REGENERATION
Arizona, long a magnet for retired people, has emerged as a leader among a growing number of states that are working to keep older Americans involved in meaningful work, lifelong learning, or volunteering.
As legions of baby boomers near traditional retirement age, many states are moving to ensure that charities, government, and businesses tap older people to work on social problems and fill labor shortages — and most of the states are moving at a faster pace than the federal government.
"States are closer to their own demographics — and the consequences of an aging population: the brain drain, boomer retirements, and work-force shortages in education, health-care, and nonprofit sectors," says Judy Goggin, vice president of Civic Ventures, in San Francisco, a think tank that promotes "civic engagement" of older people. "There is an increasing need to address big problems with local solutions."
For example, Arizona offers the following projects, many of which grew out of discussions it held in November 2005 with business leaders and workers ages 50 and older:
The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, in Scottsdale, contributed a three-year, $400,000 grant to develop the center at GateWay.
Arizona has spent little or no state money on those efforts, says Melanie Starns, director of the Governor's Office on Aging. "We haven't needed new regulations or executive orders to do this," she says. "We've taken a collaborative, cooperative approach instead."
New residents of Arizona say the efforts have been a big help as they seek nonprofit work.
Two years ago, the Mature Worker Connection helped Dan Toth, 58, of Oro Valley, find a volunteer-recruiter job at ReadingSeed, a children's literacy program operated by the Rotary Club of Tucson. Mr. Toth, a former manager of financial and capital support for the state of Colorado, struggled for six months to find work after moving to Arizona in 2004.
"One of the fallouts of relocating is you lose your network," he says. "It was a comfort to know that someone else, like the Mature Worker Connection, was helping to spread your name around and had your best interests at heart. It helps build a bridge to employment."
Surveys suggest that programs like those offered in Arizona will appeal to baby boomers.
Nearly 60 percent of adults ages 50 and older who plan to retire expect to volunteer for a nonprofit group or local organization, while an additional 14 percent plan to seek training or learn a new skill to switch careers, according to a recent poll by Experience Wave, a group in Washington that is pushing policy makers to provide incentives to keep older adults involved as employees and volunteers.
"There are federal and state policies that if tweaked could really unleash the potential of this huge cohort of people to do good," says Kathy Miller, Experience Wave's project director.
Though many states are aware of looming shortages in the work-force and volunteer ranks, they are just beginning to act and may not be moving fast enough to keep up with boomer retirements, says Tom Endres, vice president for civic engagement at the National Council on Aging, in Washington.
"States are beginning to recognize that their fastest-growing resource is older adults who are defining what to do in the new third age of life," he says.
Actions in Other States
While many of the state projects are aimed at bolstering the general work force, they will help charities that are facing the same labor shortages and baby-boomer retirements as everyone else. Other examples of actions states and local jurisdications are taking:
Linda Hoffman, senior policy analyst at the association's Center for Best Practices, in Washington, says that in spite of some common ground, the states are facing different issues and are customizing their solutions: Many new businesses have recently moved into Alabama, for example, so the state is looking at older workers as a way to offset labor shortages. Maine wants to increase volunteerism among older adults. New Mexico has high rates of poverty and wants to help older people find work. Ohio is focused on labor and retraining in response to layoffs in the auto industry.
California's Efforts
California, which in February became the first state to create a cabinet position to promote volunteerism, is now following up on the findings from a major report it released last summer, California's Aging Opportunity: Building a Legacy of Good Works by Older Californians. One in five Californians will be over age 60 by 2020.
The report, paid for by the California Wellness Foundation, of Woodland Hills, recommended several ways the state could increase the number of older volunteers:
"The challenge that lies ahead is not one of innovative ideas but one of investment dollars," says Karen Baker, the former executive director of CaliforniaVolunteers, who was just promoted to the new position of secretary of service and volunteering. "Our state budget is limited, so we will be looking to partner with those foundations that want to put our eager seniors to work improving their communities."