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| Jim Molay , Albertina Kerr Center |
| Visit Albertina Kerr Center's website |
Albertina Kerr Center
“It was kismet,” exclaimed Jim Molay.
He just knew the connection was right.
A 32-year year veteran of Intel Corporation’s exacting, high-intensity culture, Jim was ready to retire and searching for personal renewal. Then he got an opportunity to work for the Albertina Kerr Center, a Portland, Ore.-based nonprofit that focuses on helping people with mental health challenges and developmental disabilities.
“With Albertina Kerr, it just jelled,” Jim said excitedly. “It’s meant to be.”
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| Jack Kelly , New York City Housing Authority |
| Visit New York City Housing Authority's website |
New York City Housing Authority
When Jack Kelly considered applying for an Encore Fellowship, he was well positioned to play an impactful role at a nonprofit, given 30 years of experience at Goldman Sachs, where he was co-head of the industrials research team, and service as a Board member at two academic institutions.
But as Antoinette (Toni) La Belle, Program Director for the New York Encore Fellows program, guided him through the application process, there was one hurdle he hadn’t anticipated.
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| Ken Larson , Sierra Business Council |
| Visit Sierra Business Council's website |
Sierra Business Council
When I was approached in 2011 about the opportunity to work in a nonprofit in the environmental space in rural Northern California and get paid for it, I was ecstatic! It would allow me to do work that was good for the community and good for my bottom line.
| Sonia Hodshire , Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico |
| Visit Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico's website |
Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico
For most of my career I worked as a Manufacturing Supervisor, managing Intel Factory employees. I started my career in Fab7and worked there from 1983 to 2002 and then, in F11X from 2005 to April 2012, when I retired after 26 years.
Before I retired, I learned about the Encore Fellowship program when I read an article published in the Intel Circuit. After applying, I had several interviews with agencies in need of my services and was able to match my interest to the agencies. I made my selection. At every step of the way, I felt welcomed and was dealt with great respect.
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| Liane Anderson , Camp Kesem, Winnetka, Illinois |
| Visit Camp Kesem, Winnetka, Illinois' website |
Camp Kesem, Winnetka, Illinois
To be or not to be…retired
The decision to retire from Intel after 24 years was incredibly hard. Intel was my home, my family. I’d spent the last quarter century with brilliant and amazing people, traveling the world and becoming the best me I could become. Intel provided me with challenges, benefits, and career satisfaction beyond compare.
Experience Matters' centerpiece program is Encore Fellowships, placing highly skilled executive retirees in half-time positions for a year (a $20,000 stipend underlines that it's a serious commitment). Fellows' accomplishments range from strengthening a museum's finances to developing a long-range plan to make senior centers more efficient and effective. (This story also appeared in The Arizona Republic.)
“There’s a big payoff from encore careers, for individuals and for our entire society,” says Marc Freedman, founder and CEO of Civic Ventures. The nonprofit organization says that 9 million boomers who are already engaged in encore careers began thinking about encores by age 50. Encore careers can well be the crown jewel of a boomer’s entire career.
What is an encore career? That’s the new buzz phrase being used for people reaching the midpoint of their lives who no longer want to be just “doing a job.” They want a job or career that has more meaning for them.
Boomers apparently don't simply want to volunteer, they want to start and run their own nonprofits. In a recent study by Civic Ventures and MetLife Foundation, some 12 million boomers said they plan to start either a socially conscious business or a nonprofit during their "retirement" years. In other words, boomers plan to give back in a big way.
A new survey by MetLife Foundation and Civic Ventures estimates that 31 million people between ages 44 and 70 are interested in encore careers. But 40 percent of them say they haven't made the switch yet because they aren't secure enough financially.
