO SEE: ARTICLE: A Charity's Mature Vision ARTICLE: How Will We Reach the 'Tipping Point' in a New Movement for Older Americans? ARTICLE: Turning the 'Me Generation' Into the 'We Generation'

June, supported by grants from Atlantic Philanthropies and the MetLife Foundation.

Life (Part 2), a 30-minute weekly program hosted by Alan Rosenberg, a television actor, will feature news reports, interviews, and roundtable discussions about the ways people find meaning and respond to challenges in their later years.

"The overall goal of the show is to help dispel ageist stereotypes, to emphasize the fact that people can remain vital as they grow older," says Gerry Richman, executive vice president of national productions at Twin Cities Public Television, which produces the program.

Among those who will be interviewed during the first season's 13 programs, which will air on PBS stations across the country, are Ed Asner, the television actor; Sherwin B. Nuland, author of the book The Art of Aging;

People who will participate in the roundtables include Frank McCourt, author of the book Angela's Ashes; and Abigail Trafford, author of the "My Time" column for The Washington Post.

Atlantic Philanthropies provided $1.2-million and MetLife $670,000 to pay for the first season of Life (Part 2). Mr. Richman says his station is trying to raise money to keep the program going after that.

Hollywood may be known for its emphasis on youth, but last month's Academy Awards ceremony introduced millions of television viewers around the world to an organization that puts retired people to work as volunteers in the public schools.

That happened when Sherry Lansing, former chairman of Paramount Pictures Motion Picture Group, was presented with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her charitable activities. Among the causes that were highlighted in a video about her life: PrimeTime, a program that the Sherry Lansing Foundation started last year with the Los Angeles public-school system.

PrimeTime's Web site makes this pitch: "You spent the 60s sitting in, the 70s shaping up, the 80s selling out, and the 90s cashing in. Now, with retirement just around the corner, here's your chance to give something back."

The Academy Awards mention proved to be good publicity, prompting hundreds of people to contact Ms. Lansing's foundation. "We heard from people who are interested in volunteering, interested in helping their public schools, from as far away as Atlantic City, North Carolina, and Montana," says Laura Brown, the foundation's director. While the group works only in Los Angeles right now, it hopes to branch out to other cities eventually, she added.